As the World Cup of Hockey reaches its conclusion, feedback is pouring in from fans, analysts and players regarding the success of the tournament. Most would agree there were plenty of positives (looking at you, Team North America), but there’s also a lot of room for improvement.
[link_box id=”22277″ site_id=”17″ layout=”link-box-third” alignment=”alignright”]Dustin Byfuglien was recently asked about his experience at the tournament – the same tournament where he found himself benched for some reason by John Tortorella – and his review wasn’t positive.
"The experience and everything that went on. It is was it is. You know, I didn't enjoy it" – Dustin Byfuglien re the #WorldCupOfHockey.
— Sean Reynolds (@snseanreynolds) September 26, 2016
That review might be more reflective of his frustrating time with Team USA rather than the tournament as a whole. Big Buff should have been a focal point of the U.S. roster, but instead the group made some strange decisions which saw him become an afterthought.
Most players won’t be as vocal about their time playing at the World Cup, but it’s highly likely Big Buff’s views are shared. Instead of easing into training camp ahead of the season, the players at the World Cup were asked to compete at their highest level right out of the gate. That led to injuries (Matt Murray) and will likely produce some lingering results over the course of the season as the wear and tear sets in.
