Nathan MacKinnon couldn't be bothered by cancellation of 2024 World Cup of Hockey
I'm sure there are some NHL players out there who are really disappointed, but Nathan MacKinnon doesn't appear to be one of them. The NHL recently announced the cancellation of the 2024 World Cup of Hockey, meaning fans and players will have to wait even longer for what would have been hockey's first true "best-on-best" tournament since the 2014 Winter Olympics. While some were really hoping 2024 would finally be the year, MacKinnon indicated Monday that it's not a big priority for him. He said he wasn't actively following the situation.
"I don't know. I just want to win Cups," said MacKinnon when asked if he was bummed by the tournament's cancellation.
"What am I going to do? I can't organize it. Seems like everything just gets canceled. So, it's no surprise," MacKinnon added.
If the World Cup of Hockey does actually take place any time soon, MacKinnon is a lock to represent Team Canada, as long as he's healthy. That said, the NHL is in a very tough spot. This is, of course, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February. Russian players representing North American cities is one thing, having them play under their own flag is entirely different. The NHL is suspending all business activities in Russia, aligning itself with the mandate from the International Ice Hockey Federation that the nation is suspended from all international competitions until further notice. Unfortunately for everyone involved, it simply isn't a true best-on-best hockey tournament without players from one of the sports' powerhouses.
"We talked about the Russian issue, and we don't have a solution for it as of now," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Day said in Finland prior to the 2022 NHL Global Series Nov. 4-5. "So we'll have to figure it out."
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 14 | 573 ANSWERS Nathan MacKinnon couldn't be bothered by cancellation of 2024 World Cup of Hockey What is your preference for the NHL's World Cup of Hockey? | ||
| Have it in 2024 without Russia | 234 | 40.8 % |
| Have it in 2024 with Russia | 163 | 28.4 % |
| Postpone until situation is resolved | 65 | 11.3 % |
| I don't care about the World Cup of Hockey | 111 | 19.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||