Bring Back Amateurs to Olympic Hockey

[backcheck]

I dont give a **** what the Olympic s want or the NHL , Canada shouls send Non NHLERS in the future.

They will represent our flag with pride - win or lose

You think they could have gotten 7th ( like this years team of floaters)????

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[SChan*]

not again. Seriously, this is the 274773th thread on this issue.

 

[Leo Naphta]

I knew it was only a matter of time.

 

[Force]

Ban USA and Canada from the Olympics.

 

[backcheck]

Dont get me started - dont disrespect this thread - I am not happy with this whole debocle

 

[artilector]

If Canada just wants a bunch of guys to go to the Olympics, work their tails off and fight, you can find plenty of Shane Doan-type Canadian character guys around NHL - its up to you whom to choose for your team, isn't it?

 

[oil slick]

Gah - why on earth would I want to watch the 755th-900th best players in the world?

Can't I just go down and watch the local pee-wee game?

 

[Coburnfan05]

Amateurs ...NO way.

It should be like soccer in the Olympics (Under 22 years old). These millionaires don't need to a Gold Medal. Leave the Olympics to the young up and coming non NHL players. Then bring back the World Cup as a tournamnet for the best of the best.

 

[sarge88]

Ban USA and Canada from the Olympics.

I'm an American and I wish that would happen. Please don't subject us to this torture again, win or lose.

 

[Force]

Amateurs ...NO way.

It should be like soccer in the Olympics (Under 22 years old). These millionaires don't need to a Gold Medal. Leave the Olympics to the young up and coming non NHL players. Then bring back the World Cup as a tournamnet for the best of the best.

Hockey is to small for that.
If you set up a World Cup similar to soccer for hockey, you play in front of empty ranks. Embedded in the winter olympics, you get a lot of traffic and things like boosting italy with their courageous effort happen.

Do you think anyone would have noticed Italy if they appeared in a world cup? Hardly. The situation is similar to basketball.

Football is the only truly global sport.

 

[Coburnfan05]

Hockey is to small for that.
If you set up a World Cup similar to soccer for hockey, you play in front of empty ranks. Embedded in the winter olympics, you get a lot of traffic and things like boosting italy with their courageous effort happen.

Do you think anyone would have noticed Italy if they appeared in a world cup? Hardly. The situation is similar to basketball.

Football is the only truly global sport.

Not if you only play in Hockey mad countries...Canada,Sweden, Finland or Russia.

Hockey will never be a global sport simply for the reason it's played on ice. Seems to me when The Canada Cup had it's run the buildings were full every game.

 

[Bixby Snyder]

It'll happen, a lot of NHL owners are already pissed off with losing players for nothing.

 

[Force]

I'm an American and I wish that would happen. Please don't subject us to this torture again, win or lose.

I was joking.

btw Noticed Eric Cole? Tell you what, he played in Berlin and won the DEL championship last year, and i bet he gained a perspective on all of this by going abroad. He was propably the best american forward, and in my oppinion that has something to do with that experience.

It's typical. Europeans go to the NHL and learn. Then they return to their National Squads and combine both worlds to bring out the best of it. You got to get some kind of impulses yourselves imho.

 

[Force]

Not if you only play in Hockey mad countries...Canada,Sweden, Finland or Russia.

Hockey will never be a global sport simply for the reason it's played on ice. Seems to me when The Canada Cup had it's run the buildings were full every game.

Thats not adressing the problem.

The world cup wasn't evn shown on TV in germany. And germany has one of the major leagues in europe. It's only canada thats this big with hockey.

Football fills 100.000 seat and TV companies kill for broadcasting rights - everywhere.

 

[Coburnfan05]

Thats not adressing the problem.

The world cup wasn't evn shown on TV in germany. And germany has one of the major leagues in europe. It's only canada thats this big with hockey.

Football fills 100.000 seat and TV companies kill for broadcasting rights - everywhere.

Keep telling yourself that. Your telling me the Russinas, Swedes and Finns don't care about hockey.

Germany on the other hand is much different story. I am almost sure Hockey is the low man on the totem poll. Soccer in Germany dominates the press and is by far and wide the mainstream sport.

 

[Force]

The Football World Cup is 10 times as big as the whole Olympics.

It's like 6 weeks of Superbowl.

No city on this planet could host a football world cup and olympic games at the same time.

As i said, Basketball and Ice hockey have pretty much the same olympic status.

If you move hockey out of the olympics, you basically hide it.

 

[shawn_kemp*]

not again. Seriously, this is the 274773th thread on this issue.

well actually they've improved a little : they want Canadian amateurs only

 

[sarge88]

I was joking.

btw Noticed Eric Cole? Tell you what, he played in Berlin and won the DEL championship last year, and i bet he gained a perspective on all of this by going abroad. He was propably the best american forward, and in my oppinion that has something to do with that experience.

It's typical. Europeans go to the NHL and learn. Then they return to their National Squads and combine both worlds to bring out the best of it. You got to get some kind of impulses yourselves imho.

I know you were joking but I really wasn't. I find Olympic hockey with professionals to be unbearable to watch.

A serious question though, no disrespect, because English may be your second language, but I don't understand what you mean in the last sentence above. Can you please explain.

Thanks

 

[Caz]

If you move hockey out of the olympics, you basically hide it.

Maybe so. Bringing 'amateurs' would probably hide
it too. Personally I want to see the stars.

What would the alpine sports in the Olympics
be without their biggest stars? Or skiing?
What would the value of an Olympic Gold be
without the best participating?

 

[Coburnfan05]

The Football World Cup is 10 times as big as the whole Olympics.

It's like 6 weeks of Superbowl.

No city on this planet could host a football world cup and olympic games at the same time.

As i said, Basketball and Ice hockey have pretty much the same olympic status.

If you move hockey out of the olympics, you basically hide it.

How do you hide it.

So some guy in Kenya doesn't get to watch Hockey...I don't think he cares at all.

People who like hockey will watch and people who don't, won't. Do you think people from non traditional hockey contries after seeing a few olympic hocket games will now have hockey fever...I doubt it.

A World Cup of hockey makes sense. Teams will have healthy rosters, will be able to build chemistry through practing with each other, and will not have to worry about travel.

 

[Force]

I know you were joking but I really wasn't. I find Olympic hockey with professionals to be unbearable to watch.

A serious question though, no disrespect, because English may be your second language, but I don't understand what you mean in the last sentence above. Can you please explain.

Thanks

What i meant is the pupil beating the master. The NHL used to be the place where hockey was on a whole new higher level. But with lots of foreigners playing there, the know-how got transfered. The foreign players who play in the nhl and return to their home countries to represent them internationally use both, their roots and the abroad experience. While the Ameri/Canadian NHL STARS know nothing but the NHL. You would be better of using folks who have been to world championships for example. Or Andy Roach / Stepahane Julien type of guys. NHL Stars only isn't a healty environment for sucess. It's pretty much the same what happened to the Basketball Dreamteam imho.

 

[sarge88]

What i meant is the pupil beating the master. The NHL used to be the place where hockey was on a whole new higher level. But with lots of foreigners playing there, the know-how got transfered. The foreign players who play in the nhl and return to their home countries to represent them internationally use both, their roots and the abroad experience. While the Ameri/Canadian NHL STARS know nothing but the NHL. You would be better of using folks who have been to world championships for example. Or Andy Roach / Stepahane Julien type of guys. NHL Stars only isn't a healty environment for sucess. It's pretty much the same what happened to the Basketball Dreamteam imho.

Here is the problem. You seem to assume that anyone who enjoys NHL hockey more than international hockey is wrong or less evolved for feeling that way. (Your recently closed thread is exhibit A)

I don't care one bit about how team USA does in the Olympics, and haven't since they let NHL'ers in. There are several players on the team that I simply cannot root for because of my hatred for their NHL team or their actions in the NHL.

I have rooted for the Boston Bruins since I was 7 years old. The 1980 U.S. gold medal was one of the greatest memories of my childhood and looking back it was only that enjoyable and memorable because the players on that team were college kids who overachieved and made the most of their talents. Almost as important, none of them had played in the NHL for opposing teams and I hadn't developed a dislike for them.

If you expect me to ignore hockey for another 4 years because that is when the next Olympics take place then you are the one who doesn't understand sports. I will continue to root for the Bruins first, last and always. I cannot root for Chris Chelios just because he happens to be one of 350 million people who happened to be born within the same border as me, regardless of what team he plays for. (If he were to play for the Bruins, the only way I could find it in my heart to root for him is if he helped bring a Stanley Cup.)

I don't care if the American players adopt a style of hockey that will help them be more successful in the Olympics. I don't care about Olympic hockey but unlike you I'm not judging those who feel differently. You like it, great. But that doesn't make you any better or worse a sports fan than I.

 

[Stephen]

Just because our Canadian pros were largely heartless doesn't mean that's the case with others. Sweden, Russia and Finland don't seem to have any problems with playing with pride, even though they're mostly NHLers. Canada sucked this time around. That's not a good reason to change the nature of the tournament.

 

[Force]

Sarge88 this is simple.

Subjectively you might be more interested in your league. I don't give a damn because i care about my league.

The Olympics is, objectively, a higher level than your and my league. It is inter-national which means "between nations" which makes all Americans unite behind one Club calles Team USA no matter what city the players are employed at during normal life.

You don't get that concept and that is why your team is out. The players didn't have the support they need. Neither by their clubs, who should have released them a week prior to the games, not their coaching staff who should have prepared them for the evetn, nor by the fans who should support their teams instead of dismissing them after putting up a hell of a fight.

I'm glad that countries advanced that apreciate it.

 

[Jazz]

Dont get me started - dont disrespect this thread - I am not happy with this whole debocle

So why not simply continue one of the 24589 threads on the top....There is a tool called "SEARCH"...

First of all, taking the pro's out is short-sighted for the game, and will cripple it's growth in non-hockey countries.

You have to understand that the olympics reaches out to a world audience, and the World Cup (while I prefer hockey on smaller ice) simply does not. Outside of Canada, only Sweden and Finland show any interest in the World Cup, for the rest, it is off the radar (yes, I mean in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Russia, Germany, and of course the USA).

Second of all - where are we going to find 'amateurs' anyways? There are hardly any left in Europe and the ones here in North America are college kids...

Every other Olympic sport uses pros, so you want to make hockey the joke of the entire summer and winter olympic movement by reducing them to non-pros...

Seriously, think of the big picture (ie, the world)....