A preview of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey from the perspective of a fan of the Minnesota Wild.
The 2016 World Cup of Hockey begins today with pre-tournament games (scrimmages), 12 years after the last World Cup of Hockey was played and won by Canada. The 2016 version features eight teams: Canada, United States, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Team North America (23 years and under) and Team Europe (the rest of Europe). Each team plays three pre-tournament games before switching to pool play and a round robin format, kicking off Saturday, September 17 with Team USA versus Team Europe.