Why are there currently no Belarusian, Kazakh, or Ukrainian NHL players, and only one Latvian?

[MMC]

Hockey seems to be pretty big in Eastern Europe, though there's been hardly any players from Belarus or Romania. Why has that been the case? Do you think we will see more players from these countries in the future?

Click to read more...

 

[Ivan13]

Hockey seems to be pretty big in Eastern Europe, though there's been hardly any players from Belarus or Romania. Why has that been the case? Do you think we will see more players from these countries in the future?

Hockey's big in eastern Europe? It's big in those countries that have been under the heavy Soviet influence, and even among those, it's the case in only a handful of them. The following are Eastern/Central European countries with strong hockey traditions:

• Russia
• Latvia
• Czech Rep
• Slovakia
• Belarus - even there handball and soccer are above easily

Now take a look at the list of countries where hockey is either a non-factor or way down on the totem pole of team sports:

• Romania - soccer, rugby, handball
• Bulgaria - volleyball, soccer
• Ukraine - soccer, bball, handball
• Lithuania - bball, soccer
• Estonia - soccer
• Poland - soccer, volleyball, handball, bball
• Hungary - soccer, waterpolo, handball
• Serbia - soccer, bball, waterpolo, handball, volleyball
• Croatia - same as above
• Slovenia - same as above minus waterpolo
• Bosnia - same as Slovenia
• Macedonia - handball, soccer, bball
• Georgia - rugby and soccer
• Albania - soccer

Even with the nations that are supposed hockey hotbeds, there is less and less talent coming out compared to the days from when they were behind the curtain. Hockey will never be popular on a level higher than a niche sport in the vast majority of Europe, the biggest factors being:

• no tradition
• far too many team sports that are easier to play, cheaper and more popular
• costly infrastructure
• lack of high-quality coaching from the grassroots level

 

[MMC]

Hockey's big in eastern Europe? It's big in those countries that have been under the heavy Soviet influence, and even among those, it's the case in only a handful of them. The following are Eastern/Central European countries with strong hockey traditions:

• Russia
• Latvia
• Czech Rep
• Slovakia
• Belarus - even there handball and soccer are above easily

Now take a look at the list of countries where hockey is either a non-factor or way down on the totem pole of team sports:

• Romania - soccer, rugby, handball
• Bulgaria - volleyball, soccer
• Ukraine - soccer, bball, handball
• Lithuania - bball, soccer
• Estonia - soccer
• Poland - soccer, volleyball, handball, bball
• Hungary - soccer, waterpolo, handball
• Serbia - soccer, bball, waterpolo, handball, volleyball
• Croatia - same as above
• Slovenia - same as above minus waterpolo
• Bosnia - same as Slovenia
• Macedonia - handball, soccer, bball
• Georgia - rugby and soccer
• Albania - soccer

Even with the nations that are supposed hockey hotbeds, there is less and less talent coming out compared to the days from when they were behind the curtain. Hockey will never be popular on a level higher than a niche sport in the vast majority of Europe, the biggest factors being:

• no tradition
• far too many team sports that are easier to play, cheaper and more popular
• costly infrastructure
• lack of high-quality coaching from the grassroots level

Great post, thanks for this.

 

[Pizza the Hutt]

Well, Belarus is a small country that isn't very rich and doesn't have very good sports infrastructure and a very small professional system.

In Romania, hockey is a marginal sport.

 

[JoVel]

Belarus is (or at least has been) decent in hockey. Right up there with other smaller countries like Denmark, France, Norway, Latvia etc. Although I feel like in recent years they've fallen behind quite a lot.

 

[MNRube]

Id imagine financial difficulties and crumbling infrastructure are part of the problem. Outside of Canada hockey remains a niche sport pretty much everywhere. Too expensive.

 

[crobro]

Walter Gretzky is of Belorussian descent

Fluent in the language

 

[SaltNPeca]

Belarus:

• Presence of the city of Minsk with ~2 M population
• KHL Team Dynamo Minsk
• 23 KHL Players

Romania:

• Bucharest population 1.8 M, Romania ~20 M
• Romanian Hockey League

Considering a country like Slovenia has 3 NHLers, most notably Kopitar I think it's likely or at least possible to see a great player out of Belarus. Minsk is one of the Top3/Top5 arenas in all of Europe for attendance. Comparable to St. Petersburg, Bern, and Cologne. Josi is from Bern & Draisaitl is from Cologne. DEL, NL, and KHL are good enough leagues to develop a young player in their top markets as I have demonstrated. It's only that the right kid gets interested and sticks with it. We're not going to see an explosion of talent, but some outlier certainly could show up.

I wouldn't hold my breath for any Romanian hockey player.

Rest of EE:
I did meet a Hungarian customer who was SUPER interested in hockey. For some people, even in Europe, all the flopping and general behaviour in football is uninteresting. There will always be a baseline support for a combative, fast, and aggressive sport like hockey (ice hockey). It is kind of a cult sport, a rich man's sport, and a white man's sport. Eastern Europe has some strong far-right views and hockey seems to be a good fit considering this shift in attitudes (said objectively). Eastern Europe also has a strong culture based in traditional values and kind of male machismo that hockey fits into relative to other popular sports. A big obstacle is the cost.

 

[SoundAndFury]

There will be a Belarussian there, over time. They have actually improved their infrastructure a lot over the last 10 years or so. Romania though... Their best players are at semi-pro level even in European leagues so there is a snowball's chance in hell somebody from there makes the big show.

But generally, in most of Eastern Europe, THE big sport is what majority of the population follows and others live in an extremely small niche. Taking Lithuania for example, easily 1/2 12th graders (male and female) would manage to coherently explain basketball rules, I'd say ~1/5 those of soccer. In hockey's, case it would probably be ~1/1000 and I'm not exaggerating. The only thing you will hear would be something about fighting because that's what makes the headlines occasionally.

 

[Ivan13]

Belarus:

• Presence of the city of Minsk with ~2 M population
• KHL Team Dynamo Minsk
• 23 KHL Players

Romania:

• Bucharest population 1.8 M, Romania ~20 M
• Romanian Hockey League

Considering a country like Slovenia has 3 NHLers, most notably Kopitar I think it's likely or at least possible to see a great player out of Belarus. Minsk is one of the Top3/Top5 arenas in all of Europe for attendance. Comparable to St. Petersburg, Bern, and Cologne. Josi is from Bern & Draisaitl is from Cologne. DEL, NL, and KHL are good enough leagues to develop a young player in their top markets as I have demonstrated. It's only that the right kid gets interested and sticks with it. We're not going to see an explosion of talent, but some outlier certainly could show up.

I wouldn't hold my breath for any Romanian hockey player.

Rest of EE:
I did meet a Hungarian customer who was SUPER interested in hockey. For some people, even in Europe, all the flopping and general behaviour in football is uninteresting. There will always be a baseline support for a combative, fast, and aggressive sport like hockey (ice hockey). It is kind of a cult sport, a rich man's sport, and a white man's sport. Eastern Europe has some strong far-right views and hockey seems to be a good fit considering this shift in attitudes (said objectively). Eastern Europe also has a strong culture based in traditional values and kind of male machismo that hockey fits into relative to other popular sports. A big obstacle is the cost.

Sure, that's why Georgians, Romanians play rugby and 80% of other European countries play handball. And of course you'll find a hockey-crazed people all around the world, I mean just look at me, but that doesn't mean a thing.

As for Slovenia, they are an outlier thanks to Jesenice.

PS

What the hell is this 2nd bolded part of your post all about?

 

[A1LeafNation]

No one remembers the Kostitsyns and Grabovski?

 

[koyvoo]

Or Ruslan Salei, who played almost 1000 nhl games

R.I.P

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

There have been a few Belarussian NHL players over the years. Mikhail Grabovski, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Andrei Kostitsyn, Sergei Kostitsyn, Ruslan Salei, and a few others.

 

[Ivan13]

Yes, there were quite a few Belarus players over the years, but those are very much a product of the remnants of the system put in place during the Soviets. As SoundAndFury mentioned, their infrastructure is on the upswing and hockey is popular there, but they still need to prove they can develop NHL level players going forward.

 

[MMC]

Or Ruslan Salei, who played almost 1000 nhl games

R.I.P

I know all of them, but there are none active in the NHL.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

I understand Romania, but why bring up Belarus?
Ruslan Salei, Mikhail Grabovski, Kostitsyn brothers, Koltsov.....
sure, not a single at the moment.

BTW. Belarus national team before getting relegated after the last games, had been in the A for 14 straight years.
Romania...last time they were in the worlds was back in 77 and the last time they qualified to the Olympics was
for the Lake Placid Olympics in 1980.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Also, it has to be mentioned pretty much every Belarussian even close to being good enough to play in the NHL would have to turn down the chance to play for Russia first.

 

[SoundAndFury]

I understand Romania, but why bring up Belarus?
Ruslan Salei, Mikhail Grabovski, Kostitsyn brothers, Koltsov.....
sure, not a single at the moment.

I'd argue the opposite. Belarus' situation is pretty interesting and topical considering the number of players from East European countries plummeted from more than 10 15 years ago to 1 in 2018. It's pretty interesting to discuss why countries like Belarus, Latvia or Kazakhstan, where hockey is relatively popular, can't produce anything at all anymore.

Meanwhile in Romania, they can't produce anything because they have absolutely nothing going for the sport there and nobody from there came within a lightyear of making the NHL. There is nothing to discuss, it's all cut and dry. Until they make some huge changes to their hockey system it's going to be that way.

 

[the4thlinegrinder]

This thread would trigger Tommy Salo.

 

[alko]

Imo, Hungary is the new ice-hockey country. Long time, not in 2-3 years.

 

[Paris in Flames]

This thread makes me miss Grabovski. So much.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Konstantin Koltsov was from Belarus. Such a fast skater, not much else though.

 

[Kipper933]

I think we'll start see a handful more Belarusians in the coming years. Integrating their u20 and u18 teams into their professional leagues has been an improvement and more Belarus players are showing up on the prospect radar.

A couple were drafted in last year's entry draft, a whole bunch of Belarusians were taken in the CHL import draft, and they look like they'll have a few players taken in this year's entry draft.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

Walter Gretzky is of Belorussian descent

Fluent in the language

and Ukrainian, as that was one of the languages spoke in the house by a grandmother

 

[Jumptheshark]

Walter Gretzky is of Belorussian descent

Fluent in the language

nice try

it wasnt until 2002 that he found out that is where part of his family came from many many years. HE found our at a news conference when asked about his heritage where he was from--He said "my grandfather was born in White Russia"--it was then somone pointed out that is now Belarus


Gretzky finds roots in Belarus