World Hockey Association Renews Its Quest for World Domination

Like Elvis at Burger King, the World Hockey Association has surfaced again.

The WHA promises hockey in May, with a tournament called the Bobby Hull Invitational. Bobby is right there on the front page of the website. And for those who have been wondering, the hair plugs are holding up nicely.

Six teams will be picked by six designated captains, playing a two-week schedule of games in Vancouver, Hamilton and Toronto. The WHA wants wide-open hockey, and is surveying hockey fans on potential rule changes that would set it apart from the stuffy old NHL.

Jeremy Roenick is recruiting idle NHL vets, and the list of committed players includes Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatley and Nicklas Lidstrom. (Brad Norton is listed twice, so they're especially excited to have him.) Mark Recchi isn't sure how his name got there. Apparently, anyone who took a phone call from JR is on the list.

Assuming the tournament goes ahead, the big question isn't who will play. It's, how will they play? There's $2 million in prize money at stake, small change by NHL standards. If you're a pro hockey player, are you ready to go through walls to win a short, meaningless, one-off tournament?

This thing could easily turn into an extended version of a charity exhibition game, one more leisurely show of no-hit, no-worries hockey. If that's the case, the Bobby Hull Invitational, for all its fan-friendly pretensions, will be just another rip-off.