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Mike Babcock says changes would help World Cup of Hockey

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 26: Head Coach of Team Canada Mike Babcock speaks to the media during the World Cup of Hockey 2016 practice sessions at Air Canada Centre on September 26, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)
Head Coach of Team Canada Mike Babcock speaks to the media during the World Cup of Hockey 2016 practice sessions at Air Canada Centre on September 26, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

TORONTO – If Mike Babcock has his way, the next World Cup of Hockey will have some changes.

The Team Canada coach was asked about the 2016 event, which is sanctioned by the NHL and NHLPA, and what could be different for the next World Cup in four years.

First he discussed a shift in the schedule to have more seats filled at the arena along with having the tournament in different locations and using international rankings to determine some elements about the event.

“Two cities, only night games, bring the pools together, close, close together so you have crowds every night, not moving players around. Based on where you finish, what your world standing is that’s how you’re ranked in the tournament, that’s how you pick dressing rooms, that’s how you pick everything,” Babcock said. “That’s fair, actually. When you go to the Olympic games, the swimmer in the heats that swims the fastest gets the best lane, that’s how it should be.”

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Babcock noted the success of Team North America, but was unsure if that 23-and-under team could work again. Some of their players such as Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews would be eligible to play for North America again at the next World Cup, but McDavid has stated his preference to play for Canada instead.

“You better be careful what you do with that,” Babcock said about the Team North America concept.

He also pointed out how Team Europe has played well in the tournament in making the final, but he likes the idea of a player being part of his national team instead.

“I like the opportunity to represent your country where the heat’s on you and you’ve got to deliver,” Babcock said. “I think that’s a huge part of the Olympic games. The other thing is, the World Cup’s great, it’s not the Olympics. Let’s not get confused.”

Though Team Europe players are happy to play for a championship, some are doing so with strange feelings.

“At the end of the day it’s a lot more emotional when you play for your own country. Here, you got put together a couple of weeks ago and you’re eight nations in one place and for one team. At this point you don’t really play for your country, you play for the teammates you have,” Europe forward Nino Niederreiter said. “So it’s a mixed feeling. Even being in the finals, it’s a different feeling than when you play for Switzerland in the final. There’s literally no pressure on us (Team Europe). We just go out and all the pressure is on Canada.”

It’s currently unclear how the World Cup will play out in the future between the format and the location.

The NHL said it wasn’t concerned with the World Cup’s attendance at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, which has hosted all games. Also the Team Europe and Team North America concepts have been successful for this tournament – especially the under-23 team of players made up from the United States in Canada. But there are lessons to be learned moving forward and the league and its players will surely dissect what went well and what didn’t and listen to all angle.

“I think the tournament has been organized really great,” Europe forward Thomas Vanek said. “The people in Toronto have done a fantastic job here. As far as that I wouldn’t change anything.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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