Traitors of their country....

[Killion]

Trottier = North American Indian status.

Oh thats right too. Metis'. North American Indian Status Card trumping American or Canadian Citizenship however, I believe at the time the reasons he gave were otherwise (wife an American, giving back); never did pull the Cree/Chippewa ancestry & NAIS card. There was some criticism from the Canadian camp as he was invited to attend.

 

[Epsilon]

"Traitors"? Tone down the melodrama a little bit.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

"Traitors"? Tone down the melodrama a little bit.

Didn't you hear? Hundreds of Canadian children cried themselves to death when Brett Hull picked up a hockey stick for the USA.

 

[kdb209]

evgeni nabokov played for kazakhstan in the world championships when he was younger, then later for russia in the olympics. kind of the reverse of non-russian soviet guys zholtok, who played for russia after the fall of the soviet union but eventually started representing their native countries.

And Nabokov isn't a traitor either. He grew up in Soviet Union not in Kazakhstan. Same with Tverdovsky, Zhitnik, Kasparaitis.

the difference between nabokov and those other guys is that they played for the soviet union, then russia. nabokov played internationally after the fall of the soviet union and, at first, for kazakhstan in the C pool of the WC. then later he played for russia, which seemed unusual to me. i didn't even know that was allowed under IIHF rules.

Note that Nabokov was only Kazak by bureaucratic decree. He is ethnically Russian and was born in the Soviet Union in what later became Kazakhstan. Both his parents were born in present day Russia and were granted Russian citizenship.

He played for Kazakhstan in the '94 World Championships (Group C). Because of that he was denied permission to play for Russia in the 2002 Olympics. He applied for and was granted a waiver by the IIHF in 2005 and first represented Russia in the 2006 Olympics in Turin.

 

[finchster]

I wouldn’t consider Peter Stasny or Petr Nedved traitors. Being a defector you couldn’t play for the nation you defected from. Also the Canada Cup is not an IIHF event so being tied to a nationality does not count. The only requirement for the World Cup/ Canada Cup is citizenship, Martin Brodeur, Tyler Myers etc would all be allowed to play for the USA in the World Cup but not the Olympics.

For example, Dainius Zubrus played for Russia in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey only to play for Lithuania in the IIHF World Championships a few months later. Zubrus could play for Russia in a World Cup still but is officially tied to Lithuania in all IIHF events.

Stasny playing for Canada in the 1984 Canada Cup is irrelevant because regardless of his defection he was tied to Czechoslovakia in IIHF events. When Slovakia became a country, ethnic Slovaks had the opportunity to play for that country and he chose to do so.

 

[Canadiens1958]

In General

Oh thats right too. Metis'. North American Indian Status Card trumping American or Canadian Citizenship however, I believe at the time the reasons he gave were otherwise (wife an American, giving back); never did pull the Cree/Chippewa ancestry & NAIS card. There was some criticism from the Canadian camp as he was invited to attend.

Trottier or anyone else at any time, would trump any hockey defined notion of citizenship.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

There were Czechs who played for Germany in late 90's and 00's. Martin Reichel, Tomáš Martinec and Jan Benda off the top of my head, and maybe some others.

Reichel sounds like it would be a German name, so he might be at least partially ethnic German.

On the subject, I think pretty much every 2nd and 3rd tier Western European country has had Canadians play for them, some with ethnic heritage in the country, others just because of opportunism. Just two examples, one of each scenario:

Gates Orlando, an Italian-Canadian from Montreal who had a short NHL stint in the mid 80s, went to represent Italy internationally.

Darcy Werenka, a 2nd round pick of the Rangers in 1991 who never made the NHL and went to Europe instead, has gained Austrian citizenship and plays for Austria.

Many more examples of that. Canada feeds world hockey.

 

[New User Name]

Didn't you hear? Hundreds of Canadian children cried themselves to death when Brett Hull picked up a hockey stick for the USA.

No, never heard that. But I have heard where USA hockey officials go running off and crying to get dual citizens to get them to play for the US. And no Hockey Canada didn't do that to Tyler Myers. But I did hear that USA hockey were crying at his decision.

Just in case Canadian children did cry about Hull, well, kids cry. USA hockey officials are men.......they cried. Oh wait, maybe they're children too.

 

[Killion]

I think I mightve' cried over Hull 3X's. First time was when I busted a Bobby Hull Northlands Custom Pro that cost me a packet around 64; 2nd time was when he decided to leave Chicago & the NHL; 3rd time was when I heard about how terribly he, Makita & others had been treated by Wirtz Sr. in welcoming them all back to the Black Hawks family post career.

 

[Blue Dragon]

Paul Stastny was born in Quebec City, he plays for the US.

 

[jbfraser]

Just a note on the Hull thing. I think I either read or heard that Hull was raised in the US and his sibling were all born in the US

 

[UncleDal]

Patrick O'Sullivan

Born in Toronto Ontario, plays for the U.S National Team. Not sure on the reason for that, but it's that hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Gates Orlando, an Italian-Canadian from Montreal who had a short NHL stint in the mid 80s, went to represent Italy internationally.

And became Gaetano Orlando when he did

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Patrick O'Sullivan

Born in Toronto Ontario, plays for the U.S National Team. Not sure on the reason for that, but it's that hasn't been mentioned yet.

His lunatic father played in the minors in the U.S.

 

[Killion]

Just a note on the Hull thing. I think I either read or heard that Hull was raised in the US and his sibling were all born in the US

Brett Hull was born in Belleville in 64 (summered at the family farm near there), grew up in Illinois, moved to Winnipeg in 72 & played amateur there; moved to Vancouver in 79 (parents Divorced) and played for the North Shore Winter Club & then into the BCJHL. Drafted by Calgary in 84.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Darcy Werenka, a 2nd round pick of the Rangers in 1991 who never made the NHL and went to Europe instead, has gained Austrian citizenship and plays for Austria.

Another couple of Rangers who did that: Simon Wheeldon & Greg Holst

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Note that Nabokov was only Kazak by bureaucratic decree. He is ethnically Russian and was born in the Soviet Union in what later became Kazakhstan. Both his parents were born in present day Russia and were granted Russian citizenship.

He played for Kazakhstan in the '94 World Championships (Group C). Because of that he was denied permission to play for Russia in the 2002 Olympics. He applied for and was granted a waiver by the IIHF in 2005 and first represented Russia in the 2006 Olympics in Turin.

thanks for the info. that explains it then.

 

[MS]

I've got no issues with guys like Deadmarsh and Hull who had ties to both countries and picked the US at age 17 because they were willing to give them an opportunity. Nothing wrong with that.

The Trottier and Esposito situations, though, are total rubbish. 'Traitors' might be over-doing it, but I don't have a lot of respect for the situation. Switching national allegiance mid-career just isn't right.

 

[buffalowing88]

Am I to assume Trottier switched to the US because he was aware his top 6 spot on any Canadian team would be gone with the development of Lemieux and the rise of Gretzky? Seems like good timing. I'm only speculating here and honestly, Trottier was still a VERY good player in 84, but if he was doing it just to ensure extra playing time in international events, than even I, as an American, find it a bit off-putting.

 

[MS]

Am I to assume Trottier switched to the US because he was aware his top 6 spot on any Canadian team would be gone with the development of Lemieux and the rise of Gretzky? Seems like good timing. I'm only speculating here and honestly, Trottier was still a VERY good player in 84, but if he was doing it just to ensure extra playing time in international events, than even I, as an American, find it a bit off-putting.

Not as bad as that I don't think.

If memory serves, it was the offshoot of some political stuff between the Oiler and Islander factions on the Canadian team. There was a bitter rivalry there at the time, Sather was picking the team and coaching it, Trottier had issues with stuff that was happening so he packed his toys and played for the US instead. And then played it off as 'wanting to repay the US'.

In any case, total BS that it was allowed, and the sort of thing that undermines the basic integrity of international play.

 

[jekoh]

Slava Trukhno?

Grew up in Denmark.

If Truhno counts, you might as well mention Owen Nolan or Richard Park. Or even Dany Heatley.

Note that Nabokov was only Kazak by bureaucratic decree. He is ethnically Russian and was born in the Soviet Union in what later became Kazakhstan.

Ethnicity is not really relevant, millions of Russian citizens are not ethnic Russians.

 

[jekoh]

The only requirement for the World Cup/ Canada Cup is citizenship, Martin Brodeur, Tyler Myers etc would all be allowed to play for the USA in the World Cup but not the Olympics.

For example, Dainius Zubrus played for Russia in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey only to play for Lithuania in the IIHF World Championships a few months later. Zubrus could play for Russia in a World Cup still but is officially tied to Lithuania in all IIHF events.

I'm pretty sure there was no citizenship requirement for the World Cup and that Zubrus is not a Russian citizen.

Stasny playing for Canada in the 1984 Canada Cup is irrelevant because regardless of his defection he was tied to Czechoslovakia in IIHF events. When Slovakia became a country, ethnic Slovaks had the opportunity to play for that country and he chose to do so.

Slovaks had the opportunity to play for Slovakia, regardless of ethnicity.

 

[MadArcand]

I wouldn’t consider Peter Stasny or Petr Nedved traitors. Being a defector you couldn’t play for the nation you defected from.

This applies to Stastny, but by the time Nedved played for Canada (in Olympics, not a CC), it was five years after the revolution and Czech republic itself was two years in existence as independent country.

 

[reckoning]

Am I to assume Trottier switched to the US because he was aware his top 6 spot on any Canadian team would be gone with the development of Lemieux and the rise of Gretzky? Seems like good timing. I'm only speculating here and honestly, Trottier was still a VERY good player in 84, but if he was doing it just to ensure extra playing time in international events, than even I, as an American, find it a bit off-putting.

Well obviously only Trottier knows what his true motivation was, but I'd doubt that was the reason. Lemieux had just been drafted and wasn't on that team. Trottier was only 28 and still considered the best two-way forward in the game. He would've had plenty of icetime for Canada. Not as much as Gretzky of course, but still a lot. Plus he had no problem later in his career accepting less icetime to become a role player.

 

[saskganesh]

Trottier had his treaty rights, he was exercising them. He was not a traitor.