Hockey needs Canada to lose...

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Connorrhea

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Sep 17, 2005
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As disappointing as it was to witness this all-star roster score in only 11 of the last 12 periods, us Canadian hockey fans have to understand that this is what hockey needs.

Gretzky said it best at the 2002 games when he said the world wanted Canada to lose, and you know what....he was right, but he doesn't seem to understand why.

Like any other sport, hockey needs someone else to take over in order for it to grow. Look at women's hockey. Sweden gets to the finals and now women's hockey will grow in Sweden.

If Canada continues to win all the tournaments, the rest of the world will not care. Just look at what the "miracle on ice" did for U.S. hockey.

Our women won the last two olympics, and men won Salt Lake, then the world cup and we won the last two juniors...that is NOT good for hockey when the rest of the world is sitting there watching Canada win all the time.

Unless, outside of the U.S., you have satellite, it is hard to watch NHL games. So when international tournaments involving NHLers takes place, the influence comes from watching your country succeed in that tournament. Swiss hockey will grow just like Czech and Slovakian hockey has because they upset a few teams.

Like Jim Kelly said on the fan590 yesterday, its not our arrogance as a nation, its our ignorance of not realizing that the rest of the world is just as good as Canada.

Just a thought about the Russia/Canada game...I think we owe Russia a victory. The analysts can say that we have not beaten them in the Olympics since 1980, but come on....how many years to the Russian's have to sit and listen to 1972 and 1987? Now we know how it feels to be on the other end.

I love my country and I want them to win, but I know it's better if they take a step back and let someone else take over.

Feel free to agree/disagree.
 

Wisent

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Nov 15, 2003
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I think it has some truth in it.
Another thing why the hockey world wants Canada to lose is that people without a preferred team like to cheer for the underdog. Same with me. I have a hard time cheering for Germany (even though I`m German) for reasons I can`t say (I loved them in the Zach time) but I find myself cheering for every other underdog.
 
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bert

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I think this is a great post, I wholeheartedly agree. I think all the recent success that Canada has had had a little part in the teams performance this time around. They didnt seem to look like they wanted it that bad. Not like they did in the world cup not like they did in Salt Lake and certainly not like this years world junior team did. To be the best you have to be willing to sacrifice the most and this time Canada looked like they were willing to sacrifice the least.

Back on topic, I just want to see the game grow and with all the success that other nations had I have a feeling it will.

Its really to bad that Slovakia didnt get by the Czech Republic and play for a medal. That country needs a breakthrough performance in a best on best tournament. I thought this was going to be it.
 

therealdeal

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Apr 22, 2005
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Canadians don't care if hockey grows anywhere else, we want to be the best every time we take the ice, we can't and never should accept failure, and there never is a silver lining.

Without hockey in Canada, there is no hockey.
 

Bloggins

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Dec 1, 2005
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Wisent said:
I think it has some truth in it.
Another thing why the hockey world wants Canada to lose is that people without a preferred team like to cheer for the underdog. Same with me. I have a hard time cheering for Germany (even though I`m German= for reasons I can`t say (I loved them in the Zach time) but I find myself cheering for every other underdog.

I agree. It's always exciting in any sport to see an underdog topple the favoured team. Strong competition makes for a better sporting event. I was especially pleased to see women's hockey in this Olympics have some variety to it. I think it's going to make it much more interesting in the future.
 

Connorrhea

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therealdeal said:
Canadians don't care if hockey grows anywhere else, we want to be the best every time we take the ice, we can't and never should accept failure, and there never is a silver lining.

Without hockey in Canada, there is no hockey.


That's the problem right there. No one is saying Hockey will never leave Canada, the point is if hockey doesn't grow, especially in the U.S., you will be stuck with more lockouts because the NHL isn't making enough money to feed its salary selfish players.
 

therealdeal

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Apr 22, 2005
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georgetown88 said:
That's the problem right there. No one is saying Hockey will never leave Canada, the point is if hockey doesn't grow, especially in the U.S., you will be stuck with more lockouts because the NHL isn't making enough money to feed its salary selfish players.

Meh, thats just the NHL, Canada still supplies the majority of hockey players all over the world, Hockey needs Canada, and Canada needs to deliver to keep that passion going.
 

Evilo

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Mar 17, 2002
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I think people like to see teams lose when plenty of their fans feel they're too good for the others.
That's pretty much the same with ther US in basketball. Their fans (not all of them obviously) feel they're so much better than the rest of the world that the rest of the world cheers for their opponents.

Pretty logical if you ask me.
 

Bloggins

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Dec 1, 2005
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therealdeal said:
Canadians don't care if hockey grows anywhere else, we want to be the best every time we take the ice, we can't and never should accept failure, and there never is a silver lining.

Without hockey in Canada, there is no hockey.

That's a little dramatic. True, Canada wants to win at hockey every time our team takes the ice. But there are many countries out there now who want it as badly. And there will ALWAYS be hockey in Canada.
 

Slosh

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Feb 23, 2006
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I don't agree. Canada competes with countries in which hockey is already a huge sport (Russia, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia). It's not a big deal if Canada wins or not, those countries still have hockey players for the kids to idolize, and the kids will join hockey schools, etc.

What the sport needs in order to grow is for countries like Germany, Italy, Latvia (i.e. "emerging hockey nations") to have great runs like Switzerland did at these olympics.
 

shawn_kemp*

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I think that Canada needs to lose because Russia needs to win. That's as far as it goes. :D
 

octopi

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Dec 29, 2004
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georgetown88 said:
Just a thought about the Russia/Canada game...I think we owe Russia a victory. The analysts can say that we have not beaten them in the Olympics since 1980, but come on....how many years to the Russian's have to sit and listen to 1972 and 1987? Now we know how it feels to be on the other end.
.

I was born and raised in Canada, and I was born after the Summit series occured. I don't think I've seen as as much gloating about any win in sports as that 1972 victory. :shakehead

Frankly, IMHO, this quarterfinal was probably the best thing that could have happened. With the way Canada has been winning internationally lately, I was getting sick of hearing how Canada and Canadian hockey players are so much more worthy than everyone else.
 

zarathustra1900

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Dec 10, 2005
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@georegtown88:


You are absolutely right. Very interesting. Thanks for posting your thoughts.

Of course there will be those that say ( and i cannot disagree ) that a team should always play it's best no matter how well they do.....

Canada women's team should not have pummeled Italy and whomever, also applies to men's hockey in the past....ah, that is a difficult issue..


However, in the grand scheme of things, in terms of what is good for hockey and the sport, all you said is spot on.

It is good that it happened to both the USA and Canada...although nobody seemed to see it coming, the time was now..and it is good for world hockey and the sport.


Now Canada will change/work harder, as will the USA, address problems....it keeps the sport growing worldwide...

You are absolutely right.

Well said.
 

Bloggins

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Dec 1, 2005
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octopi said:
I was born and raised in Canada, and I was born after the Summit series occured. I don't think I've seen as as much gloating about any win in sports as that 1972 victory. :shakehead

Frankly, IMHO, this quarterfinal was probably the best thing that could have happened. I was getting sick of hearing how Canada and Canadian hockey players are so much more worthy than everyone else.

I watched that series live....greatest hockey moment ever!!!! :D
 

Connorrhea

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Sep 17, 2005
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Slosh said:
What the sport needs in order to grow is for countries like Germany, Italy, Latvia (i.e. "emerging hockey nations") to have great runs like Switzerland did at these olympics.

That's the point.
 

Broad st phantom

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Oct 28, 2005
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Slosh said:
I don't agree. Canada competes with countries in which hockey is already a huge sport (Russia, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia). It's not a big deal if Canada wins or not, those countries still have hockey players for the kids to idolize, and the kids will join hockey schools, etc.

What the sport needs in order to grow is for countries like Germany, Italy, Latvia (i.e. "emerging hockey nations") to have great runs like Switzerland did at these olympics.

yeah i agree with that
 

MXD

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Oct 27, 2005
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I'm more inclined to think that the biggest benefactor or Canada's loss will be canadian (read : Hockey Canada, Managers and Coaches) hockey rather than the sport itself. Men's hockey isn't in Women's hockey position. For example, Canada could clinch gold in 4 straight olympics (and 4 World Cups), and hockey itself wouldn't lose so much, because, if it remains like it is now, there IS suspense in every game, and those medals would have meant that Canada played better for the aformentionned tourneys, as there are six 1st place contenders by now (I'm excluding USA, because, really, they ain't contenders, a thing Slovakia IS, and any media trying to say other wise is afflicted by "America's Bias").

I hope yesterdays loss, and even more the disastrous results of Team Canada in Torino will lead to a philosophy change, starting at the "very basis"... Especially here, in the Q, where the only kids who play defense on "youth level" are sluggish ones...
 

Stephen

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Feb 28, 2002
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I totally disagree.

I think you're looking for some positives out of this experience, and I'm inclined to believe there are no positives at all here. Canada was knocked out, but the country that did the work was Russia, hardly an upstart on the international stage. The other teams remaining are from Finland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. These are all established hockey powers.

Team Canada's loss was a disastrous failure that will rightfully send the powers that be back to the drawing board. Perhaps in the future we shoulnd't be so foolish as to try and win with a Canadian style of game on international ice in the future.
 

MXD

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Oct 27, 2005
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Nothing to do with my previous post, but...

Is it me or Germany have be a rising hockey nation since 30 years? I don't know what they did to deserve the "8th spot" handed on a silver plate, and they were the worst team I saw for the whole Torino tourney.
 

Slosh

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Feb 23, 2006
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georgetown88 said:
That's the point.

Right, I thought you were mostly referring to the Canada - Russia game. My bad.

However, I don't think it matters whether Canada walks away with a trophy every time or not. Had Canada beaten the Russians and gone on to win Gold yet again, hockey in switzerland would have still grown.
 

Connorrhea

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Sep 17, 2005
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Canada hadn't won a gold medal in the Olympics since 1952 and since 1998 this country decided to give a damn? Why, because NHLers are involved?

Imagine you were a kid growing up in Latvia and you know you're team is going to lose and lose bad, but all of a sudden they pull off the biggest upsets in tournament history and make it to the gold medal game...now wouldn't that make you want to put a pair of skates on.

In Canada, it won't stop us from getting on the ice, we need to stop acting like its the end of the world. We won in 2002, we won the world cup in the summer and we've won the last two juniors. We don't need to prove ourselves to ourselves.

Slosh, I did say that Swiss hockey will grow because they upset a few teams.
 

Stephen

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Feb 28, 2002
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georgetown88 said:
Imagine you were a kid growing up in Latvia and you know you're team is going to lose and lose bad, but all of a sudden they pull off the biggest upsets in tournament history and make it to the gold medal game...now wouldn't that make you want to put a pair of skates on.

But you'll notice that didn't happen. We weren't knocked out by an upstart team and none of the teams left are growing hockey nations. They're traditional powers.
 

Freudian

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Jul 3, 2003
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I think it is logical that Canada doesn't win every tournament. They aren't good enough to win every tournament. They are good enough to win some tournaments. And that they do.
 
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