GDT: Bob Nicholson Press Conference 12:30

Drivesaitl

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Oct 8, 2017
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Duck hunting
People who followed Hockey Canada closer than I did told me that Nicholson was toxic. Not because he's a bad man, per se, but because he's very self-focused on looking after Bob Nicholson first - then his buddies, then Hockey Canada, then hockey in Canada.

Katz made a PR hire with Nicholson that looked good cosmetically, but the downward trajectory of Hockey Canada since 2010 can be traced to the people running the organization. Truth be told, the fact that Lowe and other Edmonton Oiler "brass" spent so much time around Hockey Canada in the years before Nicholson's departure should have been a tip-off that Nicholson was setting himself up for a nice, lucrative landing spot in Edmonton while Canadian hockey burned.

I've referenced some of the same concerns before. That Nicholson did more to promote high level sporting hockey competition than fulfilling mandate to promote hockey, in general, in this country and yet per capita enrolment in hockey programs diminished under his leadership. He made high profile plays through uber promotion of highest level of hockey and paying less attention to hockey at all levels.

Now obviously Nicholson is a hanger on. His tenure with Hockey Canada suggests that. He held his position there for 16years. This being a position that should rotate with fresh blood, energy, ideas. For Nicholson it was a well paying gig. He wasn't going anywhere.
Next Nicholson is 65 this month. I have no take on his acumen say 15 yrs ago but mental and energy decline certainly occurs with age. Nicholson simply associated himself with high level hockey success, by Team Canada, and parlayed that to longterm tenure with Hockey Canada. Frankly I'd love a job where my performance, be what it may, was tied to some trout pond like Canada succeeding in international hockey competition. I guess I'd look like a genius too with Pronger, Doughty, Crosby, Toews on the ice..

The bigger concern that I expressed at the time regarding the hire was that Nicholson was intight with Oilers OBC at the time of his hire here. Given that Oilers brass had been so involved in Hockey Canada. By the time he got here Nicholson had ongoing familiarity, relationship, attachment, to the OBC here.

A third concern often expressed is that Nicholson left Hockey Canada with several pressing lawsuits that are still being fought and with Hockey Canada long ignoring such things as CTE, injury concerns, incidents and accepted play that promote serious irreversible injury etc. Hockey Canada, like the NHL, has largely turned a blind eye to claims and need to improve the safety of the game. For this Hockey Canada is in increasing financial trouble.
 

Drivesaitl

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No, it didn't.

Hockey in Canada is well past its Halcyon days. Enrollment is down, sport is being eclipsed in Canada by other sports, myriad reasons for this and only getting worse.

Melting Ice: Canada's Hockey Crisis

Riley: 2016, the year that hockey died in Canada

Now granted those are sensationalistic headlines and articles but they do tell the story.

Frankly its incredible that hockey enrollment is down in Canada at the same time that overall population of the country is increasing substantially. Per capita the hockey enrollment numbers have never been worse.

The key thing going forward is what is being done in the hockey world to promote hockey continuance to parents of prospective hockey players. Increasingly more parents are more comfortable having their children play other sports. Sports that involve less injury and potential for harm. That is a completely predictable phenomenon that parents would want to safeguard their children. Many do it by being convinced that hockey is the wrong answer. That's a huge concern that isn't going away.

This one hits closer to home;

Rosters in decline: Only one in 10 kids laces up to play hockey, official says

One in ten of kids play hockey in Canada. Things really have changed. In a typical class now there would be 3 kids playing hockey. Its becoming rare per capita.
 
Last edited:

smokingwriter

Registered User
Apr 21, 2018
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Hockey in Canada is well past its Halcyon days. Enrollment is down, sport is being eclipsed in Canada by other sports, myriad reasons for this and only getting worse.

Melting Ice: Canada's Hockey Crisis

Riley: 2016, the year that hockey died in Canada

Now granted those are sensationalistic headlines and articles but they do tell the story.

Frankly its incredible that hockey enrollment is down in Canada at the same time that overall population of the country is increasing substantially. Per capita the hockey enrollment numbers have never been worse.

The key thing going forward is what is being done in the hockey world to promote hockey continuance to parents of prospective hockey players. Increasingly more parents are more comfortable having their children play other sports. Sports that involve less injury and potential for harm. That is a completely predictable phenomenon that parents would want to safeguard their children. Many do it by being convinced that hockey is the wrong answer. That's a huge concern that isn't going away.

This one hits closer to home;

Rosters in decline: Only one in 10 kids laces up to play hockey, official says

One in ten of kids play hockey in Canada. Things really have changed. In a typical class now there would be 3 kids playing hockey. Its becoming rare per capita.
Hi Drivesaitl::

We've lacked good stewards of the game for a long time now. Too many bureaucrats and Bob Nicholson types who wanted to cash out through hockey. No thought for the health of the game 20, 30, 40 years down the road. The Muricans, whatever you may think of them, have a long-term plan for global conquest; Hockey Canada's plan has always been to see how much money it can squeeze out of Canadian hockey fans, and how many of its OBC members can get cushy jobs with NHL franchises.

It's tragic that Ralph Krueger wasn't a much bigger part of Hockey Canada when the opportunity presented itself. But I suspect that Bob's mediocre buddies, and buddies on the Board of Directors, did not want a visionary with an analytical mind running things. So many missed opportunities, dating back to at least the start of the 1990s.

I do like Tom Renney, but he has inherited a mess. And I'm not sure that any one person - even a Krueger - can fix the rot at Hockey Canada. Too many cronies still involved. Too many Nicholson hold-overs. And the Board of Directors (executive board) is marred by politicking and cronyism, too. There are simply no visionaries there.

It's actually pretty sad.
 

Drivesaitl

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^ @smokingwriter Nicholson left Hockey Canada in such a mess there's been two incumbents since him. Agree with your take on Krueger and his visionary and analytical mind. But deep thinkers seem to be more suspected in present day. We're living in " just do it" times. Doesn't matter how many times wrong. Its a strange time where action, any action is seemingly desired to having a well thought out plan.

Kreuger was so atypical here with the Oilers that I couldn't help but think he wouldn't be tolerated long. Competence here was a big risk to the OBC hangers on. They didn't want anybody that wasn't going to suffer fools gladly taking hold here. Alas we got Nicholson, who sure fits what the OBC would have wanted.

The OBC didn't much like Renney and Kreuger, go figure.
 

Fixed to Ruin

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1 tournament win between March 2010 and January 2015 says it kinda did

14 U18, U20, and senior men's events, and 9 times out of the medals.

Would you call that burning, or just a two-week slump?

I think it's unreasonable to expect that Canada wins every international tournament every year into infinity.

Canada sets the bar for excellence and I think it's healthy for the sport as a whole to have other countries be able to have periods of success.

I never want hockey to be like what goes on with the women's where every international medal game has the same two teams.

I don't think people should get bet out if shape because we had a bad 5 year period.

Also to your point about the U18 & U20. Canada doesn't send all of it's best players to those tournaments. The CHL playoffs keep lots of good players off the team. U20 because of the NHL. Just because we don't win everything in sight doesn't mean Hockey Canada "burned to the ground"
 
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