Why isn't norway good at hockey?

[naruto]

I was looking at Norway's impressive medal count in these Olympics and just started wondering why they do poorly in hockey. Norway is Scandinavian like Sweden and finland who are both great. Their population isnt that different from swe and fin. Similar climates and cultures.

Shouldn't they be similar to Sweden and finland?

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[NyQuil]

Too busy cross country skiing.

Plus they can do basic math.

If they handed out 97 medals for hockey maybe they would invest more in the sport.

 

[Prins Filip]

In hockey there are too many moving pieces in a team, such as many (spiteful) parents. The systematic use of doping would not be that easy as in cross-country skiing.

 

[adsfan]

Too busy cross country skiing.

Plus they can do basic math.

If they handed out 97 medals for hockey maybe they would invest more in the sport.

I don't think that anybody will come up with a better answer than yours!

When I think about Norway in the Winter games, I think about all kinds of skiing, alpine, X-country, ski jumping, biathlon ... they just rule.

 

[snipes]

I don't think that anybody will come up with a better answer than yours!

When I think about Norway in the Winter games, I think about all kinds of skiing, alpine, X-country, ski jumping, biathlon ... they just rule.

Pretty much. They dominate the Nordic sports where they hand out so many medals.

It’s an area Canada could improve on, no reason we can’t become the hegemonic power at the Winter Games. I’m still salty we didn’t get Gold in the two sports that matter most, men’s and women’s curling and hockey. I guess we got Gold in mixed doubles.

 

[Mr Positive]

Pretty much. They dominate the Nordic sports where they hand out so many medals.

It’s an area Canada could improve on, no reason we can’t become the hegemonic power at the Winter Games. I’m still salty we didn’t get Gold in the two sports that matter most, men’s and women’s curling and hockey. I guess we got Gold in mixed doubles.

I don't think there's any shame in missing out on gold in the hockey. For the women, it was never that Canada was #1 and USA #2. It was always a 1a/1b situation, and I'm even happy for the Americans, even if I would prefer that Canada had won that game, and I do think that one player was out of line to reject the silver a bit.

As for the men, winning bronze was a big accomplishment. Notice that Sweden, Finland and USA got nothing? There's no NHLers, and those Canadians were fueled on massive pride and pressure, and were even heartbroke that they didn't manage to come back against Germany. And they lost their starting goalie to injury.

Before NHL involvement in the Olympics, Canada didn't win that many hockey medals really.

 

[Hasbro]

Japan is the one that puzzles me.

They've got a large number of registered player and rinks and definitely a industrialized country that cares about sports.

 

[JackSlater]

From casual observation, Norwegians don't seem very inclined to take team sports seriously. Compared with Sweden and Finland anyway.

Pretty much. They dominate the Nordic sports where they hand out so many medals.

It’s an area Canada could improve on, no reason we can’t become the hegemonic power at the Winter Games. I’m still salty we didn’t get Gold in the two sports that matter most, men’s and women’s curling and hockey. I guess we got Gold in mixed doubles.

Canada has targeted the sports that are newer/easier for medals and has done a good job. Losing out in women's hockey and both men's and women's curling is pretty bad though. The way that Canada picks its Olympic curling teams is pretty stupid but that wasn't even the issue this time, both teams just got beaten when it mattered. I would also like to see an improvement in short track speed skating, gongshow that that sport can be. The rest of Canada should give Quebec a bit of support on that front.

 

[adsfan]

I don't think there's any shame in missing out on gold in the hockey. For the women, it was never that Canada was #1 and USA #2. It was always a 1a/1b situation, and I'm even happy for the Americans, even if I would prefer that Canada had won that game, and I do think that one player was out of line to reject the silver a bit.

As for the men, winning bronze was a big accomplishment. Notice that Sweden, Finland and USA got nothing? There's no NHLers, and those Canadians were fueled on massive pride and pressure, and were even heartbroke that they didn't manage to come back against Germany. And they lost their starting goalie to injury.

Before NHL involvement in the Olympics, Canada didn't win that many hockey medals really.

That is because of the Big Red Machine with their pro players training year round for the Army. Add Tretiak as the goalie and they were nearly unbeatable.

In an honest world, Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr would have won some gold medals playing in front of Ken Dryden. There was some guy named Gretzky that was pretty good in the 1980s. He could have brought a few of the Oilers with him, but if you had an NHL contract you were a pro.

 

[snipes]

Canada has targeted the sports that are newer/easier for medals and has done a good job. Losing out in women's hockey and both men's and women's curling is pretty bad though. The way that Canada picks its Olympic curling teams is pretty stupid but that wasn't even the issue this time, both teams just got beaten when it mattered. I would also like to see an improvement in short track speed skating, gongshow that that sport can be. The rest of Canada should give Quebec a bit of support on that front.

Good point on the speed skating, I would support more investment on that front.

 

[offkilter]

Japan is the one that puzzles me.

They've got a large number of registered player and rinks and definitely a industrialized country that cares about sports.

A lot of it is physical size especially in the men's game. The tallest guy on the team currently is 5 foot 11 inches. The average is closer to 5 foot 4 inches. Against other Asian teams they dominate and can take on some of the weaker euro teams with success, but throw them against teams like Finland, Russia, or Sweden etc they get out played physically.

 

[Jokerit 16]

One of the thing is that they have put resources in Football or soccer which you called it in North america. For european that is football!

Football is world biggest sport and Perhaps they have focused on that. They are not Good at basketball either.

 

[S E P H]

Zucs had an interview a couple years ago discussing that during the summer time, all the ice rinks in Norway close for half of the year, which sounds like an awful use of resources.

Now I don't know if that has changed since then, but that contribute quite negatively to the develop and growth of hockey. They're getting better though.

Japan is the one that puzzles me.

They've got a large number of registered player and rinks and definitely a industrialized country that cares about sports.

Japan has some of the coldest places on Earth such as Sapporo, where majority of the hockey players come from. I think some of it comes from bad development, and some of it comes with Japan not spending enough money on winter sports except the ones they're good at such as ski jumping and figure skating. They have some underrated talent and lets hope that Iguchi becomes a national icon for them and raises awareness for the sport across Japan, not just the north. Poland is the same way, they have great winter conditions for hockey, but the sports federation spends majority of the money on stupid stuff like football and volleyball.

 

[613Leafer]

Might be a preference for individual sports?

 

[Jon Riley]

Zucs had an interview a couple years ago discussing that during the summer time, all the ice rinks in Norway close for half of the year, which sounds like an awful use of resources.

Not all of the ice rinks, but the main one mostly close down quite soon after the Get Ligaen is finished.
Mainly the reason is that ice hockey is a very very regional sport, the Oslo area, up to Lillehammer and down to the Swedish border plus Stavanger.
The vast majority of Norway is completely uninterested in the sport.
... also, my impression as a foreigner is that a lot of people look at hockey like a sport for rednecks and low education eastern norwegians from the flatland.

 

[SirKillalot]

I was looking at Norway's impressive medal count in these Olympics and just started wondering why they do poorly in hockey. Norway is Scandinavian like Sweden and finland who are both great. Their population isnt that different from swe and fin. Similar climates and cultures.

Shouldn't they be similar to Sweden and finland?

Two reasons.

1) It was seen as a goon sport for very long, sort of in the same patterns as pro boxing was banned until a few years ago.

2) There is less than 45 rinks in the entire country. Plus/Minus 40. Mostly because of point one. It's slowly improving.

 

[LiveeviL]

Here's the old thread. I go for bad hockey infrastructure because of culture because of geographical factors (it can be found in my post in the link and the post above mine.)
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threa...o-sweden-finland.1593499/page-2#post-79026159

 

[eal]

Norway has become quite a strong nation in Handball. They have had a few moments in hockey, more than in basketball certainly.

 

[VictorLustig]

It's not easy to sell hockey to new countries today. It's an expensive sport, you will need a rink nearby etc. Hockey became big in Sweden when it was still cheap, a working class sport played outside just like Bandy. Everyone has a lake nearby in Sweden.

Btw, don't want to be that picky guy but Finland is not a part of Scandinavia. (call them the Nordic countries instead)

 

[Hasbro]

Zucs had an interview a couple years ago discussing that during the summer time, all the ice rinks in Norway close for half of the year, which sounds like an awful use of resources.

Now I don't know if that has changed since then, but that contribute quite negatively to the develop and growth of hockey. They're getting better though.


Japan has some of the coldest places on Earth such as Sapporo, where majority of the hockey players come from. I think some of it comes from bad development, and some of it comes with Japan not spending enough money on winter sports except the ones they're good at such as ski jumping and figure skating. They have some underrated talent and lets hope that Iguchi becomes a national icon for them and raises awareness for the sport across Japan.

I wonder where hockey would be in the U.K. If Tony Hand stuck with the Oilers and won some cups.

However, it looks like more countries are producing talent.

 

[NyQuil]

I wonder where hockey would be in the U.K. If Tony Hand stuck with the Oilers and won some cups.

However, it looks like more countries are producing talent.

A Handful of Cups?

 

[NyQuil]

Btw, don't want to be that picky guy but Finland is not a part of Scandinavia. (call them the Nordic countries instead)

It’s ok - Newfoundland isn’t a Maritime province but is an Atlantic province so we get it.

 

[BMann]

Lack of rinks, not as much money in it for kids to see it as a career, the violence of it. Norway are pretty decent at team sports if from time to time given their population. Namely football and handball.

 

[robertmac43]

Who would even be the greatest hockey player to come out of Norway? just curious

 

[StreetHawk]

For the women, it was never that Canada was #1 and USA #2. It was always a 1a/1b situation, and I'm even happy for the Americans, even if I would prefer that Canada had won that game, and I do think that one player was out of line to reject the silver a bit.

I don't think she was that out of line when you view it in the larger picture. Canada and USA have played in the finals of the World Championships for all 18 years that it has been held. Add in that Canada has been in the Gold Medal game all 6 times in the Olympics and the USA 5/6 (losing to Finland in the semis in 2006).

So, honestly, Canada is pretty much guaranteed the Silver. It all comes down to that final game against the USA. Same for the USA. So, silver isn't viewed as an accomplishment since both nations are way ahead of all other nations. It's pretty much the minimum for them.

And I know lots of people say women's hockey isn't competitive and they are correct. But, think about how little the men's game as grown outside of the Super 6 countries of Canada/USA/Russia/Czech Rep./Sweden/Finland, and barely Slovakia after the separation. We haven't seen Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Denmark, or any of the former Soviet Republics that have rise up to any prominence. They might be capable of beating one of the Super 6 in the quarter finals in best on best, but not a threat to go all the way to the finals. Who knows if there is going to be another country to get into the mix in hockey? Slovakia is the closest for the men's but that is expected for them. Still waiting for the #8 team to make all the quarters of a best on best interesting.