Is playing for a Canadian team too much pressure?

[McRpro]

I’m being honest there. There’s surely gotta be more pressure to play in markets like New York, Boston, Philly, Chicago, Pittsburgh and even the Cali teams than somewhere like Winnipeg or Ottawa

I can guarantee players in Canada are way more under the microscope than pretty much anywhere else in the states.

 

[Maestro84]

I can guarantee players in Canada are way more under the microscope than pretty much anywhere else in the states.

In Toronto and Montreal that’s definitely the case, but I don’t really see it anywhere else.

American markets though:

In New York, you’re playing in the biggest market on earth

In Boston, you’re playing in a city that is used to expecting greatness out of their athletes/teams

In Philly, they cheer for their sports teams VERY seriously and their fans/media will not hesitate to show their displeasure

In Pittsburgh, you have the names Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby to live up to. Their fans are also notorious for being quite quick to criticize when things aren’t going well too

In Chicago and LA, you’re in the third and second largest markets in the states, respectively, hence lots of pressure and competition to succeed

No Canadian teams besides the leafs and habs are deemed as big market or mainstream teams. If you follow Canadian media such as TSN, CBC and sportsnet, the majority of their Canadian hockey talk focuses mostly on the Leafs and Habs anyways.

Also, had players like McDavid and Gaudreau been drafted to either TO, MTL or a bigger American market, you’d see their names pop up in headlines significantly more than they do on their current respective teams.

 

[Tuna Tatarrrrrr]

Montreal is a definitive yes for sure! We need players who absolutely LOVE playing under high pressure in the Mecca of Hockey and being able to handle it.

Toronto maybe too.

Other Canadian teams not so much.