The World Cup of Hockey has started, and for half the teams – Team Europe, Team Sweden, Team North America, and Team Canada – it’s going well. Unfortunately, it means that Team United States will not be going forward into the tournament, because of the shock that came versus Team Europe and the inevitable loss to Canada.

That means a few things – one, in the United States, this tournament will be a failure. The lack of a team representing the States going forward is not a good thing, and the team that was assembled was inexcusable.

(warning, rant) Both John Tortorella and Dean Lombardi will lose their jobs with USA Hockey, and thats a good thing, they shouldn’t have had their jobs in the first place. Instead, how about Stan Bowman, currently serving only as Team North America’s Assistant GM – stupid, he’s one of the best GMs in the League and he should have his own team, especially if he’s willing to take over Team US.

Alright, I’m going to get into this right now, because how fucking dare Team Canada. One, you put Doug Armstrong, Doug Armstrong, above Stan Bowman. Has Doug Armstrong ever won a Cup? NOPE. Has Bowman? THREE FUCKING TIMES. Let me, let me ask you a question. Who’s the better player, Artemi Panarin or Vladimir Tarasenko? Who’s the better player, anybody Armstrong drafted for Dallas or Jonathon Toews? Who’s the better player, Brandon Saad or Ty Rattie?

And then you skip over him four more times as assistant GM for the following list of dolts: Marc Bergevin. Why? Rob Blake. Who? Ken Holland. Can’t keep Detroit going, let his star player walk away. Bob Murray. Hey, um, how good has Anaheim been in Game 7s? I know what will fix it, Randy Carlyle. Then we won’t even have to worry about the playoffs.

Pair Peter Laviolette and Mike Sullivan as head coaches, because both of them are proven to be better than Torts. Why was Torts even the first choice? He’s been fired twice going on three times. Oh, I remember. That inane list of GMs. US Hockey, get your shit together. (rant over)

But the NHL does need an international tournament, because it helps the league to show off the depth and the internationalism of it’s players. And that tournament already exists: the Olympics.

Yes, the IOC needs to get over itself and agree to pay for travel and insurance on players, because they are the best part of the Winter Olympics, and for many people, the only part. The fact that they are unwilling to do so is even more telling than their ridiculous Rio decision.

To give the first South American Olympics to Brazil in the middle of a crisis rather than to a country with better planning and government – Argentina or Chile – it’s a mistake. Hell, I know it’s Central America, but the Mexico City Olympics went smoothly as well, and the athletes can chill in Cancun after.

The IOC needs NHL athletes, and the NHL needs Olympic level competition. Alexander Ovechkin recognizes how important the Olympics are from a nationalism standpoint, and has said that he would retire from the NHL if it did not go to the Olympics – and if that happens, its the biggest mistake the NHL will have made since creating the trapezoid because of one extremely good goaltender.

So while the World Cup of Hockey rages on, let us remember that there is a bigger and better tournament, and that the NHL needs to be in attendance, and be paid for that attendance, because this tournament has shown the risk of injury in every game, and the NHL should be compensated in a scenario where Sidney Crosby, or Alexander Ovechkin, or Jonathon Toews, or any face of the NHL is injured.

Let’s not lose one of the best players of all time because of the stubbornness of owners and of the NHL itself. Let’s keep going to the Olympics. And more than this, let’s fire Tortorella and Lombardi. Seriously, this was an embarrassing excuse for American hockey. How do you leave Phil Kessel off the list when we have scoring problems? Hmph. Humbug.