Column: Canada’s dominance hasn’t been the best thing for hockey’s World Cup

Is Team Canada too good for the good of the World Cup tournament?

There were clusters of empty seats and an air of boredom at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday while the home country earned a 3-1 victory over Team Europe in the opener of the best-of-three final. Crowd noise can dissipate in big arenas but the lack of buzz was unmistakable.

The theory behind the World Cup is intriguing: gather the best players, rekindle old rivalries, promote new rivalries, and let emotions stew in the cauldron of a short schedule. The reality has been something else: a lack of emotional engagement here and a general lack of dramatic tension, in part because Canada has dominated and can sweep to the championship Thursday.

“I think they were mostly quiet because they expected Canada to run us over and we actually made it look like a good game out there,” forward TomasTatar of Europe and the Detroit Red Wings said of the atmosphere Tuesday. “We showed we can play against Canada.”

But they didn’t beat Canada, despite what they called their best effort so far. And they probably won’t win Thursday, though they said they were encouraged by their ability to control play at times Tuesday. “There were a lot of good things we did,” Europe defenseman Christian Ehrhoff said. “We definitely believe we have a chance.”

Canada has outscored its opponents, 22-7, in five games but because it scored “only” three goals in Game 1, players and Coach Mike Babcock faced earnest questions Wednesday about whether they had failed to meet standards they should attain.

“We want to be perfect out there. We know we’re not but we’ve got to expect greatness from each other,” said Buffalo Sabres and Canada forward Ryan O’Reilly. “We all feel it every time we put on that Canadian jersey.”

The tournament lost traction with the first-round exits of bumbling Team USA and exciting Team North America. A mix of Canadians and Americans aged 23 and younger, Team North America had interesting personalities and dazzling speed. Unfortunately, it didn’t get to play Canada. No other team has that speed — or any hope of matching Canada’s skill — so they’ve resorted to defense-first hockey, which isn’t great theater. As for fans, their attention has been diverted by the start of NHL training camps, which has made the World Cup a secondary concern.

But this hasn’t been a futile exercise. Europe Coach Ralph Krueger, praised for uniting players from eight nations, might get the next NHL coaching opening if he wants it. Europe’s Frans Nielsen and Tatar and Team North America’s kids flourished in the spotlight. Europe defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, likely benefiting from his World Cup exposure, on Wednesday agreed to a one-year, $1-million free-agent contract with the New York Islanders.

The World Cup is tentatively scheduled to return in 2020, giving the NHL and the players’ association time to analyze the successes and failures here. Canada shouldn’t be punished for its excellence. But if the next tournament isn’t more compelling and competitive, the World Cup will become just another event in a crowded sports landscape, with more risk — think Kings forward Marian Gaborik’s injured foot and Dallas forward Tyler Seguin’s fractured heel — than reward.