No Joke: Jamaica Plans Ice Hockey Team For 2014 Olympics

[Bruce]

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports1.html

First, they will have to qualify. Olympic hockey consists of 12 teams, and one can safely assume that USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and Canada , all loaded with NHL talent, will be among them

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is the FIFA of ice hockey. IIHF conducts international tournaments, but does not have jurisdiction over North American professional leagues. This is the procedure to qualify for the Olympics.

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/c.../olympics.html

IIHF works differently than FIFA. 48 teams are ranked in A-B-C-D pools according to their rankings, and a tournament is held at each level.
As far as I understand the top three in the tournament moves up to the next level. The bottom three teams go down.

Here are the IIHF men's world rankings. The "B" pool would be teams ranked 13 through 24. Jamaica might have to work its way up through the "C" and "D" pools to qualify for the "B" pool tournament.

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/c...1-ranking.html

And here are the citizenship eligibility requirements of the IIHF:

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/c...igibility.html

[Bruce]

IIHF Division 3 Championship, 15-21 April 2012, Erzerum, Turkey
North Korea, Ireland, Turkey, Holland, Greece, Mongolia

IIHF Division 2 World Championship

Group A: Reykjavik, Iceland 12-18 April 2012
Spain, Estonia, Croatia, Australia, Slovenia, Iceland

Group B: 2-8 April 2012, Sofia, Bulgaria
Belgium, China, Mexico, Bulgaria, Israel, South Africa

2012 World Championship 4-20 May 2012
Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden

Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Norway, Latvia, Denmark,Italy....Finland, Canada, USA, Switzerland, Slovakia, Belarus, France, Kazakhstan

[Scaly Spurs]

This is fantastic

Just the fact that we are even thinking about says "We likkle but we talawa"...

And thank god we are now playing "Hockey" and not eating it..Mawning Shabba Ranks

[Bruce]

Just To Be Realistic......

Just the fact that we are even thinking about says "We likkle but we talawa"...

And thank god we are now playing "Hockey" and not eating it..Mawning Shabba Ranks

If Jamaica was serious about the 2014 Olympics, they should have joined IIHF and be entered in the Division III tournament. 2018 would be more realistic. I would also like to see the list of potential players. The best hockey teams are built from the goal, outward.

[Reggaedoc]

Incidentally, it sounds more promising than field hockey which we have been playing for at least 100 years and can't seem to get anywhere.

[Pbanta]

football

Incidentally, it sounds more promising than field hockey which we have been playing for at least 100 years and can't seem to get anywhere.

I think they should focus on sports they can financially handle, who they have world wide membership and more effort into football. All this is a bit silly to even discuss. They could practice tough at Star Fish.

[OJ]

will be tough, the good jamaican canadian kids are looking to play for canada, but there is lots of second tier players proably in the ncaa and OHL..

[Bruce]

At Least Three Years Away

will be tough, the good jamaican canadian kids are looking to play for canada, but there is lots of second tier players proably in the ncaa and OHL..

The OHL is a U-21 league, along with the two other major junior leagues, the Quebec league, and the Western League which covers western Canada and the northwest USA. These players are at least three years away from the NHL. The NCAA is a U-23 league.

If you look in your history books, you will see that Great Britain won the hockey gold medal in 1936. Eight of the 12 players on that team lived in Canada. Several of those players were cut from the Canadian program.

Those players could play for Great Britain because the players themselves
or their parents were born in Ireland, but were technically British subjects
because Ireland was part of Great Britain until 1921.

[Peter R]

Kind of like the Italian hockey team.. has or had quite a few Canadian Italians on it...

[OJ]

Good point but as for jamaican canadian you are looking at the OHL a few may be out west but not much. Now the top tier playing for Canadian junior nationals.. The Q you will find the Hatian Canadians... it a tough go..

[Bruce]

I'm an AHL fan.

[Don1]

Incidentally, it sounds more promising than field hockey which we have been playing for at least 100 years and can't seem to get anywhere.

lol

[Bruce]

To Play In IIHF Events: IIHF Statutes And Bylaws: (see page 32)

http://www.iihf.com/fileadmin/user_u...Amendments.pdf

At least one indoor ice rink with a regulation size playing surface and a seating capacity of at least 500 spectators

A minimum of 60 registered players

A league with at least four teams playing a minimum of 15 games each

A development program with at least 100 players.

A membership in IIHF costs 3,000 Swiss francs ($3,200 USD) Renewals cost 1,000 Swiss francs (page 40)

A nation may join as an "affiliate" member with limited participation in tournaments, and no voting rights at the IIHF Congress. IIHF also has a section for inline roller hockey.

All members competing for the first time must start in Division 3.

[kiti]

Good luck Jamaica for 2014