10 Reasons to Watch the World Cup of Hockey

OTTAWA, ON – SEPT 10: A general view of The Canadian Tire Centre during a World Cup of Hockey 2016 Pre-Tournament game between Team USA and Team Canada on September 10, 2016 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

1. It’s Just More Hockey

Usually diehard hockey fans have October circled on their calendar as the official start of the fall sports season. This year however, we are blessed with almost two weeks of extra hockey to watch. The World Cup goes from the preliminary games on September 8th all the way to the final on October 1st. After that there are only a few short days to wait to until the NHL season begins on October 12th.

The World Cup is also a great warm-up to see which players have worked hard during the off-season and who may need a little more work. Players like Nathan Mackinnon from the Colorado Avalanche who is currently playing for Team North America have already started to shine. Others such as Team Europe goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the New York Islanders are having a rougher go of things so far (he was pulled from the second game against North America before the first period had even ended).

Big sporting events like World Cup are also a great way to introduce new people, especially kids, to  hockey or help  the casual fan become more interested. There is no better way to get into a sport than when you are cheering for your country. Plus, rivalries are half the fun of sports so just get a group together to smack talk Canada and you’re all set.

Next: Hockey is Back on ESPN