Team North America may be a gimmick, but it should be here to stay
Team North America won the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
It doesn't matter that the tournament's semifinal and final rounds have yet to be played or that North America didn't make it out of the prelims.
When the 23-and-under team was officially eliminated thanks to Team Russia's win over Finland on Thursday, very few people outside of Russia were happy about it. And why would they be? There's no question that they were the most intriguing and popular team in the field of eight international squads.
Through the three-game preliminary round, North America brought a fast and furious brand of hockey that was something special to witness. They were unapologetically aggressive, and they had the talent and the skill to make it work. They became the most enthralling and entertaining group of players hockey fans have gotten to marvel at in quite some time. In victory and in defeat, they were fun as hell.
Just watch this insanity:
But now, despite the body not even being cold yet, there's already some chatter from hockey's prominent personalities about whether the team should be back for the next World Cup in four years (if there is one). Even those who enjoyed the squad of young guns wonder if it should stick around.
One of the more frequent arguments is that the team is a gimmick. That’s true; taking a bunch of American and Canadian kids under the age of 24 and sticking them on a team to compete against the world’s most elite veteran talent from around the world is pretty unheard of. But, by definition, a gimmick is "a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business," so why would that considered a bad thing? Does anyone think that a tournament making its return after a 12-year absence needs less attention, publicity, or business? North America managed to successfully bring all three of those things to the World Cup.
If you happened to take a look into the crowd at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto during preliminary round action, you’d have seen scores of fans adorned with North America gear. Say what you want about the jerseys or vibrant orange NA logo that resembles a crest you’d see toted by a death squad in "The Purge," but a lot of people paid money to put them on their own body. Whether it’s because they fell in love with the team or because they went for the design, it was a huge win for the NHL and, in turn, its players, who receive a piece of the revenue generated by the tournament.
Even if it’s a gimmick, it’s a gimmick that worked. If you want to argue that such a team has no place in the international arena then fine, but it’s important to point out that the World Cup isn’t the Olympics and it never will be. It doesn’t have to take itself super seriously because it doesn’t have the prestige and the historical significance that the Winter Games do.
If the Olympics is always going to be the elder, more revered international tournament, why can’t the World Cup be its fun younger brother that loves to party?
Not all international tournaments are – or should be – the same, so people shouldn’t look down on a gimmicky team that brings a new and exciting twist. North America had an aura of rebellion. They said “screw it” to the surgical, refined style of play used by other teams in the field and they went straight for their opponents' jugular with a frantic and imperfect approach. Maybe it’s not the smartest or most effective way to play, but it was always awesome to watch.
Another claim made against the existence of North America is that it takes away the younger players from their national squads. Any American or Canadian player under the age of 24 is automatically designated for the North American team, which means that Team Canada or Team USA may be forced to select older, less-skilled players to fill their roster.
That’s a fair aspect for fans to feel conflicted about, as even some of the players shared that thought.
“For me in four years I hope I can definitely represent my country,” said North American star Connor McDavid this week. “You only get a few chances to wear the Canadian logo and represent your country in events like this with ‘best-on-best.' I don’t think when you grew up wanting to represent Team North America twice and I’m sure Auston (Matthews) and Jack (Eichel) would say the same thing. We’ve had a lot of fun, but in four years from now I think all of us would want the opportunities that to represent our countries.”
I’m sure many of McDavid’s North American teammates echo those thoughts, as players often dream of representing their home country growing up. And, on the flip, side, those national squads want to put together the absolute best team they possibly can -- unless they’re run by Dean Lombardi and John Tortorella, of course -- so taking the younger players away from them thins the talent pool and can make their job a little tougher.
But the World Cup is an NHL-sanctioned event, and North America is good for the NHL. In addition to the draw of the gimmick, the team serves as a showcase for the league’s future stars. Not only does it get fans more acquainted with the young superstars, it gets the stars more acquainted with one another as well. That’s an important win for the league.
Maybe there’s a compromise to be found that keeps everyone (or at least most people) happy. The league could establish a rule that requires players under 24 to play for North America at least once before they’re allowed to join their respective national teams at the World Cup. If they’re still under 24 at the next tournament, then the choice is up to them. Fans would still get to see the likes of McDavid, Eichel and Matthews play together on the young guns team, but it wouldn’t strip them of their dream to represent the homeland or force the national teams to take worse players.
Ultimately, though, to erase the North American team altogether would be a terrible decision. Its inaugural squad may have not been a smashing success in terms of win-loss record, but it proved to be a champion to fans, the NHL and the tournament itself.
By the time the next World Cup rolls around, whenever that may be, nobody is really going to care or even remember who skated with the trophy in 2016. What they’re going to remember is that they fell in love with a bunch of insanely talented kids who brought a unique and exciting brand of hockey to the event, and they’re going to be awfully disappointed if it ends up being taken away from them.
