Traitors of their country....

[connellc]

Can anyone think of players who were born in a country, yet for some reason, played under another flag for whatever reason?

Brett Hull: Snubbed by team Canada's junior team, he choose team USA and never looked back.

Bryan Trottier: I just found out that he played for team USA during the 1984 Canada cup. What was the Canadian media like, and did he play anymore international tournaments afterwards? If so what country?

Peter Stasny: Played for Canada in the 1984 Canada cup. I think he later played for the czech national team after that tournament.

Petr Nedved: Played for Canada's national team for one year when he escaped to Canada.

Adam Deadmarch: I'm not exacly sure what his motives are for playing for team USA. I understand that his mom was Canadian, however, he was born and raised in Canada, no?

Evegny Nabakov. Went from Kaz to Russia.

Anymore bigger names that played for two countries? Additionally, the only two Euro-born raised played I can think of that played for Canada was Stasny and Nedved.

Click to read more...

 

[Mathradio]

The ones I know are lower-profile. I remember a while back that there was a Russian player who played for Denmark.

See also Kevin Dallman, who, born and trained in Canada, plays for Kazakhstan instead. I can't blame the guy; he's the captain of Barys Astana.

 

[canucksfan]

Tyler Myers played for Canada instead of the U.S.

 

[Super Fadio Bro]

Jason Pominville played for the US instead of Canada, but I don't remember the tournament.

 

[Heat McManus]

The ones I know are lower-profile. I remember a while back that there was a Russian player who played for Denmark.

Slava Trukhno?

 

[Heat McManus]

Jason Pominville played for the US instead of Canada, but I don't remember the tournament.

World Championship 2009 IIRC


I think "traitor" is a bit harsh. A lot of guys have their reasons for representing countries they have other ties to. It's not like they're running across no-man's land on the battlefield.

 

[Stephen]

Did Paul Dipietro immigrate to Switzerland and beat Canada at the Spengler Cup one year?

A bunch of Japanese and Italian Canadians go play for those countries at international events, not sure if that counts as being traitors...

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Adam Deadmarch: I'm not exacly sure what his motives are for playing for team USA. I understand that his mom was Canadian, however, he was born and raised in Canada, no?

American mother, born & raised in Canada. Played for the US at the WJC at age 17. Wasn't good enough at the time to play for Canada. The fact that he didn't record a single point at his first two WJC raises the question of whether he was good enough to play for the US at that age.

 

[steve141]

Not exactly what you are asking for, but there was the case of Ulf Samuelsson during the Nagano Olympics. Just before the quarter finals it was discovered that he had applied for and received an American citizenship, not knowing that that would automatically cause his Swedish citizenship to be revoked. Samuelsson was disqualified from the tournament, and many afterwards blamed Sweden's 1-2 loss against Finland on the circus surrounding Samuelsson's exit.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Brent Bilodeau was a US-Canada dual citizen. The story was that he (or somebody associated with him) demanded a guaranteed roster spot on Team Canada for the WJC (in 1992 I think). Needless to say, he didn't receive it & he played for the US

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Did Paul Dipietro immigrate to Switzerland and beat Canada at the Spengler Cup one year?

A bunch of Japanese and Italian Canadians go play for those countries at international events, not sure if that counts as being traitors...

I think you mean "did paul dipietro immigrate to switzerland and score 2 goals in a 2-1 switzerland win over canada in the 2006 olympics"

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Dave Ellett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Ellett

In 1989 Ellett was the subject of controversy when he decided to play for Team Canada in the World Championships. Bob Johnson, coach of the American team, complained that Ellett had to play for the United States because of his birthplace and because he attended Team USA's training camp for the 1987 Canada Cup. But in actuality, Ellett was allowed to play for Team Canada because he never actually played for the USA internationally.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Samuelsson was disqualified from the tournament, and many afterwards blamed Sweden's 1-2 loss against Finland on the circus surrounding Samuelsson's exit.

I don't know about that, they seem to have developed a habit of losing in Olympic QF

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Peter Stasny: Played for Canada in the 1984 Canada cup. I think he later played for the czech national team after that tournament.

He later played for Slovakia, so he played for 3 countries

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

He later played for Slovakia, so he played for 3 countries

Czechoslovakia and Slovakia have to be considered playing for the same country for the purpose of this thread

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

evgeni nabokov played for kazakhstan in the world championships when he was younger, then later for russia in the olympics. kind of the reverse of non-russian soviet guys zholtok, who played for russia after the fall of the soviet union but eventually started representing their native countries.

 

[kaiser matias]

The ones I know are lower-profile. I remember a while back that there was a Russian player who played for Denmark.

See also Kevin Dallman, who, born and trained in Canada, plays for Kazakhstan instead. I can't blame the guy; he's the captain of Barys Astana.

Dallman hasn't played internationally, whether for Canada or Kazakhstan.

However I read somewhere that he plans on getting Kazakh citizenship, and would play for them if offered (which would seem likely, he's one of the best players on Barys, which has most of the Kazakh national team on it).

 

[Garl]

The ones I know are lower-profile. I remember a while back that there was a Russian player who played for Denmark.

See also Kevin Dallman, who, born and trained in Canada, plays for Kazakhstan instead. I can't blame the guy; he's the captain of Barys Astana.

Starkov? Ethnic russian who grew up in Denmark. Not a traitor by any means.

And Nabokov isn't a traitor either. He grew up in Soviet Union not in Kazakhstan. Same with Tverdovsky, Zhitnik, Kasparaitis.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

kind of the reverse of non-russian soviet guys zholtok, who played for russia after the fall of the soviet union but eventually started representing their native countries.

Another was Zubrus

 

[Rexor]

There were Czechs who played for Germany in late 90's and 00's. Martin Reichel, Tomáš Martinec and Jan Benda off the top of my head, and maybe some others.

 

[Killion]

Bryan Trottier: I just found out that he played for team USA during the 1984 Canada cup. What was the Canadian media like, and did he play anymore international tournaments afterwards? If so what country?

That was an interesting one, as he'd played for Team Canada previously (and no, I dont believe he did appear in any Intl games after 84). I prefer to look upon elite Canucks that have the choice (important distinction) to play for Canada but instead opt for the opportunity to play for another country (through newly minted citizenship or rules based on genetic lineage) as Ambassadors...... If they then acted as a spoiler to a Team Canada victory playing for Team USA or whomever?. The label Traitor wouldnt be applied to the player by the media up here, they'd instead crucify Hockey Canada & or Team Canada's management for letting the guy get away in the first place.....

 

[Canadiens1958]

Native

That was an interesting one, as he'd played for Team Canada previously (and no, I dont believe he did appear in any Intl games after 84). I prefer to look upon elite Canucks that have the choice (important distinction) to play for Canada but instead opt for the opportunity to play for another country (through newly minted citizenship or rules based on genetic lineage) as Ambassadors...... If they then acted as a spoiler to a Team Canada victory playing for Team USA or whomever?. The label Traitor wouldnt be applied to the player by the media up here, they'd instead crucify Hockey Canada & or Team Canada's management for letting the guy get away in the first place.....

Trottier = North American Indian status.

 

[reckoning]

"Nothing against Canada, but I'd like to play for the U.S. and do something for the country that has been so good to me. I'm married to an American. I live and work there. This is a chance to show my gratitude" -Bryan Trottier http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=d5EjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=maUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6239,4001514&dq=trottier+canada&hl=en

Trottier was invited to both the Canadian and Americans respective training camps. He chose the U.S. There was quite a bit of grumbling about it from some Canadian fans, but nobody with a brain held it against him afterward.

Tony Esposito also played for the U.S. in one of the Canada Cups.


I hope the word "traitors" in this thread title is meant tongue-in-cheek. None of these players did anything wrong. Especially Nedved and Stastny. They defected to Canada to escape the oppressive regimes of their home countries. Of course they're going to play for Canada.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Tony Esposito also played for the U.S. in one of the Canada Cups.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=14157

Toward the end of his career Esposito played for the U.S. in the Canada Cup Series in 1981. According to Tony he was asked to represent the U.S. in the Cup Series by Bill Wirtz. Espo said he would honor Mr. Wirtz’s request but there was one problem. Esposito was still a Canadien citizen and the process for U.S. citizenship at that time would normally take at least a few months. Wirtz told Espo not to worry and just prepare for the Series, two weeks later Tony received his U.S. citizenship.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Starkov? Ethnic russian who grew up in Denmark. Not a traitor by any means.

And Nabokov isn't a traitor either. He grew up in Soviet Union not in Kazakhstan. Same with Tverdovsky, Zhitnik, Kasparaitis.

the difference between nabokov and those other guys is that they played for the soviet union, then russia. nabokov played internationally after the fall of the soviet union and, at first, for kazakhstan in the C pool of the WC. then later he played for russia, which seemed unusual to me. i didn't even know that was allowed under IIHF rules.