San Jose Sharks coach David Quinn, an enormous baseball fan, watched Group USA play Japan within the riveting remaining of the World Baseball Traditional in Miami.
Like tens of millions of others, Quinn, whose household for years had Boston Crimson Sox season tickets, was glued to the tv Tuesday night time as pitcher Shohei Ohtani confronted slugger Mike Trout in a matchup between baseball’s two finest gamers. With two out within the ninth inning, Ohtani struck out his Los Angeles Angels teammate, giving Japan a stirring 3-2 victory.
“Oh yeah, I positive did,” watch, Quinn mentioned. “It was thrilling.”
It was additionally a reminder that hockey hasn’t had the same best-on-best match in seven years — and received’t for at the very least one other two or three.
The 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto, received by a Canadian staff that includes present Sharks Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and former Sharks Joe Thornton and Brent Burns, marked the final time the entire sport’s finest gamers had been in a single setting.
Since then, there was no Olympic video games that included the world’s finest, nor has one other World Cup been performed.
In 2018, the NHL, citing opposition by staff homeowners, and the Worldwide Olympic Committee’s refusal to pay journey and insurance-related prices, skipped the Winter Olympics in South Korea, a lot to the dismay of the NHL Gamers’ Affiliation. The league then scrapped plans to pause its schedule throughout the 2022 Video games in Beijing, saying it wanted that point final February to make up the variety of video games that had already been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One other World Cup of Hockey was slated for February 2024. However the NHL introduced in November the occasion could be postponed for at the very least one other yr, because the league’s suspension of all enterprise relationships with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine stays in impact. The Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation has additionally suspended Russia from all worldwide competitions till additional discover.
The NHL and NHLPA have agreed to play on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, however, once more, that's contingent on the league reaching a cope with the IIHF and IOC. IIHF President Luc Tardif mentioned in January he desires a decision on NHL participation within the subsequent Olympics by Spring 2024.
“I believe clearly with COVID, it took that (Olympic) alternative away final yr,” Quinn mentioned. “I do know our sport desires it. I do know the NHL desires it. I do know the Gamers Affiliation desires it, and definitely, our fan base desires it. I believe you can be seeing one thing like that earlier than the (subsequent) Olympics, is my guess.”
Within the meantime, the most recent era of NHL stars, notably North Individuals, haven’t had the prospect to compete for his or her respective nations on the largest levels.
“It’s what we’ve been asking for in hockey for a very long time. Greatest on finest,” Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid mentioned Wednesday. “Look, everybody’s been speaking about baseball and ‘did you see Ohtani vs. Trout?’ That’s what hockey’s been lacking for a few decade now.”
Quinn was as soon as once more chosen to teach Group USA on the IIHF World Championship in Might, and can little question lead a gaggle of standout American gamers, maybe together with one or two from the Sharks’ group.
However with the NHL playoffs nonetheless in full swing, a number of prime American gamers seemingly received’t take part. That group may embrace Dallas’ Jason Robertson, New Jersey’s Jack Hughes, Toronto’s Auston Matthews, who was born in San Ramon, and the New York Rangers’ Adam Fox.
It might be a deal with to look at all of those stars play on the identical staff in the future, like it could be to see the very best from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and different nations all in the identical venue.
Identical to we noticed on the WBC.
“Loads’s modified for American Hockey, anyway, since our final World Cup,” Quinn mentioned. “Our expertise base has simply improved, the depth has improved. So, I believe for our nation, it could be an enormous step ahead for the expansion of American Hockey to have the ability to have one other World Cup earlier than the Olympics.”
ROSTER UPDATES: Defensemen Radim Simek may play Thursday when the Sharks proceed their highway journey Thursday in Vancouver, Quinn mentioned. Simek, who has not performed since March 4 when he had concussion signs in a recreation towards the Washington Capitals, practiced Wednesday. Jacob MacDonald, injured since March 6, can also be nearing a return, Quinn mentioned. Ahead Jonah Gadjovich can also be on the highway journey however is not going to play Thursday.
Andreas Johnsson, injured Monday in Edmonton, is not going to play Thursday. Taking his spot within the lineup can be Jacob Peterson, who was recalled from the Barracuda on Wednesday.