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New York Islanders World Cup Exhibition

Mar 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto mayor John Tory (third from right) unveils a countdown clock for the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. Looking on from left are Team Europe general manager Miroslav Satan, former World Cup participants Pat Lafontaine and Darryl Sitltler , NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly (second from right) and NHL players pssociation director Don Fehr (far right). Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto mayor John Tory (third from right) unveils a countdown clock for the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. Looking on from left are Team Europe general manager Miroslav Satan, former World Cup participants Pat Lafontaine and Darryl Sitltler , NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly (second from right) and NHL players pssociation director Don Fehr (far right). Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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The World Cup of Hockey will make its comeback 12 years after the last installment. We’re one month away from seeing four New York Islanders suit up for training camp, what should we expect?

The World Cup of Hockey is the NHL’s next marquee event to put on the calendar. Add it to the countless outdoor games, the All-Star Weekend, and the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s a cash grab and an attempt to place ownership on the game, but as a hockey fan I can’t wait to see how four New York Islanders fair during the tournament.

Training camps for all eight teams open between September 4th and 5th, with exhibition games scheduled to begin on September 8th in cities across the hockey world. Moscow, Helsinki, Québec City, Prague, are just some of the cities to welcome the World Cup of Hockey.

From a New York Islanders perspective, the game between Team Europe and Team North America is a must watch. Who does coach Ralph Krueger select in net; Jaroslav Halak or Thomas Greiss or neither?

Krueger has recently become more accustomed to the soccer pitch than an ice hockey arena, as the chairman of Barclays Premier League club Southampton FC. But whoever gets his blessing between Halak and Greiss could very well end up being out starter come the NHL season just a month later.

Fingers Crossed for Health

Goalie drama aside, all we as fans can ask for is health. We want our players to come back from this tournament with a full bill of health.

The tournament could end as last as October 1st, the Isles start their regular season just 12 days later at MSG against  the Rangers. It’s not a long layover between the two. Any injury could very well interfere with the regular season.

Remember what happened in Sochi? We lost John Tavares for the remainder of the season thanks to a knee injury sustained against Latvia.

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The best we can hope for is that our players enjoy themselves at the World Cup of Hockey and come back injury free. Oh, and maybe sort out this goaltender debacle early.

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