The Challenging Cup Is Dying - What's The Cure?

It seems every year that there's some kind of outcry about the parody of a competition that is the Challenge Cup. The team that wins it is always happy, but then the other 9 teams always find some way of making it out that its a pointless competition that just takes up game time and valuable materials.



There was a particular chortle thrown out last month when the Hull Stingrays announced that their two-legged quarter final against the Belfast Giants would not only be doubled up as an Elite League game, but would only be played as one game, in Belfast. For me, they may as well have rang the death bell for the competition. Where else in professional sport can you change the rules and schedule of a competition halfway through? Ridiculous.

Cup competitions do seem to be a British staple though. Football has them, both rugby codes have them, there's two different ones in cricket. We love us a tournament.

So what can be done to rescue this abomination of a competition? My idea would take a lot of co-ordination between organisations, is highly unlikely to ever happen, but I feel it would be very workable.

A simple, one shot knockout competition, a la the FA cup.

Here's my format:

Between the Elite League, the teams under jurisdiction of the English Ice Hockey Association, and the Scottish National League, there are 66 men's senior ice hockey teams.

For a knockout, we'd have to get 66 teams down to 64.

The ENL North 2 and ENL South 2 are the lowest divisions on the pyramid in England.

The bottom two from each league would play a qualifying round against each other - so right now the Widnes Wild would play the Blackburn Eagles and the Peterborough Islanders would face the Invicta Mustangs. Add in the remaining teams from the Elite League, the EPL, the ENL and the SNL, and you have 64 teams for the [Insert Title Sponsor] British Knockout Cup.

Then you have a single-game knockout format.

Round 1: 64 teams - 32 ties
Round 2: 32 teams - 16 ties
Round 3: 16 teams - 8 ties
Round 4: 8 teams - 4 ties
Semi Final: 4 teams - 2 ties
Final: 2 teams - 1 tie

There would be no seeding (due to how complicated that would be to organise), and ties would be played where they are drawn - so you could have the Steelers away support filling out the Dumfries Ice Bowl against one of the Solway Sharks team.

Yes, its not perfect, and it would be highly unlikely due to the co-operation between organisations involved, but if football teams can manage it, then there's no reason ice hockey couldn't as well.

I want your opinions on this: what can be done to save the Challenge Cup, and tournament competitions in British Ice Hockey?

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Liam