I propose the launch of a new annual international ice-hockey tournament – with or without (but preferably with) IIHF approval. The tournament would feature the three international giants of the game : CANADA vs USA vs RUSSIA!

The tournament would be called the Pacific Series Hockey (PSH). All three of these nations are [in hockey terms] nominally Pacific countries. Russia and the USA both border the Pacific but I would imagine that most of their domestic hockey teams hail from the western and eastern parts of those countries respectively (i.e far away from the Pacific itself). I suppose that could be said of Canada too. It’s just that a geographical-pretext was needed to form the basis of such a regional tournament (After all, what would be the basis for a Canada vs USA vs Czech Republic tournament, seeing as they don’t share any common region?).

But that only partly explains the name and basis for this tournament. There are two other reasons. These three countries can be considered the overall Big Three in the history of international ice-hockey. Furthermore, with a combined economy of around $16 trillion and a combined population of about 480 million, these countries are undoubtedly the commercial superpowers of ice-hockey – both individually and as a bloc. I’d imagine that while, say, Germany is so much richer than Canada, the fanaticism for ice-hockey in the latter probably ensures it has the bigger audience and higher commercial potential than Germany, whose passion for the game is nowhere near that of the Canadians.

The three teams would play each other once home and once away annually. That adds up to 4 games per team and 6 games in total. There isn’t really a need for a Final. The log-topper wins the tournament. The tournament could be staged in the post-season of the respective countries’ domestic league seasons (especially that of the NHL).

Considering the three teams involved, every single game in this tournament would be a “Clash of the Titans”. It would be a ratings goldmine to whichever tv network managed to secure its broadcast rights. And yet, it wouldn’t pose a commercial or existential threat to the NHL and whatever Russia’s domestic hockey league is called. The PSH, remember, would be staged in the NHL post-season. I’d imagine Russia’s domestic season would have ended by then too. Hence, the domestic and international fixtures won’t clash. The PSH title would, however, vie with the Stanley Cup and the Winter Olympics hockey-title for the most prestigious title in ice-hockey.

The world surely awaits the clash of these three behemoths. Let it become reality. For some reason or the other, the North Americans tend to display what appears to be a disdain for [anything other than rare] international fixtures in their traditional team sports (baseball, football, basketball, hockey). Perhaps they feel that embracing international games will diminish the pre-eminence of their domestic titles (such as the Stanley Cup). But North Americans are part of the world too. As such, they ought to emulate good examples (including good sporting examples) from around the world. Take soccer, for example. The two biggest titles in soccer are the Soccer World Cup and the UEFA Champions League. The former is played between national sides; the latter between European club sides. They are equally prestigious and both are commercial goldmines. Ice-hockey should take note of this. The point is that this needn’t be a zero-sum-game. Domestic and international fixtures can both exist and flourish.

And let’s not forget about the Russians. Though proportionally less passionate than the Canadians about ice-hockey, the Russians now have a bigger economy than the latter. This opens up significant commercial opportunities for the PSH. In their own right, they’re still a hockey-mad nation and ultimately no less formidable than the other two. This would be the ideal context and opportunity to rope in that behemoth.

Forget about expanding this tournament to include formidable nations such as Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic. They’re formidable but their small populations and economies mean that they just don’t occupy the same commercial league as these three. And forget about Japan, Germany and Britain too. They all have sizeable economies but are less formidable hockey powers than the proposed PSH trio. Only the PSH trio can boast “both” the commercial and competitive clout to justify their inclusion in the PSH. This therefore needn’t be a league of more than three : CANADA, RUSSIA, USA!

I bet if a vote were taken, a majority of Canadians, Americans and Russians would all vote that this tournament be realized. It makes commercial sense. It makes competitive sense. So let’s make it a reality. It didn't take a lot of brainpower for me to conceive this idea. Any chance I could profit for dreaming it up?

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