International hockey events like this, like the Olympics, and yes, like the World Cup of Hockey when they care to put them on, are a once in a great while kind of thing. Even if the NHL swears up and down that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win, someone wins it every year without fail. That’s not true at the Olympics, or the World Cup.
You may miss your shot at representing your country forever, or even end up missing just because of a stupid thing like a dislocated digit, or even worse; the guy getting to pick the team isn’t very smart or carries a lot of their national team’s mental baggage.