When the World Cup of Hockey was announced, count me among those who rolled their eyes so hard that they got stuck in the back of my head — it’s not Colorado Avalanche hockey, and it’s another international tournament that isn’t the Olympics? Please.
Add to that the gimmick squads of “Team Europe” and “Team North America (Under 23!)”, and I was taking pains to control my gag reflex. This was going to be a bunch of NHL stars playing low-intensity hockey, trying not to get injured before the regular season. Call it a glorified All-Star game.