Hockey tournaments, whether at the professional or youth level, are an exciting way for teams to play one another to determine a champion. The 2004 and 1996 editions of the World Cup of Hockey both featured eight international teams with the best professional players in the world. Regardless of the age of the participating players, you can use a similar template to create a competitive eight-team tournament.
Designing the Tournament
Step 1
Divide the teams into two pools of four. Randomly draw the names of the teams to decide pool placement. Make sure each team plays the other three teams in its pool one time. Make a point system where a win is worth two points in the standings and a tie is worth one. After each team has played all other teams in the pool, the team with the most points in each pool receives an automatic berth in the tournament's final four. The teams that finished fourth in each pool are automatically eliminated from championship contention.
Step 2
Once the quarterfinal round begins, teams that lose are automatically eliminated from the tournament. The teams that finish second and third will enter a quarterfinal round against the other qualifier in their pool. This means that the second-place team in pool A will play the third-place team in pool A, and the same will hold true for pool B. The winner of each game will play the champion of the opposite pool in the semifinal round. For example, if the second-place team of pool A defeats the third-place finisher, it will play the champion of pool B.
Step 3
The winners of each semifinal game go on to the final. The 1996 World Cup of Hockey set up a best-of-three format where the first team to win two games out of three would be the tournament champion. The United States defeated Canada two games to one to win the tournament. Your tournament can feature this mini-series or a single game to determine a champion. It all depends on the availability of ice at the facility you're using. However, ice time can be expensive, so a single championship game may be the more practical choice.
Tips and Warnings
- Do not use overtime in games until the quarterfinal round. Use a 20-minute overtime at the end of the third period if the game is tied. The team that scores the first goal is the winner. If the game is still tied at the end of overtime, the teams enter a shootout to determine a winner.
- Do not schedule the ice times too close together. Teams need at least four or five hours of rest between games at the youth level. If the players are 15 and older, the games are too physically demanding to play more than one per day.
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