Czecho-Slovakia is the best hockey country

[hockeyfan125]

Yes, miles ahead, and that's why they thrashed Czechia 8-0 in the World Cup despite being on foreign soil.

Don't really understand what you mean. Im just saying that the Canadians have the best depth in the world, and it is quite a bit better than the Czechoslovak's. I never said how the World Cup game went...

 

[I Hate You All*]

If Czechoslovakia had not broken up, it would be the best hockey country. In the World cup, Canada barely beat the Czechs alone in a game that was set up to ensure a Canadian win - it was played in front of a Toronto hometown crowd, the Czechs had to travel several thousand miles and play in a different time zone, etc, etc.

Now suppose you add the top Slovakian players to the Czech team - Hossa, Chara, Bondra, Palffy, Demetra, Gaborik, etc. These additions would likely have swing the game for the Czechs.

Further Czecho-Slovakia has a population of only about 15 million, half that of Canadia. So it produces teams that are as good or better with half the population.

The Canadians should thank their lucky stars that Czexhosolvakia broke up.

You're right! We should thank our lucky stars that "Czexhosolvakia" broke up because they would absolutely CRUSH us!

However, if we had Sidney Crosby in our line up they wouldn't. You wanna know what the score would be if we played them with Sidney playing? 56-2. Crosby would get about 55 tap-in's and one goal by balancing the puck on his stick behind the net and quickly scooping it into the top corner!

 

[markov`]

What? What? What????????????????????

Ice hockey > hockey on paper

I think not many people understand that!

For once I agree.

 

[gr8haluschak]

I'll take Gaborik>Heatley
Hossa>Iginla
Demitra<Thorton by a mile
Chara>Blake (very close)
Hejduk>Lecavalier (not close)
Vokoun<Brodeur (not close)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh ha ha ha that is good, Hossa better than Iginla, and Blake better than Chara, those are pretty good I mean tell me what awards has Hossa won ? what has Hossa lead the league in ? hell, as much as this pains me to recall what they did this year, does Marian know what it is like t ogo to the cup final ? as a matter of fact what has Chara done ? I know Blake knows what I takes to win and he has the rings, medals, and trophies to prove it- tell me what is on Chara's mantle ?

 

[Hart_House_Ca]

If the tectonic plates never moved, team Pangea would kick ass...

This has to be the funniest line ever.... thanks for the laugh.. albino..

 

[arnie]

game, set, match, and lock.

There have ben a lot of posts like this. But the bottom line is that in the World Cup final, Canada barely beat the Czechs alone, even playing before a home crowd. Add the Slovak players and the outcome would have been different.

Try playing these finals in Europe and we'll see how things look. Never forget that Canada always has the home field advantage. Every World/Canada cup championship final has been in Canada, except one - the one in the US where US beat Canada. Anyone who thinks that these championships are set up for the Canadians to win simply are kidding themselves.

As far depth is concerned, Canada is slipping fast. They are down to 50% of NHL players from 99% 30 years ago. And many of those 50% are just goons. Further, as of this seasin, the US now has more kids playing hockey than does Canada. future

 

[arnie]

Blake isnt even our best d-man...

Try
Gaboirik, Hossa, Demitra, Hejduk, Chara vs. Sakic, Pronger, Iginila, Thornton, Heatley/St.Louis. etc.

This is semi-close, but Canada wins. Canada has way, way, way, way better depth.

This argument doesn't wash:

1. If they are so great, how come they barely beat the Czechs.

2. Canada had the same edge on paper, but went almost 10 years netwen 1990 and the 2000 Olympics without winning a major world Championship.

Canada always has the best team on paper, but frequently lose. The trouble with the Canadians is that despite all their talk about having grit, they actually have very little grit. For years Canada whined about losing to the Russian pros in the Olympics because they couldn't use their own pros. But American college kids managed to do it twice, in 1960 and 1980. For 7 straight years, the Canadian have gone into the WJC looking like a powerhouse and beating up on the softies 10-1, only to lose when it really counted. A couple of those years, they went so far in the tank, they fell right out of the medal round, sulking their way down to #8.

The fact is that they play the games on ice and not on paper. And despite all their advantages, Canada barely beat a Czech alone team. You can't deny this - it actually happened.

 

[wilka91*]

For once I agree.

Did we ever disagree?

I just said Malkin had more points than Crosby and you started flaming around, that's all. Not a big deal.

 

[e-e]

If Czechoslovakia had not broken up, it would be the best hockey country. In the World cup, Canada barely beat the Czechs alone in a game that was set up to ensure a Canadian win - it was played in front of a Toronto hometown crowd, the Czechs had to travel several thousand miles and play in a different time zone, etc, etc.

Now suppose you add the top Slovakian players to the Czech team - Hossa, Chara, Bondra, Palffy, Demetra, Gaborik, etc. These additions would likely have swing the game for the Czechs.

Further Czecho-Slovakia has a population of only about 15 million, half that of Canadia. So it produces teams that are as good or better with half the population.

The Canadians should thank their lucky stars that Czexhosolvakia broke up.

that team wouldn't be better at all. it was always about how many playars are czechs and how many slovaks. a slovak had to be much better than a czech to make the national team in front of him. thats the reason why so few slovaks played for czeckoslovakia and were about average. everybody knew that and it was always big pressure around czekoslovakia national team. fights in dressing room like slanina - valek in moscow 86' was just because the "great chemistry" between slovaks and czecks. no chemistry = no team
it was good for both nationes than they can play for themselves.

as for canada: any team can beat any team in one game.
...if any tournament has 4 winning games playoff...i can hardly imaging any team that'd beat fully loaded canada team it these days...but anything could happen.

 

[kerrly]

This argument doesn't wash:

1. If they are so great, how come they barely beat the Czechs.

2. Canada had the same edge on paper, but went almost 10 years netwen 1990 and the 2000 Olympics without winning a major world Championship.

Canada always has the best team on paper, but frequently lose. The trouble with the Canadians is that despite all their talk about having grit, they actually have very little grit. For years Canada whined about losing to the Russian pros in the Olympics because they couldn't use their own pros. But American college kids managed to do it twice, in 1960 and 1980. For 7 straight years, the Canadian have gone into the WJC looking like a powerhouse and beating up on the softies 10-1, only to lose when it really counted. A couple of those years, they went so far in the tank, they fell right out of the medal round, sulking their way down to #8.

The fact is that they play the games on ice and not on paper. And despite all their advantages, Canada barely beat a Czech alone team. You can't deny this - it actually happened.

Yet you still have failed miserably to prove that the supposed Czechoslovakia would be the best hockey nation. All you did is state that we almost lost to the Czech's in the world cup.

When you claim that CS would be the best hockey nation, let's see some proof. I want you to list every medal or trophy that the teams have won and we will list every accomplishment Canada has pulled off. Canada has literally dominated international hockey over the last couple/few years and may have only placed second three times over that span, while winning gold every other time. I could be wrong, but I think they placed second in the World Juniors twice and second in the U-18 tourney once in that span, that is complete domination.

As much as you'd like to avoid the fact that depth is a major factor when determining which country is the top hockey nation, many would agree that it is the most important factor. With your claim that the combined populations is half of what Canada's is. Why don't you do the math and see if you can come up with any sort of combination where CS would dominate the NHL ahead of Canada, good luck with that by the way.

I have yet to see a valid argument out of you why Czechoslovakia is, was, or would be the best hockey nation. Other than Canada barely beating the Czech's in the world cup. So I think its time for you to put in place a new argument based upon facts and accomplishments, and then people will take you seriously.

 

[jekoh]

Canada has literally dominated international hockey over the last couple/few years

The Czechoslovaks did that too, a couple of years before: Olympics 98, 4 WCh in a row (99 to 02), as well as 2 WJC (00 & 01).

 

[espo*]

This has turned silly to me.......Canada has maintained it's number one ranking in hockey and why anyone disputes that or wants to get into silly "if we could put Czech-Slovakia and Sweden together we would be better" stuff is making me laugh and annoying me at the same time.Why don't the U.S and Canada put it's players together then and see what happens?We are both Anglo-Saxon nations after all Think Czech-Slovakia would kick us around? The fact is Slovakians are not Czechs and they have said that for themselves.....they are Slovakian so it is senseless to try and put some mythical team together for the sake of taking on Canada (seems to be your ultimate goal in life) As for the world cup argument you never led in the game and we beat you(with our key players on defense missing) If you can't even take a lead on us or beat us in that situation why are you so confident you are simply out of this world? May i add the best goaltender in the world right now was'nt in nets for us either. Anyway.....why don't you try to make a team of Russia,Finland,Sweden,Slovakia and the Czech republic next.....what a team!!! Only problem is that it's nonsense isn't it because the Czechs are their own country and none of those nations are the same.That's why they play under different flags for God's sake. This is stupid if you ask me. From top to bottom 8 times out of ten Canada beats the Czechs.....improving your players is the best way to beat us not wishing for some fairy tale Czech-Slovak team. It's fantasy island time here at HF boards.

 

[The Legend]

There have ben a lot of posts like this. But the bottom line is that in the World Cup final, Canada barely beat the Czechs alone, even playing before a home crowd. Add the Slovak players and the outcome would have been different.

Try playing these finals in Europe and we'll see how things look. Never forget that Canada always has the home field advantage. Every World/Canada cup championship final has been in Canada, except one - the one in the US where US beat Canada. Anyone who thinks that these championships are set up for the Canadians to win simply are kidding themselves.

As far depth is concerned, Canada is slipping fast. They are down to 50% of NHL players from 99% 30 years ago. And many of those 50% are just goons. Further, as of this seasin, the US now has more kids playing hockey than does Canada. future

This argument really pisses me off. 99 % of players 30 years ago, to 50 now? WHAT!??! Right now actually, the number is 61 %. Let me bring forth 10 different examples as to why Canada would be better than a Czechslovakian combo.

Example 1

"Canada barely beat the Czech Republic in the WC, add the Slovaks in and they win"- That might be true. But what if Canada were to add in their injured players like Blake or Pronger?

Example 2

Canada has way more depth. You say 50 % of the players are Canadians and that the number is slipping? Since it is 61 and it has remained steady for the past 10 years, I'll consider that a stupid argument.

Example 3

The better hockey nation isn't about sticking the best on best out there. Nope, we have to compare all the players in the NHL/World from that country. What if we listed a 3rd or 4th or 5th or 6th team from Canada? I guarantee I could find solid NHL'ers like Alyn McCauley to play for the 6th team. Could you find 6 teams worth of players from the Czech Republic/Slovakia

Example 4

The goon argument is a stupid one. Name 10 goons from Canada? How about looking at the Czechslovakia crop. Let's see, Vaclav Varada is a goon. I'm sure there's more I can't think of off the top of my head

Example 5

The so called myth that since the tourney was in Canada the players were given an unfair advantage. You ask the question when was the last time a Canada/World Cup was outside of Canada? I ask the question when was the last time a World Sr. Championship was inside of North America? But who won those tournaments the last two years? Canada. In Europe, in hostile territories. And the issue of a the ice size? I believe that the stars you named from the Czech Republican/Slovakian side all play on NHL size ice surfaces normally?

Example 6

Adding in those players(Demitra, Bondra, Hossa, etc.) I believe would have made the team WORSE. Those guys, while good at offense, aren't so good backchecking wise. That would have given Canada a few extra goals. Final score: Canada 6 Czechslovakia 4 or therabouts.

Example 7

In the years prior in the WJC, a competition which usually produces the stars of future generations, combining Czechs and Slovaks I think we can all agree would have done squat. These countries are really starting to suffer in prospect producing,

Example 8

What about in net? Who's the next Hasek, because he's 40, and Canada has 6 great goalies in their prime right now. And don't say Marek Schwarz, because we all saw how much he choked in the WJC's.

Example 9

The United States has a population fo 300 million. Canada has a population of a tenth of that. That's great that the US has more kids playing hockey than Canada this year. But wasn't the argument between Canada and the Czechs and Slovaks?

Example 10

Even with your shady combinations(What if the US and Canada had never split up) it's still very logical to see that in the NHL, the league where the best players play, of the top 30 players only 2(Jagr and Hossa) are from the Czechslovakia. I can safely say 15-20 are from Canada.

In conclusion, don't post this BS intended to get a rise from Canadians. It's stupid

 

[Damicles]

I think this is a moot point. Saying the Czech team and Solvakia team combined would be the equivalent of Canadians saying that during our darker years, especially in the 96 World Cup and the 98 Olympics, that we would have won if Brett Hull and Deadmarsh was playing for Canada and that's already a pretty stupid thing to say.

But let's (for argument's sake) say that the Czech and Slovak talent is better than the Canadians (okay... let's try to hold in those laughs....) and that their depth on all 4 lines are better than Canada's. There's something that Canadian teams that will always be our guiding star. Something that the Czechs, Russians, Swedes, Fins and Americans don't have. The BURNING Passion to play. Where and when our biggest stars falter, there's always someone else to pick up the slack. Don't believe me? This year's Deuchland Cup and right now, the Spengler Cup. Regular Canadians vs NHLers and in some cases, Canadian superstars like Nash, Thorton and St.Louis. And even when we do lose, we're not that far behind #1.

But in the end, the way you wanna compare your team to others is up to you. I still think that Canada is the current undisputed champ and until the Czech or Slovaks CONSISTANTLY beat the Canadians, what ever you say, won't change my mind that Canada's the better team. Doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is Winning.

 

[markov`]

This argument really pisses me off. 99 % of players 30 years ago, to 50 now? WHAT!??! Right now actually, the number is 61 %. Let me bring forth 10 different examples as to why Canada would be better than a Czechslovakian combo.

Example 1

"Canada barely beat the Czech Republic in the WC, add the Slovaks in and they win"- That might be true. But what if Canada were to add in their injured players like Blake or Pronger?

Example 2

Canada has way more depth. You say 50 % of the players are Canadians and that the number is slipping? Since it is 61 and it has remained steady for the past 10 years, I'll consider that a stupid argument.

Example 3

The better hockey nation isn't about sticking the best on best out there. Nope, we have to compare all the players in the NHL/World from that country. What if we listed a 3rd or 4th or 5th or 6th team from Canada? I guarantee I could find solid NHL'ers like Alyn McCauley to play for the 6th team. Could you find 6 teams worth of players from the Czech Republic/Slovakia

Example 4

The goon argument is a stupid one. Name 10 goons from Canada? How about looking at the Czechslovakia crop. Let's see, Vaclav Varada is a goon. I'm sure there's more I can't think of off the top of my head

Example 5

The so called myth that since the tourney was in Canada the players were given an unfair advantage. You ask the question when was the last time a Canada/World Cup was outside of Canada? I ask the question when was the last time a World Sr. Championship was inside of North America? But who won those tournaments the last two years? Canada. In Europe, in hostile territories. And the issue of a the ice size? I believe that the stars you named from the Czech Republican/Slovakian side all play on NHL size ice surfaces normally?

Example 6

Adding in those players(Demitra, Bondra, Hossa, etc.) I believe would have made the team WORSE. Those guys, while good at offense, aren't so good backchecking wise. That would have given Canada a few extra goals. Final score: Canada 6 Czechslovakia 4 or therabouts.

Example 7

In the years prior in the WJC, a competition which usually produces the stars of future generations, combining Czechs and Slovaks I think we can all agree would have done squat. These countries are really starting to suffer in prospect producing,

Example 8

What about in net? Who's the next Hasek, because he's 40, and Canada has 6 great goalies in their prime right now. And don't say Marek Schwarz, because we all saw how much he choked in the WJC's.

Example 9

The United States has a population fo 300 million. Canada has a population of a tenth of that. That's great that the US has more kids playing hockey than Canada this year. But wasn't the argument between Canada and the Czechs and Slovaks?

Example 10

Even with your shady combinations(What if the US and Canada had never split up) it's still very logical to see that in the NHL, the league where the best players play, of the top 30 players only 2(Jagr and Hossa) are from the Czechslovakia. I can safely say 15-20 are from Canada.

In conclusion, don't post this BS intended to get a rise from Canadians. It's stupid

Now THAT'S how you shut a guy up!

 

[espo*]

Now THAT'S how you shut a guy up!

For sure,that's all it was meant to do.....nothing more,get a rise out of the canucks,old trick we are all used to.Just beat us consistently people,that's all you have to do.

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

This has gone a bit too far and the thread has lost its meaning. Ive been looking at this thread from the start and to stop this getting any worse, its getting locked for the time being.