MORE MONEY + MORE GEAR = MORE HOCKEY
Olli Kukkonen
I had a lengthy chat with the International Ice Hockey Federation's president, Jonas Krueger, and the Swiss seemed quite upbeat about the state of the "coolest game on Earth." One topic that definitely came up is the fact that there are so many more professional hockey teams these days than there were even during the early Robertian Era.
"That is easy to explain," he said. "Two major reasons. First of all, there is more money in the world. That is a cold, hard fact. It isn't so much that the rich have fatter wallets, either, because of many countries having a luxury tax in place - an extreme example of this is Uralica, which is why it is said they have no billionaires even though they're among the world's richest countries. The middle and "lower" classes have more money at hand, and we've seen one of the consequences of this in the North American system. Community ownership has actually become a popular thing in the lower levels of the game."
It has in many other countries as well, Uralica included, but not to nearly the same extent as it has in the seven-nation North American professional system, especially in the lowest level thereof, the fifteen-league North American Minor Professional Hockey Association, or NAMPHA for short. It has become even more of "a thing" in the North American Junior Hockey System (which covers six of those seven nations, Canada being the exception).
"The other reason is that production of gear has become cheaper because of innovations in the New Polar Order and later in Uralica, Russia, Finland, and Nordland," Krueger continued. "So more gear is available and it is possible to recycle the gear once it's outgrown or if it's damaged beyond repair, which drives costs down even further. So hockey, while still a little pricey compared to some sports, is not anywhere near as prohibitively expensive for some people as it was, and consequently, we've seen a boom in the number of people playing hockey in 'the expected ice hockey countries,' so the Big Ten and certain other 'lesser powers' such as my own country, plus we've seen a whole host of new countries start taking up the game. If someone were to tell me that the Pacific Islands - other than maybe New Zealand - would have their own national hockey teams even ten years ago, I'd've laughed at you. But here we are - Polynesia, Melanesia, the Malays, and Hawaii all have national teams. Is there a possibility of Papua getting in on the fun? Eh, probably not. I don't think the interest is there except amongst missionary communities. But who knows? I also love what I've been seeing in Africa. Even some nations that aren't as well-to-do are trying to get themselves into the game. Right now the only countries that have hockey teams in Africa are the richer ones, with perhaps the exception of Ethiopia, which has a large expat community to help them out. But given time and a little help from outside, there are other African countries I could see joining up. eSwatini is trying to get a team going, apparently. Same with the Kru Republic, Adamawa, Mbundu, and Kongo. But the Africans play the game with such passion it's hard not to love them. With the expanded NHL Draft I hope to see some start to go in the draft."
The "Grow The Game" grassroots hockey movement has undoubtedly played a large role in this - people from upper-level hockey nations working to get more of their own minorities into the game, as well as people from countries where hockey may not have quite the same following but has a group of dedicated people desiring to take up the sport. This is why the number of divisions in the World Hockey Championship ladder has almost doubled since reconvention in 2016, when they restarted with seven levels. There are now thirteen, with the lowest-level Division XII set to start in 2021 in the Inca Republic.
Just for the funsies, I asked Krueger for one major question for each level for next year, and then answered them for this article.
Championship Proper: "Can anyone break the Arctic Union monopoly on winning?" Given how the only non AU-countries in the Big Ten are Czechia and Slovakia, My guess is a no on this one.
Division I: "Does Transcaucasia have another wonder-season up their sleeves like they did in 2019?" Not without Kucherov, they don't. They had better hope he suits up for them again, or else not only will they not get promoted but they actually have something of a chance of relegation.
Division II: "Can Cascadia win the division on home ice?" It will be hard for them, but it is absolutely possible. I think the favourites, though, are the Scots.
Division III: Two for this one: "How much higher can Israel-Palestine push itself?" and "Are the NewCons ready to take that next step?" To the first question, I'd call them contenders for promotion, but not favourites. To the second question, I say I'll answer that when I've seen who they end up with on their actual roster. There's the possibility of a yes. I think either Japan or Italy will take this group, but the NewCon fans may play a role, and of course there's the Israeli-Palestinians and the Croats to worry about.
Division IV: Two more: "Who's actually going to win? It's so close!" and "Can China actually compete with the other five teams?" The second one's a yes. This is an absolute six-horse race, though. If anyone's at a disadvantage it's Serbia, because they didn't play last year, and they know this, so they're working their butts off to try and stay at the same level as their competitors. I give the slightest of edges to Romania.
Division V: "Can Catalonia rebound from losing Alcaine?" Not immediately. I mean, come on, he was Catalan hockey for a while. I doubt that they will get promoted and I will say that there is a decent chance of them getting relegated, although Georgia's prospects aren't so hot either. The Afrikaners may also yoyo.
Division VI: "Is Aragon actually going to win on home ice, since Utah, Mexico, and promoted Wales are considered stronger this year?" Probably not. I'm torn as to who actually will win. Maybe the slightest of edges to Wales because of their already ECHL-calibre goalie and certain other players.
Division VII: "Is Ireland going to get promoted yet again?" Wouldn't surprise me. Their biggest challenges will be Ngunia and Turkey, and possibly Euskadi, but I think they have it in them to beat all three.
Division VIII: "Who is even the favourite to win this group? It's so close!" With Marinković, Vojvodina. Without him, it's a lot harder to call.
Division IX: "Is Thailand good for a yoyo or is one of the other teams going to hold them back?" They're probably going to be held back, because Taiwan really wants it and I don't see quite the same level of urgency from the Thais. Surprisingly, I don't see it from the Maghrebis, either, and that could be the real X-factor.
Division X: "Can fast-rising Chile hold off the Malays, Armenians, and Xhosas for promotion?" Their recent friendlies suggest there's a possibility, but I still favour the Malays to win.
Division XI: "Can Kuwait finally win a game?" With Oman in the group, there's a possibility. They have beaten Oman in Challenge Cup play, but also haven't played against them since 2017 because of their stubborn refusal to play the Challenge Cups. Still, their head coach has said that if they get relegated again, they are going back in the Challenge Cup.
Division XII: "Should Botswana be called favourites?" Not necessarily, but they are contenders. If you look at the level of play they brought in this year's Challenge Cups, the biggest threats to them winning are the Inca Republic and Chukotka. Yes, three of the four Challenge Cup winners are in this group, with the only exception being Montenegro, who are now full IIHF members and can't play the CCE next year anyway. It's a tough group to predict, though.
Early faves to win:
Championship: Canada (yawn)
Div I: Germany, probably.
Div II: Scotland.
Div III: probably Japan.
Div IV: Romania, barely.
Div V: Iceland.
Div VI: Wales.
Div VII: probably Ireland.
Div VIII: Vojvodina.
Div IX: KwaZulu.
Div X: Malay Federation.
Div XI: Montenegro.
Div XII: Gonna go with Chukotka.
Olli Kukkonen
I had a lengthy chat with the International Ice Hockey Federation's president, Jonas Krueger, and the Swiss seemed quite upbeat about the state of the "coolest game on Earth." One topic that definitely came up is the fact that there are so many more professional hockey teams these days than there were even during the early Robertian Era.
"That is easy to explain," he said. "Two major reasons. First of all, there is more money in the world. That is a cold, hard fact. It isn't so much that the rich have fatter wallets, either, because of many countries having a luxury tax in place - an extreme example of this is Uralica, which is why it is said they have no billionaires even though they're among the world's richest countries. The middle and "lower" classes have more money at hand, and we've seen one of the consequences of this in the North American system. Community ownership has actually become a popular thing in the lower levels of the game."
It has in many other countries as well, Uralica included, but not to nearly the same extent as it has in the seven-nation North American professional system, especially in the lowest level thereof, the fifteen-league North American Minor Professional Hockey Association, or NAMPHA for short. It has become even more of "a thing" in the North American Junior Hockey System (which covers six of those seven nations, Canada being the exception).
"The other reason is that production of gear has become cheaper because of innovations in the New Polar Order and later in Uralica, Russia, Finland, and Nordland," Krueger continued. "So more gear is available and it is possible to recycle the gear once it's outgrown or if it's damaged beyond repair, which drives costs down even further. So hockey, while still a little pricey compared to some sports, is not anywhere near as prohibitively expensive for some people as it was, and consequently, we've seen a boom in the number of people playing hockey in 'the expected ice hockey countries,' so the Big Ten and certain other 'lesser powers' such as my own country, plus we've seen a whole host of new countries start taking up the game. If someone were to tell me that the Pacific Islands - other than maybe New Zealand - would have their own national hockey teams even ten years ago, I'd've laughed at you. But here we are - Polynesia, Melanesia, the Malays, and Hawaii all have national teams. Is there a possibility of Papua getting in on the fun? Eh, probably not. I don't think the interest is there except amongst missionary communities. But who knows? I also love what I've been seeing in Africa. Even some nations that aren't as well-to-do are trying to get themselves into the game. Right now the only countries that have hockey teams in Africa are the richer ones, with perhaps the exception of Ethiopia, which has a large expat community to help them out. But given time and a little help from outside, there are other African countries I could see joining up. eSwatini is trying to get a team going, apparently. Same with the Kru Republic, Adamawa, Mbundu, and Kongo. But the Africans play the game with such passion it's hard not to love them. With the expanded NHL Draft I hope to see some start to go in the draft."
The "Grow The Game" grassroots hockey movement has undoubtedly played a large role in this - people from upper-level hockey nations working to get more of their own minorities into the game, as well as people from countries where hockey may not have quite the same following but has a group of dedicated people desiring to take up the sport. This is why the number of divisions in the World Hockey Championship ladder has almost doubled since reconvention in 2016, when they restarted with seven levels. There are now thirteen, with the lowest-level Division XII set to start in 2021 in the Inca Republic.
Just for the funsies, I asked Krueger for one major question for each level for next year, and then answered them for this article.
Championship Proper: "Can anyone break the Arctic Union monopoly on winning?" Given how the only non AU-countries in the Big Ten are Czechia and Slovakia, My guess is a no on this one.
Division I: "Does Transcaucasia have another wonder-season up their sleeves like they did in 2019?" Not without Kucherov, they don't. They had better hope he suits up for them again, or else not only will they not get promoted but they actually have something of a chance of relegation.
Division II: "Can Cascadia win the division on home ice?" It will be hard for them, but it is absolutely possible. I think the favourites, though, are the Scots.
Division III: Two for this one: "How much higher can Israel-Palestine push itself?" and "Are the NewCons ready to take that next step?" To the first question, I'd call them contenders for promotion, but not favourites. To the second question, I say I'll answer that when I've seen who they end up with on their actual roster. There's the possibility of a yes. I think either Japan or Italy will take this group, but the NewCon fans may play a role, and of course there's the Israeli-Palestinians and the Croats to worry about.
Division IV: Two more: "Who's actually going to win? It's so close!" and "Can China actually compete with the other five teams?" The second one's a yes. This is an absolute six-horse race, though. If anyone's at a disadvantage it's Serbia, because they didn't play last year, and they know this, so they're working their butts off to try and stay at the same level as their competitors. I give the slightest of edges to Romania.
Division V: "Can Catalonia rebound from losing Alcaine?" Not immediately. I mean, come on, he was Catalan hockey for a while. I doubt that they will get promoted and I will say that there is a decent chance of them getting relegated, although Georgia's prospects aren't so hot either. The Afrikaners may also yoyo.
Division VI: "Is Aragon actually going to win on home ice, since Utah, Mexico, and promoted Wales are considered stronger this year?" Probably not. I'm torn as to who actually will win. Maybe the slightest of edges to Wales because of their already ECHL-calibre goalie and certain other players.
Division VII: "Is Ireland going to get promoted yet again?" Wouldn't surprise me. Their biggest challenges will be Ngunia and Turkey, and possibly Euskadi, but I think they have it in them to beat all three.
Division VIII: "Who is even the favourite to win this group? It's so close!" With Marinković, Vojvodina. Without him, it's a lot harder to call.
Division IX: "Is Thailand good for a yoyo or is one of the other teams going to hold them back?" They're probably going to be held back, because Taiwan really wants it and I don't see quite the same level of urgency from the Thais. Surprisingly, I don't see it from the Maghrebis, either, and that could be the real X-factor.
Division X: "Can fast-rising Chile hold off the Malays, Armenians, and Xhosas for promotion?" Their recent friendlies suggest there's a possibility, but I still favour the Malays to win.
Division XI: "Can Kuwait finally win a game?" With Oman in the group, there's a possibility. They have beaten Oman in Challenge Cup play, but also haven't played against them since 2017 because of their stubborn refusal to play the Challenge Cups. Still, their head coach has said that if they get relegated again, they are going back in the Challenge Cup.
Division XII: "Should Botswana be called favourites?" Not necessarily, but they are contenders. If you look at the level of play they brought in this year's Challenge Cups, the biggest threats to them winning are the Inca Republic and Chukotka. Yes, three of the four Challenge Cup winners are in this group, with the only exception being Montenegro, who are now full IIHF members and can't play the CCE next year anyway. It's a tough group to predict, though.
Early faves to win:
Championship: Canada (yawn)
Div I: Germany, probably.
Div II: Scotland.
Div III: probably Japan.
Div IV: Romania, barely.
Div V: Iceland.
Div VI: Wales.
Div VII: probably Ireland.
Div VIII: Vojvodina.
Div IX: KwaZulu.
Div X: Malay Federation.
Div XI: Montenegro.
Div XII: Gonna go with Chukotka.
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(06-11-2022, 10:13 PM)Kyng Wrote: I love how [Abacab] has a track with a section named "Lurker", when the album title itself looks like Lurker's attempt to spell "Abacus" or something .
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