That is their fault only. And in the World Championships there were more games to play and get the team together, it is not like the World Cup where only the finalists play six games.
Yeah? So why is Russia, who arguably has the most talent of all European teams consistently sh***ing out of the WC for the last 13 years?
Precisely because now we are in the same condition as Canada was 20 years ago, roster-wise.
It did not have status in North America because Canada was not winning it.
Maybe it was not attended by the best players of every country, but mostly all countries besides Canada had their best.
Well, since Canada happens to be an elite hockey team, it's a pretty big missing piece, no? Like I said, the WC was the highest level EUROPEAN tournament. When it comes to being the best in the world,
outside of North America, this is where you had to prove yourself. So, it is the Swedes and the Czechs who should be impressed with our multiple victories.
Canadians, since they didn't participate with their best players, are not the ones who you should brag to.
It's like saying to Mike Tyson: "Well, I can beat you grandma, biatch, so gimme some props!"
When did he say that? What? Explain.
You don't know your own history and I am not a teacher.
You don't know hockey and I am not a coach.
And they are not obligated to accomodate the NHL.
Well, then. Everything is fine. The WC is played without the best available players, the NHL goes on earning profit and awarding the Stanley Cup, both sides are happy.
With the exception of certain insecure individuals who JUST HAVE to go on the Web and pester every Canadian they see with silly requests to acknowledge Russia's greatness based on results in a tournament North America ignored.
Russia's greatness doesn't need you with your misinformed mouth-frothing to be acknowledged. Those who have a jock-strap-full's worth of hockey knowledge know that Russia is a great hockey country.
They could have paused the NHL season and playoffs, but maybe Canadians thought they could not win anyway, so they created the Canada Cup to show that they are still a hockey superpower.
The Canada Cup was created because of the success of the 1972 Summit Series and the big interest in international competition that was awakened by it. Fueled in huge part by political and, especially, financial reasons. This was the only way to cash in on such an idea and it was brilliantly implemented.
Pausing the NHL season and playoffs every year so that Canadian and US players could travel abroad and play in a tournament nobody gives a damn about... Do you regularly travel to Tula with your own samovar?