Smoke’s Rant: the New Ice Age Gets A New Logo

 

Last Wednesday, Greg Pocock and the rest of the Prince George Cougars ownership and management unveiled the new logo that the team will wear in the upcoming 2015/2016 season. It is the latest step in rebranding the Cougars after the new ownership bought the WHL team from the Brodsky family last year. During the unveiling, the team had the past jersey’s all lined up in order to show the evolution of the club from its days in Victoria. The one constant was the cougars being the same colour as we have all come to expect, however, now the Cougar has taken a different shape and color. The logo look more streamline and slick than ever before. The Cougar looks even more menacing as it pops out of the logo in a more three dimensional manner than previous renditions. The large “C” not only gives reference to the name, but some people have said that it draws inspiration from the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames logo from the NHL. Now, you may ask, is it a positive change from the last logo?

Hell Yeah, it’s a great change for the Prince George Cougars. The fact that it looks significantly different from the other versions of the logos, as well as, having the simplistic look is awesome. The gold trim around the “C” completes the effect of the team’s journey into a new chapter in the franchise. Gone are the days where you would go to a game and know that they are going to lose to every team in the league. This logo signifies that the New Ice Age is one that will revolutionize the way that this team will be seen by the citizens in Prince George as well as every opponent that takes to the ice at the CN Centre. Having a more simple design shows that the team will be looking to keep things simple when facing the opposition, instead of getting caught up in their old ways of mediocrity. But, this new unveiling doesn’t come without a modicum of complaints.

I have talked to a lot of Cougars fans over the past week to gauge what they think of the new logo and jersey. There were three consistent issue that were brought up.

1) Is that a Cougar??? The first issue that most of the fans identified was that the Cougar looks more like a Panther then an actual cougars. While this may be the case due to the colour scheme of the home jersey in particular, the overall aesthetic of the logo still feels like a cougar. The gold trim around the edges tries to convey the proper colour of a cougar without detracting from the overall design.

2) Where are the Patches??? The complaint that I agreed with the most was the absence of shoulder patches on the jersey. Most of the teams in the WHL and all of the teams in the NHL have patches on their shoulders to add more to the overall look of the jersey as well as celebrate some historical or geographical significance during the team’s evolution. The Vancouver Canucks have the old “stick and rink” logo from the 1970’s to commemorate their inception into the NHL alongside the Buffalo Sabres. The Victoria Royals, one of the Cougars rivals, has an alternate logo in the shoulder to pay respect to the city of Victoria. It’s a simple addition that goes a long way in completing the overall look of a jersey. Most of the fans that complained about the lack of a patch suggested they have a simple “P.G” or the original Victoria Cougars logo on the side to connect with the fans that have supported the team through thick and thin. Sometimes more can be a positive thing.

3) Same Jersey??? The last issue that the fans had about the new jersey was that it was the same jersey, but with a different logo. Fans wanted more of an overhaul of the overall jersey than just the logo. Some were tired of the same colour scheme, others were frustrated with the lack of originality of overall design. My thought is, why mess with colours that we can be identified with. The Prince George Cougars have been wearing the same colours for as long as I have lived in this great town. When I see those colours anywhere I go, I think of the Cougars. True, I support the cry for a different design of the jersey to match the awesome logo, but don’t mess with the black, red, and white. Those colours signify hard working citizens of this town that do an honest day’s work for an honest pay. The Cougars are a blue collar team, and those are the colours that work best.

I think the New Ice Age, took an awesome step forward with this new rebranding. I for one will wear the new jersey with pride, because I know that everyone in the organization is trying to make this Prince George’s team once again. Support the New Ice Age, and support your local WHL team. Cougar loud and Cougar proud. I am Smoke Stark, and this has been my rant on the Prince George Cougars new logo. Beware my power, Green Lanterns light!

CFUR @ Levitation Vancouver - First Thoughts

It’s the end of my first day with the Levitation folks, and I wanted to get this out there into the world as soon as I could – I love whoever thought of this. This festival has been a mecca of good vibes and even better music. To say the least, I am enjoying myself. I set out on this journey with the intention of having a legitimate Vancouver festival experience, so I brought my bike. I’m staying with a friend who lives near Commercial and Broadway, and the seaside bicycle route isn’t far from her place. I rode in the middle of the day in the hot sun with no water, and arriving at Stanley Park, I didn’t find the fest as easily as I hoped, so when I finally heard Tacocat through the trees, I was relieved. The bike valet service was amazing from start to finish, friendly and knowledgable, they directed me to water right away – the beginning of more incredible interactions to come.

The set up is pretty incredible, the stage is in Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park, so the whole grounds are beautiful and lush. The people who set up Eastside Flea thought to set up these beautiful lace chilling spots, with nice thick blankets and pillows and shade from the sun. Those chilling tents really saved my day – that and the availability of a water fountain near the heart flutters* actual flush toilets. It is a rare thing to have toilets other than port-a-potties available at music festivals, and my white shawl has no blue dip dye thanks to that availability.

My first instinct at festivals is to find the alcohol and the food. The essentials, of course. The beer garden was quick and spacious – it filled up later on but never felt like it was uncomfortable. There was a great concession stand and two food trucks, so I felt secure in the fact that I wouldn't go hungry.

I was in awe of the people immediately, coming from a small city where 80% of the population is above 40. I have so much respect for all the beautiful clothing choices at this fest – it takes years to accumulate and grow into a style like this. Every piece of clothing, every tattoo, all those thrifted shirts from the 70s – that is love. The people attracted to this music – groovy, psychedelic, fuzzy, alternative, rock…. These are the kind of people I like to get to know. These cats know how to have a good time, this scene isn’t violent, it isn’t judgmental, it’s just a collection of folks who want to chill out and feel good vibes.

The musicians are unassuming and friendly, I went back stage briefly for an interview with Tacocat, and everyone was very cool. I’m a little timid and take a while to ease into things, but I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to break through and get some more soundbites and interviews.

I’ll talk more about the bands after I consolidate all my blitzed-out scribbles, but for now I will say one thing for sure about the music at Levitation Vancouver: it’s a little hazy, but oh so clear in my mind.

Stay fuzzy, Levitation and friends.

Smoke's Rant: Acceptance is a Virtue

The biggest sports and entertainment story in the continent this week was the transformation of 1977 Gold Medal athlete Bruce Jenner. Now going by Caitlyn, Jenner has been in the spotlight her whole life since capturing the world's attention in Montreal over 3 decades ago. Hollywood and the rest of the world has been following Caitlyn ever since she announced that she was going to transition from a man into a woman.  Because of her very public family situation with the Kardashians and the revolving door of reality TV shows featuring her and her family, most people thought that this was a publicity stunt aimed at getting even more attention and landing another TV deal. I myself was a little cautious because of the negative attention that the family has been getting over the year. Not only that, I was also a little nervous about the reaction of fans and keyboard warriors possibly crucifying the very brave woman for what she was about to undertake. All of that speculation on whether Jenner was serious about the transition and if the operation was going to go well, and what the general reaction was going to be was silenced when the Vanity Fair issue featuring the new Caitlyn Jenner was released mere days ago.

There was an overwhelming amount of support for the gold medalist as she looked like a seasoned model posing for the popular magazine. Fans and celebrities alike took to social media to express their admiration for Jenner's bravery and for her outstanding look that was accomplished. One celebrity, Jessica Lange, responded to those who thought the two now looked alike by stating, " It's Wonderful" (cbsnews.com), that they comparision is being made. The positive reactions that have flooded the internet over the past while, are in stark contrast to the reaction that Jenner would have got even 5 or 10 years ago.

The acceptance of Caitlyn brings in a new era of tolerance that the world sorely needed. The transgendered community has been fighting for their right and fighting to be treated equally by the general society. Jenner's transformation is the newest and brightest beacon for that fight. Unfortunately you cannot have a fight without oposition. Despite all the positive reaction towards Caitlyn, there has also been some backlash about the Vanity Fair issue as well. There is a renown pastor in the Arkansas U.S that has called her "No longer America's athletic hero" (New York Daily News), and JR Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers labelled her a "Science Project" (USAtoday.com). It's acts like this that makes one wonder how far society has actually gone.

Caitlyn Jenner is a hero to the transgendered community and is still a hero in the eyes of the sports world. No matter what anyone does, they can never get their accomplishments stripped from them, especially when that action is just becoming who you are inside.

My name is Smoke Stark, and this has been Smoke's Rant. Live long and prosper Caitlyn Jenner.

So a magazine called you a name: a survival guide from Canada’s Most Dangerous City™

Pulled from local blog andrewkurjata.ca

Dear Vancouver,

I understand you’re going through a bit of a phase. It seems the Economist magazine described you as “mind-numbingly boring” recently and, well, you didn’t take it well. Not just the mayor, but the premier, have had to comfort you, and commentators have penned pieces firing back, even at the magazine itself.

First of all, let me just observe that this feels like the scene where the straight-A student has a minor meltdown because they get a C in gym class or something. I mean, you’re consistently ranked one of the best places in the world to live and here you are freaking out because of literally two sentences in a minor masthead. Speaking as someone where this

was prominently printed in a national magazine, I’ll admit it’s hard to take your concerns all that seriously. But let me be the John Bender to yourClaire Standish and teach you how to handle it when a magazine calls you a bad name.

Step one: don’t lash out

We might be a little late on this one, but it’s worth remembering: you’ll never get better if you don’t think there’s anywhere to improve. When Maclean’s called Prince George the most dangerous city in Canada, people got upset. We tried things like changing the parameters. Sure, we might have more crime per capita than anywhere else said the mayor (paraphrasing), but the important thing is how many volunteers we have!

I’m not arguing, having volunteers is great, but if crime is an issue it doesn’t really solve things. Likewise, just because you think the Economist is boring, it doesn’t mean you have more places for garage bands to practice their new songs. Look inward. Is there something you could be doing better? If not, great. But if there is, try and improve it.

Prince George being most dangerous had to do with a number of other factors (including overflow from gang jostling down in Vancouver), but the RCMP and city started looking at what they could do better and through a variety of outreach and strategic programs, things turned around and there has been a decline in serious crimes. And we still have lots of volunteers.

The point is this: you’re a big city. You’re going to receive some criticism. That matters less than how you handle it.

Step two: recognize you probably care about this waaaay more than anyone else does

Honestly, I’m not sure I would have even heard about this thing if it weren’t for Vancouverites collectively freaking out about it. Do you really think that people are going to stop coming to the seawall based on this thing? It’s the same deal with Prince George. The first year we were called most dangerous, there was a big news conference and days of press. Second time, similar reaction, but more muted. By the time the third year came around, the city basically shrugged its shoulders. Now the ranking has gone away. Last year, Initiatives Prince George asked people across Canada what comes to mind when they hear “Prince George” and, yeah, “crime” was on there but so was “friendly” and “community”. It’ll be OK.

Step three: haters gonna hate

It’s time to make like Taylor Swift and shake if off. Over the last few years, various community organizations have embarked on campaigns showcasing the benefits of coming here. And rather than target people who are thinking to themselves “geez, Prince George is so dangerous” they’re looking for people who are interested in the lifestyle Prince George has to offer.

Put it this way: ever go to a party where everyone’s having a good time except that one dude going on about what a terrible party it is? Why try and change his mind? Whenever someone comes at me about how they would never want to live in Prince George it’s like great! I won’t have to deal with you! If “Gulliver” doesn’t want to come to Vancouver, who’s really losing out?

Step four: make your own headlines

Prince George got national media coverage again this year when it hosted the 2015 Canada Winter Games. People from all across the country came to the city to discover that not only did they not get stabbed, they had a pretty OK time, too! Already, more major events are showing interest in the city because of what was pulled off earlier this year, and national press showcased a side of Prince George most of the rest of Canada had never seen.

So get at it Vancouver! Show the world you know how to party. Is there maybe some sort of major international sporting event you could hold next winter? Something like maybe the- oh, you did that already?

Hm.

Well, maybe you can get the royal family to name a baby after you or something.

Sincerely,

Andrew

Andrew Kurjata: local author, radio personality, journalist, and audio enthusiast

CFUR will be at Levitation Vancouver June 5-7!

CFUR is happy to announce that one of our lovely hosts will be attending the first Levitation Festival. Levitation is the sister-fest to Austin Psych Fest in Texas and it is sure to be a groovy time! Below is the press release from the organizers to give anyone who is interested in going a little more information.

~time to get weird and psychedelic, CFUR listeners~

It’s one of the many reasons why Austin, TX is known for great music, food, style and culture. Austin Psych Fest has become one of the most iconic music festivals in North America.

Now, for the first time ever, the independent and experimental histories of Austin Psych Fest and Timbre Concerts have teamed up to bring the sound and spirit of this legendary festival to Vancouver, BC.

Levitation Vancouver takes place June 5th to 7th at Malkin Bowl and at select venues along Main Street. All Access Passes are now sold out. Malkin Bowl Weekend Passes and Single Day Passes are still available.

The festival launch party kicks off Friday night at the Rickshaw Theatre with A Place To Bury Strangers, The Warlocks and Drenge. Psychedelic visuals/projections will be provided by The Mustachio Light Show from Austin, TX.

The gates at Malkin Bowl open Saturday morning at 11:30AM and the extended grounds in Stanley Park will be transformed into a living, breathing, international music festival.

Highlights from the lineup include a headlining performance by local legends Black Mountain who are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album. They are joined by friends and contemporaries including The Black Angels, Witch, Beach Fossils, King Tuff and many more.

To heighten the festival experience, The Eastside Flea will be hosting a vibed-out vendor marketplace featuring 20+ local and international artists, clothing designers, jewelry makers, record store pop-up shops and chill-out tents. There will also be food trucks, multiple beer gardens, water stations and a special merch area ran by The Reverberation Appreciation Society.

Biking is encouraged. The Standard Bike is offering festival goers complimentary bike valet service in Stanley Park; where it’s a quick pedal along some of the city’s most incredible bike paths to end up at one of the many night showcases along Main Street. Pass holders will also receive discounts at dozens of local businesses throughout the weekend including bike rentals from Yes Cycle.

Night showcases will be first come first serve, with multiple venues all within the same few blocks of each other.

Buy Passes: http://levitation-vancouver.com/

Smoke's Rant: FIFA Under Fire Again

 

The international federation of football known as: FIFA, has been under fire again for corruption. By now, if you are a sports fan, you probably know the general detail of what has happened in the soccer world. So, I am going to go on a rant.

What the heck is FIFA doing? They know that they are going to be under immense scrutiny on anything they do because of their track record being as clean as Barry Bonds urine. Not only does FIFA not really crack down on the corruption within the individual leagues (Juventus sent down to Series B for only 1 year), they take over whole countries during an international soccer events and make themselves the highest authority for the duration of the event. The incredible power that has been given to FIFA over the years has been nothing short of astounding. No wonder all the presidents are all corrupt; the moment they get into office, the power gets to their head because there is rarely a system of checks and balances. Unfortunately for Sepp Blatter and the rest of his cronies, they decided to hand over the 2022 World Cup to a country that is hot Hades in the summer to the point that they had to move the tournament to the winter time. Every football fan not located in Qatar were baffled at the reasoning that the FIFA officials gave to legitimize their decision. Clearly, the only real reason that a country like Qatar is getting the World Cup is because they are greasing the FIFA officials pockets with boatloads of cash. I haven't even began to rip into the practices of Qatar and FIFA officials on how they plan to make the appropriate venues to support such a tournament. John Stewart said it best when he remarked that the building of the soccer venues in Qatar will be equivalent to the slaves building the Pyramids in Egypt. The U.S has begun an investigation into 14 officials of FIFA, siting a specific example of Jack Warner getting a $10 million payout from South Africa after his vote swayed the result in the favor of South Africa getting the 2010 World Cup.

My question to the soccer (football) world is, why the heck has it taken this long for these criminals to start getting the justice they deserve? I say, investigate every dealing that the 14 officials have had in the last couple of decades and fine them the exact amount that they got paid off over the years. Make sure that they are made an example of to ensure that this does not happen in soccer again. Every league and organization has their problems in one way or another, but make sure that FIFA is an example for others to get their act together to face the consequences.

I am a fan of the beautiful game of soccer, but the game is getting uglier by the year because of these sociopaths in major positions. Now, I am going to go straight for my gaming console and trading Wayne Rooney to the Vancouver Whitecaps for a benchwarmer. I am Smoke Stark, keep your hands and feet inside the Batmobile at all times!

Canucks Coming To Prince George Sept 18-20

  Once again the New Ice Age has brought notoriety and a big time event to the city of Prince George. The Vancouver Canucks are bringing their main training to the CN Centre during the middle of September as part of their goal of connecting with all Canuck fans in British Columbia. Trevor Linden made the announcement alongside Greg Pocock and other distinguished guests in order to kick off the countdown till the team arrives. Linden said after the conference that the main reason that he and the rest of the Canucks organization decided to come to Prince George was because the team wanted to be British Columbia's and not just Vancouver's team. Linden reminisced about his playing days and how the team always travelled to a new town for part of their training camp but never made it to "the Gateway to the North". Linden expressed that he was excited for the opportunity to have fans create more of a personal connection by having all practices be open to the public. When asked how the discussion came about to have the Canucks come to Prince George, he said that Andy Beasley was to mastermind behind the scenes, who worked tirelessly for months to make sure that the training camp became a reality. Despite having a strong connection between the Canucks and the Cougars with defenceman Dan Hamhuis being a part owner of the WHL club, Linden said that connection never had any real saying as to whether the Canucks were going to commit to Prince George or not.

What does this mean for the city of Prince George?

The first and most obvious answers is that fans all over the north get to see hockey at its highest calibre. of course most of the veterans will be shaking off the rust, the level of skill that will be on display is undeniable. Having the likes of the Sedins and Vrbata performing their magic, or having the shutdown pairing of Tanev and Edler show young hockey players how to defend against the best will be a sight to behold. Let's not forget the one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL (when healthy); Ryan Miller and Eddie Lack. Just having those types of players and more displaying their talents for developing hockey players to witness will do wonders for the minor league programs in Prince George. Another positive manner for the Canucks coming to PG is the short-term boost in the local economy for the city. Every time their is a major event in any city, the profit that local business get is off the charts. The hotels will be full of Canucks as well as fans that are coming in from out of town. The restaurants will be stacked every night with hungry hockey players eating their entire stocks of pasta, vegetables, and meat. Even the local gift shops will probably record better sales if they market properly. Lastly, the Prince George Cougars will have a chance to skate with some of their hockey heroes and learn from the best. The training camp is strategically placed right around the Cougars own training camp and preseason games, therefore the young WHL players will have first hand knowledge of the level that they have to elevate themselves to during their own season in order to get a chance to be drafted and play for a team such as the Canucks one day. For all the positive impacts that the Canucks will have on the community, are there any downfalls to hosting this event?

In short, not really. Of course the school year will have just started up, so there will be kids that are running on fumes on the following Monday because they spent every waking moment of the September weekend following their idols. President and part-owner of the Prince George Cougars already joked about the potential problem by saying that the organization will have "ready-made notes to excuse the students for their tiredness or tardiness" on the Monday after the event. Some people have also expressed that their might not be enough room for all the fans to see their favorite players if it's on a "first come first serve" basis as far as seating is concerned. Trevor Linden & co have already started to address this potential issue by stating that they might have to end up selling tickets for the open practices. Need not worry about your wallet though, Linden quickly added that the tickets will be very cheap and that all the proceeds will going towards an organization such as: the Spirit of the North healthcare foundation; specifics will be finalized at a later date.

All in all, the Canucks coming to Prince George will be a spectacle that all hockey fans of any age should go out and enjoy. Who knows, maybe if the support for the event is big enough, the Canucks might play an exhibition game in our beautiful city; time will tell.

Where Have All the Goals Gone?

 

The NHL has been struck by a pandemic that no one in the hockey world saw coming; all the goals dried up. Lately the red lights behind the goalies of the NHL have been going dim as the goal production has taken a nose dive. Not since the 1970's has a NHL leading point producer have less that 88 points in the season; Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars was the Art Ross winner with a mere 87 points. So, what is the reason for this downturn in goals? There are three particular reasons why this phenomenon has happened.

1) Goalies:

Goalies this year have just been standing on their collective heads. Led by Carey Price, the Goals Against Average of most of the starting goalies in the NHL was under 2.5 goals per game. Compare this stat to the mid 80's where the average hovered around 5.2. Goalies in the past little while have been far more active in their nets as far as their ability to get from post-to post in record time. The overall position that the goalies have from even 5 years ago has dramatically improved. No longer do we have the Dominik Hasek's diving around looking like a wounded duck. Even Roberto Luongo has had to change his playing style to keep up with the goaltenders of today. When you take a look at the series that just finished between the Tampa bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens, you saw two of the best goalies on display. Carey Prince continued his strong play into the second round by challenging the shooters without having to make too many unorthodox saves. Ben Bishop on the opposite end of the rink had a series to remember (except for game 4), as he didn't allow more than two goals in a game. Bishop, being a giant of a goalie at 6ft6 without skates, uses his size and mobility to utilize his butterfly technique better than most goalies; on his knees he still covers the whole net. Defenses around the league have been thanking their collective lucky stars that goaltenders around the league have been improving at such a rapid pace, that even the sharpest shooters in the league are baffled at their own inability to score.

2) Defence:

The defence and the defencive systems that the teams are implementing this year have been some of the best that the young generation has seen. With such young defensive stars as Aaron Ekblad, Alex Pietrangelo, and Hampus Lindholm leading the way, defenceman are getting more mobile in their own zone as well as becoming better quarterbacks for their teams on the PP. In the 90's and early 2000's, the job of a defenseman was to sit at the blueline and crank shots from the point faster than the Flash can get dressed in the morning. This tactic left the defensemen stationary and easy for the forwards to chip the puck past them and go for an odd man rush or breakaway. Now, defensemen have to be much more mobile on the back end in order to help set up an offensive chance as well as being able to recover if the puck is turned over. This mobility also comes in the form of having an active stick and better body positioning against the oncoming forwards. Looking back on the days of Ray Bourque and Chris Chelios, the defenceman were able to hack and hook to their hearts delight because of the relaxed rules, but now a defensmam as slow as Chelios has gone the way of the doodoo bird because they are unable to keep pace with the Patrick Kane's of the world. Footwork and overall quickness in the transitioning between the offensive and defensive zones are increasingly important. D-Men such as Lindholm have the proper skillset in order to switch from skating forwards to backwards, keeping the amount of breakaways down and  dampening the amount of scoring chances that the goalies have to face.

3) Coaching

Along with sound defencive strategies from masterminds such as: Babcock, Quenneville, Cooper, and Therrien, the management of shift length and penalty killing strategies have been somewhat of a marvel throughout the season and into the playoffs. Just take a look at the futility of the Montreal Canadiens powerplay in the playoffs so far; an abysmal 5.9%. The main reason for this futility on offense for the Canadiens, and an overall futility for the rest of the league, is because the strategies of the coaching staff have been better. The head coaches in the modern era have been able to find a way to clog up the neutral zone, if they are in the lead, or make a stand at their own blueline if they are on the penalty kill. Looking at Tampa's strategy against the Canadiens, John Cooper created a system where the team created a wall on the blue line, which forced their opponents had to dump-and-chase the puck. the mobile defensive pairing that GM Yzerman has put together gets the puck and clears it out of the zone or starts the defensive breakout. This strategy and more were the reason that the Canadiens could not sustain any pressure and were only limited to 19 shots in an elimination game.

The league and the NHLPA are going to have meeting over the summer and try to implement new rules in order to give fans a more exciting product on the ice with more goals and more action than ever before, but how long will it take for coaches and defensmen alike to figure out a way to keep the scoring chances to a minimum and have another Art Ross winner with less than 90 points? Only time will tell.

WHC: The Best Canadian Team Nobody is Watching

In a country where hockey is next to religion for most people, Hockey Canada has assembled the best team possible for the World Hockey Championships (WHC) in the Czech Republic. Think of it as The New Avengers without some of the big name talent. The problem is, nobody in North America is watching them dominate the tournament. As of now, the top two teams in the tournament are: Canada and the United States, ironically enough, they are the two countries with the least amount of viewers and local support. Why is this the case?

The reason that no one cares about the WHC, is because the players that are there are either from teams that didn't make the NHL playoffs, or players whose teams bowed out in the first round. It is the annual consolation prize for hockey players that failed in taking their team to the promised land of the 2nd round and beyond. Therefore, most fans of hockey in North America are glued to their television trying to see if the Canadian teams can break out of their 2-0 series hole. Fans in the U.S are also being treated to some amazing hockey as the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers are in a razor thin series, where 1 goal has decided every game so far. So, why in the world would anyone start watching the WHC during the best time in NHL hockey?

There are two critical reasons why people should watch or just have a passing interest in the WHC. The first reason could also be titled reason #87. For the first time since 2006, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins is suiting up for Canada in this tournament. Before this year, either the Penguins went deep into the playoffs, or Crosby was too injured to attend. Crosby already has 4 points in 3 games and is 3rd in the tournament in goals. Couple his impressive stats with the fact that he is on a line with Jason Spezza of the Dallas Stars and Nathan Mackinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, and you have a glance into the future of team Canada that might be going to Seoul, South Korea in the next Olympic games. The second important reason to keep an eye on the WHC is the young guns that are making a huge impact in the tournament. There are so many shining young stars one might go as blind as Daredevil if you stare directly at it. If you take a look at almost every team in the tournament, one can see a young prospect or star take over any given game. On the Canadian squad, you have the likes of AAron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers (1st overall in 2014 NHL Draft), previously mentioned 2013 1st overall pick Nathan Mackinnon, and 2010 first overall pick of the Oilers Taylor Hall. Our neighbors to the south have their own youth movement going on with projected #2 NHL prospect Jack Eichel and 2013 4th overall pick of the Nashville Predators Seth Jones. Both players figure to play a prominent role in future international tournaments as well as have lengthy careers in the NHL. Sweden can proudly say that they might have the most dynamic young forward suiting up for them as Filip Forsberg burst onto the NHL scene with a season that should have nabbed him Rookie of the Year honors. He responded to the snub by the awards committee by being a lethal force in the first round against the Blackhawks and then going over to the WHC tournament and scoring a hat-trick in his first game. All these players and more are the reason that hockey fans should keep an eye on the Czech Republic. So, how can the NHL and IIHF change the format of this tournament to make it more enticing to watch?

The biggest problem with this tournament is when it takes place. Apparently some monkey threw a dart at a calendar and decided that a hockey tournament should take place right in the middle of the NHL Playoffs, the NBA playoffs, and the start of the MLB season. With one swoop you take out a large majority of the viewership in the two of the largest hockey populations. The simple solution to this issue would be to move the tournament to early August. With this movement, the IIHF can make certain that most of the players will be well rested and less prone to injury. Another reason that August is the best time for the tournament is that players are given the chance to shake the rust off from the summer, then can transition straight into the NHL season without the first few games looking like a toddler trying to walk for the first time. Not only would this give the stars of the NHL time to warm up, the prospects and NHL hopefuls from each team will get a better look from their teams management without the distraction of having to compete against the likes of Crosby and Ovechkin.

It is a shame that Canada has put together a WHC team for the ages, a dominant unstoppable force that has no immovable object to stand in its path to golden glory; whose only problem, is nobody's  watching.