Malin Fransson: Why has the distance to the blåbärsnationerna increased

In the ongoing world CUP tournament in Slovakia has results like 9-0, 9-1 and 8-0 opened for the criticism and questioning of the world CUP's status. This is despite the fact that it has never been higher than now.

In this year's world CUP tournament is full of stars from the NHL.

received a yes from almost all of their best players. In Sweden a clear change of direction occurred, which makes the world CUP today is very attractive among NHL players.

Something is not least Henrik Lundqvist yes to the world CUP game shows.

Also in north America, a change occurred.

Previously, the united states and Canada rather look at the NHL team's third - and fjärdekedjor to find world CUP player, but also in those countries have the interest to extend the season with a championship increased.

the Only exception among the major hockeyländerna is actually Finland, but they have, in return, a strong hockeybas to pick players from anyway.

changed the attitude to the world CUP makes to the differences between the poorer countries has become clearer.

for example, Look at last year's OLYMPICS when NHL players were missing. Suddenly, Germany was in the final and Norway played the quarter-finals.

Often it is said that the smaller countries feel good to play against the best, and with a little patience they will develop and approach them.

The prophecy, it is possible to discuss. The only country which have gradually undergone development in recent times is last year's finallag Switzerland.

must rather be done in the domestic leagues, and there is a lot to work with.

Each country has its own local problems, but part of the problem is that some of the less hockeyländernas best teams today are not playing in the domestic leagues, but in the KHL. The Russian league has expanded beyond Russia's borders, something that has not favoured the development of the less hockeyländerna.

belarusian Dynamo Minsk, the Latvian Dynamo Riga and Barys Astana from Kazakhstan is playing in the KHL has certainly been stimulating for the players in those teams, but not promoted the development of the country as a whole.

instead, it has contributed to the quality of the domestic leagues has been reduced.

to be said that we also in the past year has seen the uneven results – and that the rookies of the year in A world CUP in Italy and the Uk are two of the weakest newcomers.

And a part of the change we see can also be called cosmetic.

for the world CHAMPIONSHIPS in Stockholm in 2012 did it namely on the spelformatet. Previously it was four groups with four teams in each. The best three in each group went to the middle tour, the worst to a nedflyttningsserie.

it was in fewer games for the top teams against so the so-called blåbärsnationerna.

For the organisers, it was the nearest to an impossibility to pre-sell tickets for the matches of the medium tour because no one knew who would meet whom.

Therefore, has been taken out of the medium tour and instead it is now two groups of eight teams, where the four best in each group goes to quarterfinals and gruppåttorna be moved down into a B-CUP.

With this we arrive at the economic side.

we turn and turn on us, it is not possible to say that today there are 16 hockeyländer as gamely have an a-CUP to do.

But a reduction of the law is never going to happen. Commercial forces want 16 teams, then so be it.

instead, it is ”at home in the house” that changes must be made.

Where would the International ice hockey federation to be able to use an even larger portion of the profits they make on the ice-hockey world CHAMPIONSHIPS to help.