The 2021 IIHF Men’s World Championships is set to begin at the end of this week. but with a difference or two. Because of the unusual timing of both the NHL playoffs and the World Championships itself. there aren’t as many NHL players available. And, frankly, there are fewer who were willing to jump in another bubble for weeks on end.
The last Men’s Worlds was in 2019 in Slovakia and marked the second straight win for Finland. The 2020 event was cancelled, and while most players this year have had some place to play, a lot of them have experienced a lot of new procedures, quarantines and bubble or quasi-bubble events.