Freddie P's Blog

April 13, 2009 @ 10:24

With all due respect to the combatants, is there anything more pointless than holding the Women's World Hockey Championship year after year?

And I'm not just saying this now because Canada lost to the United States in the final yesterday, I've made this point on several other occasions when Canada beat the States.

Therein lays the problem. It's always Canada against the United States and no matter how much they try to push this sport ahead, women's hockey at the international level just ain't cutting it.

This past week, very much unknown to the masses, women from seven other nations gathered in Finland so they could get slapped around by Canada and the United States.

It really is an exercise in futility. This was the 12th year of the Championships and absolutely nothing has changed. While Canada and the States take the sport and the event seriously, you get the impression everybody else throws a team together just to say they were there.

In the championship just completed Canada scored 31 goals and had only six scored against, and four of those goals against came against the United States in the final.

The States scored 28 goals and had only three scored against.

Before these tournaments even start everybody knows who's going to be in the final which severely affects interest and perpetuates the ridiculous image of women's hockey.

I understand that to advance the sport there has to be competition, but why invite the likes of Japan and China to an event that will only serve to humiliate and embarrass them?

Even countries like Finland and Sweden, who have strong men's programs, don't come anywhere close to competing with the North American countries. They too get their doors blown off.

So really, what's the point?

Until these other nations advance their sport to the level where a game is a game they should suspend these "official" tournaments and work on development.

And I hate to say it, but this should apply to the Olympics as well.

Meanwhile, Canada and the States should do their own version of a "Harlem Globetrotters Tour" and titillate the few hundred fans that care enough to show up.