2022 NHL Winter Classic And 3 Other Hockey Events You Should See This Year

There are some excellent hockey events to check out this year.

There are tons of sports events happening this year, including the 2022 Olympics and the soccer World Cup, but there are a number of can’t-miss hockey events. Every hockey fan and bettor is waiting for the kick-off of each of these events, so they can throw in their support for the favourite teams and also place a bet on each game. 

Punters who are eager to win as many games as possible have already started making plans and creating strategies on how to do so using reliable prediction sites. For serious bettors looking for the right prediction sites, mightytips.com  is a good option. It helps bettors with reliable predictions and game analysis that will help them to maximize their winnings on events like the canceled 2022 World Junior Hockey championships that was scheduled to be held from Dec. 26, 2021 to Jan. 2022.

For knowledgeable tips, and analysis that should help in winning best betting sites nz, bettors should also follow top tipster Kate Richardson. You can find her profile here.

2022 NHL Winter Classic 

The NHL Winter Classic is an annual outdoor hockey game held on or around New Year’s Day. The 2022 NHL Winter Classic was originally supposed to kick off in 2021, but due to several COVID-19 cases reported by several clubs, it was rearranged to be held in 2022.

This event was held at Target Field in Minneapolis, with about 38,519 fans in attendance, and was played between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues on Jan. 1, 2022, where the St. Louis Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild 6–4. Since this event is annual, the next event is expected to be held in Jan. 2023.

Hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics

Hockey is a part of the games that will be played at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the ice hockey competitions will be played at the Wukesong Arena and the Beijing National Indoor Stadium, which are both located in Beijing.

The event will kick off on Feb. 4 and end on Feb. 20 of the same month with about 513 athletes from 16 nations. The competition comprises a men and women tournament with the men’s consisting of 12 teams and the females consisting of 10 teams. 

The Qualifications for Winter Olympics Hockey

The hockey 2022 Olympics qualifications have a structured procedure that involves 12 nations being selected through IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) world rankings, and the host country qualifying automatically. The three other nations will be selected through qualifying tournaments.

Currently, the list of nations that have qualified for hockey in the 2022 Winter Olympics are:

  • Canada
  • China
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • Japan
  • Latvia
  • ROC
  • Slovakia
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United States 

Taiwan ice hockey 2022 Olympics preparations are ongoing only for the athletes as Taiwanese officials are reportedly set to boycott both the opening and closing ceremonies of this competition due to the issues that Taiwan is having with the People’s Republic of China.

The 2022 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup

The 2022 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup is the 15th edition of the competition, held every four years. The tournament is organized by the International Hockey Federation between women’s national field hockey teams. The event will be held from the July 1–17, 2022 in Terrassa, Spain, and Amstelveen, Netherlands. 

The qualification process for this tournament is similar to the 2022 Olympics hockey qualifications, with the two host countries and the top 5 countries given automatic qualification and nine other countries expected to go through the normal qualification process.

Countries That Have Qualified For the 2022 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup

Following the normal qualification process for this tournament, these are the countries whose national women’s field hockey teams have qualified for the tournament in 2022:

  • Spain
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • England
  • Germany
  • Ireland 

Hockey in Commonwealth Games 2022

Field hockey is a fast-paced and intense sport where teams dribble and tackle each other to gain victory within 60 minutes of gameplay; that is part of the sports chosen for the 2022 Commonwealth games, which is scheduled to be held in Birmingham, England. 

Field hockey has been part of this sporting tournament since 1998 and is expected to be included in every edition of this quadrennial event. All the hockey events scheduled at the 2022 Commonwealth games will be held from July 29 to Aug. 8. 

Ranking Of Teams at the Hockey Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth games host different athletes from the Commonwealth nations, and were first held in 1930. Hockey was only included in the schedule in 1998. And since 1998, some teams have distinguished themselves in the hockey events at the Commonwealth games through the number of medals they have won, as well as their style of play. The top 5 hockey teams at these games include:

  • Australia (won a total number of 12 medals; 10 gold, one silver, and one bronze medal)
  • New Zealand (won 1 gold medal, three silver and bronze medals respectively)
  • England (9 total medals won, which includes three silver medals and six bronze medals)
  • India (India have won 1 gold medal and three silver medals in this tournament)
  • Malaysia (Malaysia has won 2 medals which comprises one silver and one bronze medal) 
Final Notes

The 2022 NHL Winter Classic and the three other hockey events that will happen this year are great news for hockey fans, punters and tourists who want to explore cities while enjoying the tournaments. All the host countries are ready and prepared for the actions. As a tourist or fan, who knows? You may even get the opportunity to meet your favourite athlete at one of the events.