Canada vs USA in ... New Zealand?... A Scam??

I reported earlier about the upcoming touring series slated to take place in New Zealand this summer. Kyle Quincy and Rob Schremp have been stated as participants in the tour that is being titled as an NHL battle between the best hockey nations in the world. However, no comment from Quincy or Schremp on their participation as of yet.

In a recent news article in New Zealand's Otago Daily Times, ticket sales are very strong for the event and there is even interest from media outlets around the world.

Douglas Webber Events director Craig Douglas said international television companies ESPN, CBC (Canada), Fox (United States), the Sky network and TVNZ wanted a third game in th series in Dunedin.

That looks good and promising for a event that is set to help grow NZ hockey. But the article goes to state that Douglas is confident that all the players will be NHL, ex-NHL, and AHL player quality.

One of the former stars is Daryl Shannon (United States), who retired from the NHL two years ago after playing 544 games.

Darryl Shannon did play 544 NHL games, but he is Canadian and he retired from the NHL in 2001! His last professional game of hockey was played in Germany in 2004.

Nothing wrong with these statements though, until this was discovered. This is a brochure from the Canadian Moose International Hockey Team. It is a tour team where players pay a certain amount of money so they can travel and play some hockey games in a foreign country, usually down under. The Moose have announced their upcoming tour in New Zealand, and guess what, their games are the games that will be played in New Zealand! It seems that this is what Team USA and Team Canada will be made of; players who want to pay $3200.00 CDN to travel down under and play some games, while the the promoters of the event make some money off of them.

This brings up the issue for the fans of New Zealand who are buying tickets expecting to see NHL players, play an NHL style of game (checking, hits, fights). But they will be treated too is two touring teams of beer leaguers and junior players who won't be checking or hitting.

Ticket prices for this event? Well, they are going for $203 NZ, which is $145 CDN or $148 USD (Yes, that is correct, Canada's dollar is worth MORE now). Can you believe that? Paying $145 dollars to watch a game  played with players that paid $3200?

Furthermore, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey and even the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation have not made any claim to be a part of this event.

I applaud anybody who wants to grow the game of hockey and who decides to take on an event of this magnitude. But if you are going to bill something as top quality hockey, then don't fill it with players who have beer guts or the cash to spend. I am still skeptical on Schremp and Quincy playing as I cannot see any of their NHL teams letting them out of their contracts to participate in this event. Therefore you will only see players who have retired or junior players who have money to spend. Also, if you are trying to build hockey in New Zealand, donate your profits to the NZ Ice Hockey Federation so they can build rinks, buy gear, and help create more hockey players.