Creativity comes at a consequence for NHL with Canada-Europe final

In eschewing the basic premise of international competition, there was always going to be risk.

The NHL prioritized the endorsement of its own product when establishing the format for the World Cup of Hockey, a decision that not only threatened its legitimacy as a best-on-best competition, but one that left the tournament's place as a potential replacement for the Olympics to chance.

Nevertheless, having weighed concerns armchair executives didn't hesitate to communicate, the NHL went ahead with its contrivance. And with it, successfully engineered extraordinary drama, novel theater, and incredible moments from the 23-and-under North American squad that, in three games, illustrated just how thrilling the sport can be and had the hockey world begging for more.

Yet, the tournament that captured attention for its daring, self-serving tactic, is now trending toward an uninspired, potentially unwatched conclusion, largely for two apparent miscalculations.

Or one gross underestimation.

An experiment

Coming together quickly as a formidable squad, Team Europe, the assortment of stars who hail from lesser hockey nations, took advantage of a weak group in order to advance to the knockout stage. And then, because the NHL went with a multi-game final in lieu of a quarterfinal round, or that extra hurdle an underdog would have to clear, the Europeans used one elimination triumph - its bewildering upset over Sweden - to throw an absolute wrench in the NHL's experiment.

Now it's the misfits versus powerhouse Canada in a best-of-three final devoid of historical significance, that has genuine relevance to one nation, and offers but straws to grasp at when attempting to concoct an alluring narrative.

"The great thing about it is I don't have to worry about that. All I have to worry about is finding a way to win," Team Canada coach Mike Babcock told theScore when asked if this matchup has taken a little shine off the tournament.

"What I would tell you is they earned the right to be here. There were lots of good teams in the tournament, and they kept finding a way to get better and better. Everyone doubts them, and they just keep winning,” he added.

"They're organized, they play hard. Everyone is playing for the team. They seem to have really enjoyed one another, and are playing for one another. It looks like a good team to me, and that's who we're playing and we're excited to play them. We have a chance (to play) in the World Cup final, and I don’t know how it gets better than that."

More than hardware

With a chance to extend his incredible international record with Canada, and win one of the few existing championships he's without, it's understandable the opponent, and the matchup it offers fans, doesn't trouble Babcock.

But this coach is aware of impact. Just last week, Babcock readily marvelled at North America, waxing on unprovoked about the amount of good those kids, and that team, were doing for the game. He championed the strategy, calling it an "unbelievable marketing scheme," and believed that with it, the NHL was going to secure hoards of new fans.

Maybe with the finish line in sight, the greater good is no longer his concern. Or maybe whether he wants to acknowledge it or not, he understands along with the rest of us that the NHL's desire to pump its international showcase full of its own talent has indeed come at a consequence.

Legacy

Extensions of their coach, Canada's players were predictably unwilling to let on if they were experiencing some semblance of letdown from clashing with a non-traditional opponent at the World Cup.

Steven Stamkos defended Europe, justifying the team's presence in the final, and construction in the first place.

"These guys earned their right to be in the finals. You can’t blame them for beating Sweden in the semifinals," Stamkos told theScore. "At the beginning of the tournament no one thought they would do that. A lot of people had Canada-U.S. and Russia-Sweden, but that’s why you play the games. The teams that deserve to be in the final will be in the final."

John Tavares, too, admitted he was surprised Europe has made it to this point, but added that, based on its performance and the fight put up versus Canada in the preliminary round (Europe was outshot better than two-to-one), the opponent is a worthy adversary.

"You look at the teams they've beaten to get here, and it's pretty impressive," Tavares said. "We saw first hand playing against them. They didn't make it easy for us. We know this is going to be a challenge.

"We're at the final hurdle, and we want to make sure we approach it the same way, and get the job done."

It's fully expected Canada will, and the World Cup's best-of-three finale will only require two games, ensuring NHL training camps will be attended in full by the weekend.

If so, one of the greatest collections of talent will celebrate the same before disbanding, perhaps without ever being challenged.

But it remains to be seen if the public will share in that enthusiasm.