Canada's defense

[jj cale]

Canada is one of the few countries where hockey is the de facto "most popular" sport. Don't forget that ice hockey is still an afterthought in the world. Go to Britain and mention hockey and they think you are talking about field hockey. My young family in Italy (like under age 10) had never seen or even heard of ice hockey (much like I hadn't heard of Netball until a couple of years ago)

Even in Sweden soccer is more popular. In the USA soccer is not a favourite. Finland maybe? In Russia soccer dominates too.

What I am trying to say is there is only so much you can "push" and invest in a sport before you get to the precipices of incremental improvement. If Canada is ordinally "ahead" of other nations, it's just by a smaller percentage, because the game is more refined now than it has ever been. It was a beer league until the 1990s.

Oh my God, hockey was not a beer league until 1990.

The stuff people say on this site, incredible.

 

[Siludin]

Oh my God, hockey was not a beer league until 1990.

The stuff people say on this site, incredible.

Do you understand the tier of cokehead chainsmoking athletes that dominated the 4th line and 3rd D pairing of most NHL teams? Take off the rose coloured glasses - the league is 10x more refined now.

 

[cg98]

Do you understand the tier of cokehead chainsmoking athletes that dominated the 4th line and 3rd D pairing of most NHL teams? Take off the rose coloured glasses - the league is 10x more refined now.

Wow. Such accomplishments. Cokehead chainsmokers dominated 4th lines and 3rd pairings. Therefore it must be a beer league!!

Do you see how ridiculous you sound?

 

[jj cale]

Do you understand the tier of cokehead chainsmoking athletes that dominated the 4th line and 3rd D pairing of most NHL teams? Take off the rose coloured glasses - the league is 10x more refined now.

Oh brother, another young pup with no clue on how good hockey was in the past and the great players there were.

No one is saying the game isn't more refined now but the hockey of the past was fantastic also and you are completely off base and actually insultingly ignorant and out of line claiming all players were chain smoking,drunkard coke heads, shame on you kid.

You want to see some great hockey? go watch the final series between the Soviet Union and Canada in the 1987 Canada Cup and then come back and tell me about beer leagues, 10x better then any hockey you would have watched in the N.H.L this past year.



The stuff I hear on this site never ceases to amaze me, beer leaguers, for the love of God.

 

[A91]

Not concerned whatsoever about Canada's defense.
Ekblad not even mentioned in this topic? He just won a World Championship with Canada along with Parayko and Pulock.

Umm...

 

[Kshahdoo]

Umm...

Yeah, as far as I remember, they lost to Swiss in semi.

 

[Siludin]

Wow. Such accomplishments. Cokehead chainsmokers dominated 4th lines and 3rd pairings. Therefore it must be a beer league!!

Do you see how ridiculous you sound?

How is that ridiculous? Better players and better game across the board nowadays. International players and athletes weren't attracted to hockey as much as other sports because they risked getting punched in the face by the Marty McSorleys of the world for peanuts in comparison to what other major athletes can earn. Why choose hockey over soccer unless you happen to enjoy it more?

The spread of international to Canadian players in hockey is because it has become a modern sport. Compare hockey in the 1970s and 1980s to baseball, soccer, basketball, in that timeframe. It was an immature sport with tiny presence so the spread of individuals/international players participating in the game were not the best people to be playing it. Ever hear of the logic that the potential fastest/strongest man in the world may never be identified because he may be participating in another sport or doing something that pays more? That's hockey until the 1990s.

 

[Siludin]

Umm...

Yeah, as far as I remember, they lost to Swiss in semi.

Yeah idk what I was thinking with that post. My mistake. Eklbad's WC was from years ago.
The point stands that Canada's defense is still excellent!