The NHL and the NHLPA got creative when they devised teams for the World Cup of Hockey, which kicks off in Toronto on Sept. 17. Sure, star-studded rosters representing Canada, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the Czech Republic were no-brainers.
But organizers then added a European team made up of players from countries not competing in the tournament as well as a North American team made up of that continent's best players aged 23 and under. But even with all those creative ways of adding teams, some prominent and talented players will be missing from the tournament.