It's very sad that lack of $$$ deprives opportunities from talented kids in hockey. But then probably other avenues of life might have become more available since the switch you are referring to...
One of my favorite games of all time is the World Cup 2004 Canada vs Czechia. While watching this, I remember thinking: "How does this small nation -- Czechia -- keep generating so much talent?" Just a few years before this game the Czechs won back to back WJHCs. Plus the 1998 Olympics Gold in the best-on-best tourbament was still fairly recent then. I wouldn't fathom at the time that such a substantial decline in Czech hockey could occur. So, I truly hope the Czechs could regain their hockey prowess.
We didn't see it coming... what's funny is that around 2001 you could argue we were number 1 in the world. I know Canucks hate this statement but
Olympic champs 1998 (best on best)
3 straight worlds (I know that isn't best on best)
Back to back golds at the World Juniors
We also had 1OV picks, 80 NHLers and Jagr and Hasek killing it! BUT at the same time.. here is the 1998 born kids draft from our greatest year in hockey:
So we were on top and plummetting to the bottom. All the drafts around here are pathetic.
I actually fear the Swiss have the exact same thing happening to them right now. Some great NHL players today but no one is being drafted right now and they don't have guys coming in to replace the Hischeirs and Nino's either. So you can look and say 'no problem, they are very good and have 12 awesome NHL players like Josi!'. Very true, but they have a very bare pipe and are losing at U18's, Hlinka's and U20's while still winning at World's. Germany is falling into a similar hole after the Drai/Seider/Peterka/Stutz gold mine.
As far as money .. it is a shame. A lot of the Canuck posters say it is happening here too with the Q being a step down and the reason being people would rather pay for soccer/tennis/basketball etc. than hockey due to the cost (and culture). So OHL and WHL are cooking with rich kids. Something tells me the USNDTP isn't parents below the poverty line either.lol
And yeah, loved that 2004 game... Lecavalier with that goal crushed me! We had great forwards, great goalie and good D then. Balanced. Not today.
I hope Czechs and Slovaks can get back to relevance. Slovakia essentially needs a new start as the NHL pipeline is pretty empty - 3 very good D, no goalies and some forwards. We need to somehow close the missing decade gap. Eg. Canada will have MacK and McD who are similar in age and we may be Kulich and Pasta firing away who are a decade apart in age.lol Or Gudas and Jiricek as a D pair.lol Just this black hole of 23 to 30 year old talent. Pasta, Hronek and Necas being the exceptions of course. And we do have a lot of goalies in the mix. Some nights we have more goalies playing the D and G.lol