Scroll To The Bottom!

I might be a bad web user. I say that because I discovered something that's pretty awesome on a website today that I didn't know was there previously. Normally, I don't scroll to the bottom of websites because new news articles or videos are posted at the top of said websites so they get the most clicks. It makes sense for website designers and programmers to do that, but today's discovery may chance my website habits entirely. If you're wondering how long I've missed out on this feature, I can't tell you since I just discovered it today, but I assume it's been there for a while. That's what makes this discovery I've made a little more emabrrassing since it may have been there for months or years without my knowledge despite it being something I'd love to see on other sites as well!

I was looking up some information today on the IIHF website as I was preparing for the Para Ice Hockey Olympic Final between Canada and the US. While I realize that the International Paralympic Committee and the is the governing body for international competitions, I dawned on me that I might be looking in the wrong place for additional info at the IIHF website. This is when I scrolled down to make my discovery on their website that changes everything.

That, folks, is an interactive database of all the IIHF member nations who play hockey, and it shows the complete overview of each nation's hockey program within its borders - membership, total players, world rankings, and the uniforms worn by the national team! If you need a quick comparison between two countries, it's now easy to find with this tool that the IIHF has on its site!

For writers and bloggers, this tool may prove invaluable when tracking teams and players in some of the lower-level tournaments. If you have no idea what the uniforms look like for, say, Team Turkmenistan, you now have that information at your fingertips with just a few clicks. Clicking on the country's federation logo at the top takes you directly to the IIHF page all about that country, so put me down as a fan of this tool!

While the tool itself doesn't need much more than what the IIHF has offered, the team pages would be helpful with one small addition: results. The IIHF has all the 2022 tournaments that the teams participated in listed on the page, but I was hoping to see a link to historical finishes in the various tournaments that each nation has participated in over the years. If the IIHF were to add that, I think this might be the most complete international hockey website ever.

Outside that quibble, I have to say that I was very impressed with this tool on the IIHF website, and I feel like a bit of an idiot for not knowing it was there earlier. Now that I know it's there, though, I'll be using it whenever I need some information on a national team!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!