That's not true. He has played in and won gold in both the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the Canadian Under-18 National Team for the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. I know Canada and TSN love to hype the under 20 World Juniors but the U-17 and U-18 are just as big for these players to play in. To suggest he's never been in a high pressure playoff type situation is just flat out incorrect.
Send your NHL player to miss games and go play in some junior tournament? Ridiculous idea.
I cannot picture a scenario in which it would be a good idea to send him to the WJC unless it turns out a big mistake was made in keeping him past 9 games.
At the time, yes of course it is. The yearly WJC is the exact same tournament as the ones I listed, they're just for different age groups. As they get older each one gets more important. Rerun mentioned the media coverage the U20 gets as a reason why it's so important but outside of Canada and the TSN machine this tournament means zilch. It's massive in Canada and that's it. I listed those as big game situations Monahan has played in and I definitely stick by that.
I love watching the World Juniors every holiday season but it's a huge product of TSN and the great timing it has to work with. It's no more important to a players development then the U18 or the U17s. The only difference is the U20 we love so much around Christmas had NHL drafted players the normal fan is familiar with that they can cling to, or a close to being drafted phenom for Canada.
It's good for development but the goal is to get these kids to the NHL. If Monahan is already there and playing well the benefactors are low, especially when he's already played in similar tournaments.
At the time, yes of course it is. The yearly WJC is the exact same tournament as the ones I listed, they're just for different age groups. As they get older each one gets more important. Rerun mentioned the media coverage the U20 gets as a reason why it's so important but outside of Canada and the TSN machine this tournament means zilch. It's massive in Canada and that's it. I listed those as big game situations Monahan has played in and I definitely stick by that.
I love watching the World Juniors every holiday season but it's a huge product of TSN and the great timing it has to work with. It's no more important to a players development then the U18 or the U17s. The only difference is the U20 we love so much around Christmas had NHL drafted players the normal fan is familiar with that they can cling to, or a close to being drafted phenom for Canada.
It's good for development but the goal is to get these kids to the NHL. If Monahan is already there and playing well the benefactors are low, especially when he's already played in similar tournaments.
It's different BECAUSE of what TSN has made it.
Sure, it's only big here, but that's pretty moot considering here is where we are and we're talking about a Canadian kid.
Because it is on national television, and because these kids have watched it their whole lives, it is completely different.
What's the argument against? It hurts our playoff chances? We're 4 games into a rebuild, if it hurts our playoff chances it helps our draft pick. That's a win win for the Flames.
What else? He'd develop better in the NHL? 82 games playing against men is a long season for a 19 year old. If the WJC is lesser competition, it could work out as a working holiday for Monahan.
He's a kid, let him play in the tournament he's wanted to play in since he was little. The NHL will still be here for him once it's over.
And most of all, letting him make the decision builds the kind of team-player relationship we want to have with a future Capitan
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I agree that the only real chance Monahan goes to the WJC is if the wheels fall off for the Flames. It would probably be good for him to get away from the negativity if that is the case, but he's already a top-9 forward, which is different than a guy like Devante Smith-Pelley who was a 4th liner.
Have you been alive the last 15 years? Many Russians and Europeans grew up wanting to win the WC and is probably a bigger deal to them than the Stanley Cup
I am pretty sure that there have been quotes from European players saying the Stanley Cup is a bigger deal than the WHC and if it was really that big of a deal to them they would stay in their domestic leagues so they could win it every year.
It is certainly a bigger deal to Euro's than North Americans but it isn't bigger than the Stanley Cup.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
outside of Canada and the TSN machine this tournament means zilch. It's massive in Canada and that's it.
Its huge to other countries as well. Maybe not to the general population like it is in Canada but to hockey fans, players and the hockey organizations it is just as big to them as it is to us.
The only reason I would say the WJHC is bigger than the U17 and U18's is that the guys are older and closer to NHL so you tend to get guys that will be more likely to play/play against in the NHL. But other than that I would say the experience and pressure are pretty much the same.
He has already played for the Flames and he has a long NHL career ahead of him.
This is his last chance to play in the WJC.
You are crazy if you think Sean would say yes if Burke and Feaster said "Hey would you like to leave us in the middle of the NHL season to play in a junior tournament?" The guy wants to be an NHL player, he wants to help his NHL team every game, and wants to make NHL money. The feeling of ditching his teammates alone would always make a player decline unless management said "this is whats happening"
You are crazy if you think Sean would say yes if Burke and Feaster said "Hey would you like to leave us in the middle of the NHL season to play in a junior tournament?" The guy wants to be an NHL player, he wants to help his NHL team every game, and wants to make NHL money. The feeling of ditching his teammates alone would always make a player decline unless management said "this is whats happening"
no kid would say yes to that question - even if they wanted to
