Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 January 2016 15:47
By Kevin Hartzell
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist
The 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships has come to an end. I continue to believe that this tournament is the finest tournament of any kind in the world annually. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Masters golf tournament and I love the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as a few others. But the World Juniors Tournament is such a great way to see the world’s best young hockey talent and the different styles of hockey played by different countries. It remains quite the spectacle and a tournament that can be won by any number of countries.
Following are my impressions from this year’s tournament:
The quality of play from top to bottom has never been better. The skill level displayed in the tournament was outstanding. The skating, passing and strength of the players was and is impressive.
Over time, I think each country has learned from each other. There was a time when we associated high skill with Europe and highly competitive play with North America. I think everyone has learned from everyone. The games are highly competitive and highly skilled.
In North America, we have to give some credit to the governing bodies in the U.S. and in Canada. The emphasis has been on fun and skill development, which I think has proven to be fruitful. All levels of hockey are demonstrating better skills than ever before. Training facilities are helping kids, too. Hockey has never been in better shape!
Finland … WOW. The size, skill and strength of this team was really impressive. I am happy for them that they got to show off their great skill sets in front of their own home supporters (the tournament was in Helsinki). I didn’t want to miss a minute of them playing. On top of it all, in international tournaments, I often believe that teams from Finland are the most committed to a team system. This team displayed it all.
Russian World Junior teams, I often believe, are not so committed to “team” but more to allowing their talent to show on the world stage. This year I thought I saw a different team, especially in their game against the U.S. They looked like their typical world-class talented team, but seemed much more committed to winning “as a team.” They were a tough team, no doubt.
The U.S. was again a very formidable team. They were skilled and competitive. I felt appreciation to see such greatly experienced coaches in Ron Wilson and Chris Chelios on the bench. Their vast experiences I hope were shared with the players. If so, the boys on Team USA were indeed fortunate. Year in and year out, Team USA is now every bit the world power of Canada, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
I did find interesting that this year that Team USA had eight players who play for Major Junior teams in Canada. I have never been a person who thinks playing Major Junior is a bad thing for a U.S. kid. I like the college route for most, but Major Junior is good for a very small percentage. I do, however, find this stat interesting.
And to my friends in Canada, I love you all. I love your passion for hockey. But I will admit I love when Team USA beats you at any time in any tournament. I learned this year, I love when other countries beat you, too. I love it as you have been a “standard bearer” for our game for a long time. I love it as I love beating you at a game you think is “yours.” But I also suspect, you will take your earlier exit personally and will come back with greater resolve in the future. It is in part what makes you Canadian Hockey. But for the first time in a long time, I didn’t really think your team was better that the United States, or Sweden, or Finland or Russia. Been a long time, if ever, I have had that thought.
Kevin Hartzell is the director of player development for the NA3HL’s Twin City Steel. A St. Paul native and forward for the University of Minnesota from 1978-82, Hartzell coached in the USHL from 1983-89 with the St. Paul Vulcans and from 2005-12 with the Sioux Falls Stampede. He was the head coach of Lillehammer in Norway’s GET-Ligaen from 2012-14. His columns have appeared in Let’s Play Hockey since the late 1980s. His book “Leading From the Ice” is available at amazon.com.
Photo: USA Hockey
