The World Cup of Hockey will transform the month of September for hockey fans, but it’s unclear how exactly fans will respond to the new tournament and what kind of look and feel the competition will hold. Ryan Getzlaf spoke about the World Cup and said he believes it’ll hold a playoff-type atmosphere.
Via NHL.com:
“We’re going into a playoff-type atmosphere, so we’ve got to be ready to go. We’re going to have to ramp it up.”
As a result of having a competitive tournament prior to the season, players are revamping their summer training. Instead of gradually getting up to speed, players such as Getzlaf will be asked to go out and compete at a high level for what the NHL hopes will be a premier event.
“I tried to simulate what I would do for camp and I’ve been back working out. I think that the amount of skating and stuff I’ve been doing is a lot more and it’s a lot earlier. These next two weeks are going to be about trying to get up to that speed where we’re playing at a high level.”
How will the World Cup impact the 2016-17 season? There’s always the chance of a star player suffering an injury during the tournament, but there’s also the real possibility of players fading as the season winds down. The additional fatigue from the World Cup along with the adjustment needed in training over the summer could lead to late-season fatigue. Assuming the NHL tries to make the World Cup an annual event, it may be a few seasons before players adjust to their new schedules.
