He forget at least Portugal, Uruguay and Colombia. And you should definitely drop Slovakia and Switzerland, because it wouldn't happen on Olympic level in next twenty years at least. Czech, Russia and Finland is also very questionable. Czech and Russia have very long way to rebuild their hockey and Finland... No offense, but Finland have very little resources for future improvements.
Well population size is an inhibiting factor, yes, but little resources other than that? No. Lots of rink, outdoor ice in winter, national sport, kids fed a diet of ice hockey is the greatest team sport, Kärpät winning, Lions doing well..
I don't care about medals. Your chances to win against Canada in Olympic playoff are almost nonexistent. And Turin was probably the best chance for Finland for many decades ahead. It could never happen anymore.
And as I've said I've mean no offense, Finland is very good team, but they are already overachieving and difference in level with Canada is too big to overcome. Finland have no resources for that.
Here is where I take you up and say you are wrong.
when Kurri and Tikkanen retired people said we were done, Koivu, Lehtinen and Selänne took the baton and kept us at the top - the one odd medal now and then has turned into a stream of yearly medals both WC and Olympic, the brightest has been missing as we have never been quite good enough (Save Torino - we were the best but had bad luck) now the Selänne, Koivu generation are gone and we have a gap year so folks like you are assuming we will sink like Slovakia..
Except now we are building from the net out, Määttä, Vatanen, Lindell, Lindbohm, Ristolainen, Jokipakka, Pokka - man, we are about to have a defence better than anything we have ever had!
Laine, Puljujärvi - there's our new Koivu Selänne super duo - so we will probably be at least as good as before.
But behind them there's even more good stuff coming, I am sure of it.
I've been working with kids for a few years now, 7-12 year olds. There's easily a team full of NHL potential players there, how many will continue all the way as they grow up - who know's, but the talent.. Man the talent is there.
If there is one thing that Finnish hockey has succeeded in, and is an example for other nations, it's in growing from the youth and improving the men's team one by one. 1988 was our first medal. Since then we have started to medal every time, both WC and best on best.
If another country can emulate that - then there is no reason why Switzerland or Germany wouldn't be able to join the top nations at the table and saying best on best Let's go..
Our pipeline for hot prospects is imo right up there
In soccer that same thing is happening in the US, USA 2014 was light years better than the team from 1994 and if Africa ever gets its act together, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana will be neck and neck with Brazil and co.
Relax. I was joking. Your complete ignorance about football is evident to everyone. And it makes it much more funny to read your obnoxious and arrogant posts about it. You'd said that you find football boring, fine, we get it, there are no reason to repeat it ten times, because it wouldn't make it any more relevant. It still would be only your opinion. Quite ignorant opinion.
) and they won't be contenders in 10 years, because that would be noticable at the U16-U18 stage. Contend with Sui/Svk/Cze maybe for second tier, but for title contenders, zero chance!
