Connor McDavid advocates for more international games
Photo credit: NHL
The 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament is well underway, and Team Canada is celebrating a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against Team Sweden. That said, the world of hockey got a small sample size on just how important international games are for the overall health of the sport, and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is advocating for more international competition.
According to Liam McCormick of Oilers Daily, NHL Players had reportedly lobbied hard for the chance to play international best on best hockey again, and that specifically seemed to apply to Connor McDavid - who relished the chance to play with the incredibly talented roster.
As per McCormick, with the NHL last playing international hockey at the World Cup in 2016, it was long overdue that the league sorted out their issues to get players back on the ice playing for their countries.
I've been saying, we've been missing best on best, and that's obviously why. That's as high-end a game as you're going to find. Fast, skilled, great players doing great things. That's what we've been missing for a decade now. Something the fans enjoy, something the players enjoy a lot.
- Connor McDavid
- Connor McDavid
The strongest argument about the obvious superiority of international hockey compared to NHL hockey is the level of elite talent on the ice.
But even on the smaller surface, the international game is vastly superior to NHL hockey for one primary reason. It obliterates the old-school notion that hockey needs to be violent and aggressive to be entertaining, and that the game is itself inherently violent.
Additionally, international hockey is just so much more entertaining, which was on full display last night.
It's great that the NHL will allow its players to compete in the next Olympics two years from now. The site of seeing Connor McDavid and Nathan McKinnon finally wearing a maple leaf of their chest has been a beautiful site to behold.
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