Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

South Korea's Hockey Team In A Tough Group In The Olympics

07/31/2015 at 3:05pm EDT

from the Korea Times,

When it makes its Winter Olympic debut in men’s hockey in 2018 on home ice, South Korea will have to take on powerhouses Canada and the Czech Republic in the group stage.

Most hockey observers won’t give South Korea even a puncher’s chance, but count Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), as among the more optimistic ones.

“I have a good feeling,” Fasel told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, where he will attend the 128th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session as a member of its Executive Board. The IOC on Friday will vote on the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics between Beijing and Almaty.

“In sports, you never know. I think they will be competitive,” Fasel added. “We will help Korea the best we can (so) that they can have a competitive team.”

South Korea was awarded a spot in the men’s tournament as the host nation, with the eastern alpine town of PyeongChang set to stage the country’s first Winter Games. The IIHF seeds countries based on the final 2015 rankings, and the 23rd-ranked South Korea ended up with No. 1-ranked Canada, No. 6 Czech Republic and No. 7 Switzerland in Group A....

The IIHF is “still working” to make sure the world’s top professionals will be in PyeongChang, Fasel said.

“The Olympics are the best stage for promoting our sport,” he added. “I really expect and hope the NHL will be there.”

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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