In junior hockey Canada is.
However, to claim you're on top of the hockey world despite having an "A" team that can finish no higher than 7th place.....well yes, that IS being cocky without the results to back it up.
Okay, fine. I'll bite. If Canada isn't the top hockey nation then just who the hell is? I have a hard time seeing a strong case against Canada at the moment:
-5 of the top 10 scorers in the NHL are Canadian
-4 consecutive WJHC titles
-gold at 3 of the last 5 men's world championships
-9 women's titles out of 10
-World Cup title in 2004.
We mess up at one Olympics (Turin) and suddenly some people from the peanut gallery start to say Canada is no longer the primary hockey power, well I just don't see it.
Canada doesn't win all the time, but nobody else wins as consistently in this sport at the elite level. And most importantly, nobody loves it like we do. There's probably a relationship between those last 2 point.