Heikki Hietanen, general secretary of the World Championships and IIHF board member, says that the hockey Champions League is going in a different direction than the others. The participation of NHL players in the Olympics is still being discussed.
Simo Arkko,
Henri Pitkänen
TAMPERE. The Hockey Champions League shuddered this week when it announced new rule changes. President of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF Luc Tardif told the media conference of the World Cup that the association was surprised by the new rules.
– If I tell the truth, we were surprised. But why not try something. We are following up, but we were surprised. In our opinion, that is not the way to proceed and approach the new rules, Tardif said.
In the next season in the CHL, the two-minute penalties will not end in a power-play goal, and the ice shelf will also be used if the opponent succeeds in finishing during the postponed penalty.
However, the ice can end so that the underpowered team succeeds in finishing.
The importance of coolers is increasing
General secretary of the World Championships and member of the IIHF board Heikki Hietanen tells Urheilu that the CHL is currently going in a different direction than the others.
– The process did not go well. You can always try, of course you can’t be against it and it’s their internal decision.
– Otherwise, when you try to think that the games would be decided more evenly, they go in the other direction. The importance of coolers increases in the final result and I don’t know if that is a good development.
The organizers are satisfied with ticket sales
Two surprises reached the medal games of the World Cup this spring, as Germany played in the final and Latvia in the bronze medal match. According to Hietanen, these are good things for the hockey world.
Latvia’s success also brought several thousand supporters to Tampere. According to Hietanen, about 4,000 tickets remain in Tampere from last year’s number of spectators. When the Riga tickets are included, the number of spectators will increase compared to last year’s games by a total of more than 60,000 spectators.
– Regarding ticket sales, we are in pretty much the same situation as last year. If Finland had played, it could have fizzled out a bit. We are very happy with this amount.
Tardif told reporters that the participation of Russia and Belarus in international competitions in the 2024-2025 season will be decided in March next year.
– We want to make that (decision) every year, because we hope for a better situation as soon as possible.
According to Tardif, the decisions on possible Olympic qualifiers concern only Belarus. If accepted, Russia would qualify for the 2026 Olympics based on ranking.
NHL players for the Olympics?
The participation of NHL players in the Olympics is still being discussed.
According to Tardif, the decision on the participation of NHL players must be made after the summer of 2024. He is optimistic about the matter, but reminds that the matter is not solely in his hands.
One concern is related to the Olympic arena and the organization of the competition. According to the IIHF, the conditions in Milan are far from the basic level used in, for example, the World Cup.
– We will not give up. We try to push them hard going forward, but that also doesn’t mean we can’t work on NHL players.
– We want a long-lasting relationship. We want the best players for the World Cup and the Olympics. We already did it in Beijing, but Korona canceled the process. We have started negotiations again.
Tardif emphasizes that the IIHF wants mutual respect in this matter. NHL players will be discussed next time next month.
– They have a new manager, whom I met last week. We tried to find a solution to the players’ insurance issue.
– We want to make sure that the IOC, IIHF, NHL and the NHL players association find a solution together.
The timing of the World Cup is ticking
At the press conference, Tardif also took a stand on organizing a possible World Cup. There will be no tournament in 2024, but the NHL is planning the World Cup for February 2025.
The IIHF is not on the same page. According to the association, it would be a big problem for European leagues and clubs.
It is also about the IIHF’s desire to protect the World Championships that will be held three months later.
– Since 2008, we haven’t organized the World Cup in North America, because we don’t want to compete with the Stanley Cup. But we want the same respect for our World Cup.