Unite the world’s juniors for boys and girls

From loss and disappointment often comes opportunity.

Now we’ll see if the world of international hockey is creative and smart enough to achieve it.

Lessons, however, are clearly there for the bureaucrats and leaders of the International Ice Hockey Federation to learn over the past month after the decision that ultimately removed many events from the calendar.

First came the announcement that while the Under-20 world men’s competition — known as world juniors — would go ahead as planned in Edmonton and Red Deer, several other tournaments would be cancelled. Not postponed, but immediately cancelled.

The root of the problem is that the spread of the Omicron variant launched by the IIHF makes it too dangerous to be played in several international tournaments. But not, apparently, world income friendly juniors.

Other times, maybe IIHF mandarin will get away with it, but not now.

One of the events canceled was the world U-18 women’s competition in Sweden, for the second year in a row. World juniors, meanwhile, have been allowed to continue for two years, and it took only a few hours for progressive hockey people around the world to smell a rat. Or rather, double standards.

And they are right. Why can under 20 men’s events be played safely, but not similar women’s events? (IIHF does not sanction U-20 women’s competitions.) Or is this not about health and safety at all?

“IIHF had prioritized/held men’s top division events during the pandemic but women’s top division events — canceled again. UNACCEPTABLE,” tweeted US star Kendall Coyne Schofield.

Gradually, it became clear that it was about money. The world junior tournament is one of the IIHF’s biggest money earners, and it is too expensive for some federations to host a less-than-profitable event, especially at a time when COVID-19 is increasing the cost of hosting the competition.

IIHF boss Luc Tardif launched a public relations attack to try to give reasons for the different treatment, but mostly failed. Tardif is trying to sell something he might have been able to sell a decade ago, but can’t anymore.

A few days later, Omicron killed a world junior as well. At the same time, the NHL has decided not to send its players to the Chinese Olympics, and has postponed several games in Canada and the United States. All of that might be a bit of a break for Tardif et al, making it easier for the IIHF to claim that the U-18 women’s tournament will not last.

However, it does make a clear focus on the difference between the way global bodies view men’s and women’s events, remarkable considering that the IIHF has hosted the women’s world championships for more than three decades.

So, what to do now?

IIHF is unlikely to make the same mistake again. If the world junior championships continue next winter, you can bet that there will be concrete plans to ensure the under-18 women’s tournament also goes on as scheduled. Once burned, twice embarrassed and so on.

But that’s not enough. Maybe it’s time to start making sure the men’s under-20 and women’s under-18 tournaments are seen to have the same priority.

Maybe it’s time to put them together. As one of the events. Why not?

We were told that “stepping up the game” was a priority for international hockey. What better way to do it than by combining one of the most prestigious events for young men’s players with a similar competition for women which clearly has not been treated fairly?

Integration occurs across sports. Coyne Schofield wowed everyone when he competed in the fastest skater competition at the 2019 NHL all-star weekend. Men and women are being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame together. Hayley Wickenheiser and Cammi Granato work in hockey operations for the NHL club.

It would be easy to apply that thinking to these major international events. After all, the Winter Olympics have hosted both men’s and women’s hockey since 1998.

Imagine — in a non-COVID world, of course — if you had seen the U-18 world junior and women’s championships taking place at the same time a week ago in Alberta. Part of the reason why world juniors keep going is that they are financially backed by Hockey Canada and the Edmonton Oilers, and this way the women’s event will receive the same kind of support.

You won’t be able to argue that women’s tournaments can’t pull the weight off. It’s easy to imagine the huge crowds coming to see Canada’s U-18 women’s game, especially against America. That audience will be much bigger than you might get for a men’s Under-20 game between, say, Slovakia and Switzerland.

In addition, we constantly hear that it is important for weaker countries to play in marquee men tournaments such as world juniors, to strengthen the game at home. Surely the same logic would apply to the women’s game, perhaps even more so given that the biggest challenge in international women’s hockey is still building depth on the court behind Canada and the United States.

Placing the men’s and women’s games on the same international stage, covered by the same television cameras, advances the sport and shares hockey resources more equitably. And the men’s game has nothing to lose.

It’s time for IIHF to start thinking progressively. Enough has been lost.

Damien Cox is a former Star sports reporter who is a current freelance contributing columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @DamoSpin