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Is it safe to say that USA-Canada is now the biggest rivalry in international hockey?

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Is it safe to say that USA-Canada is now the biggest rivalry in international hockey?

  • Yes, it is firmly the biggest rivalry in international hockey

    Votes: 145 86.3%

  • No, it is still behind Canada-Russia and/or Sweden-Finland

    Votes: 23 13.7%
  • Total voters
    168
Maestro84 said:
I always thought of Canada vs Russia or Sweden vs Finland as the biggest hockey international rivalries as those two matchups go way back with another.

Canada and Russia are by far the two most successful hockey nations in history and their matchups have always given us some of the best hockey matchups we've ever seen for the last 60 years. With Sweden and Finland, they're both hockey passionate Nordic nations who have a regional rivalry spanning over the past millennia that transcends the sport itself. While the US was always there, they didn't truly become a contender in ice hockey until the 1990s

However, it seems like the USA-Canada matchup is now firmly #1...would you say this is a general consensus? And if so, when would you say this became the biggest rivalry?
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Yes and it's not even really close if one stops to think about it.
 
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There aren't that many rivalries in hockey when you think about it so there isn't much to choose from. Not enough countries that play at the top. Canada-USA, Canada-Russia are the obvious ones with the former now taking over the latter in importance in ways both on and off the ice. Canada and Finland have played each other a lot lately but definitely nothing constituting a rivalry.

Finland-Sweden is still a big one and I suppose Czechia-Slovakia probably still gets the nations pretty heated. After that I'm not sure if any others even exist? Switzerland-Sweden maybe to a tiny degree?
 
Russia-USA would be better. Cold war history and present day politics as a backdrop makes it more interesting.
 
they are the only true super teams on international stage right now. No disrespect to the other nations as their still capable of winning a short tournament as any team can win and lose one game but Canada and USA talent is just in its own tier.
 
It's still Canada and Russia that's the biggest rivalry. Figure it out...

BB79 said:
Russia-USA would be better. Cold war history and present day politics as a backdrop makes it more interesting.
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Yeah I mean problem now is America is best friends with Russia so that whole backstory is gone.

You can even make a case the Americans played a proxy match for Russia today Vs Canada.
 
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In terms of audience, quality of competition and media spectacle I think so.

In terms of how pissed a Finn is when they lose to Sweden vs an American losing against Canada, I don't know? How angry are you?
 
I don't think the Russian team is as deep as the US.

US-Canada rivalry is just insane from a talent perspective. The guys in the press box are 2nd and 3rd liners at worst on all other teams.
 
Pavel10 said:
It's still Canada and Russia that's the biggest rivalry. Figure it out...


Yeah I mean problem now is America is best friends with Russia so that whole backstory is gone.

You can even make a case the Americans played a proxy match for Russia today Vs Canada.
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LOL what planet are you living on?
 
Mattb124 said:
USA and Canada now contribute ~70% of players in the NHL. Not sure there is room for any other countries for the “biggest rivalry”.
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Canada vs USA is certainly the most powerhouse matchup, that's undeniable, rest is semantics is suppose.
 
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I can't wait for a canadian football team to be the best american footballers! Crazy how much the skill gap has closed between Canada's main sport and America's fourth. I am sure future world leader and comrade Trudeau will tell everyone how proud he is of these Canadians for booing the Americans, losing the fights , and barely beating usa in at OT thriller in Canada's main sport compared to the United State's 4th/5th most watched sport. USA won the fights , won the goal differential, and had a ot Loss in the final in a sport that is not their top 3 sport versus the country where hockey is the only sport that matters to them.
 
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Sweden VS Finland could NEVER be the #1 hockey rivalry, if it doesn't in Canada it can't be the #1 hockey rivalry.

But yes now that Russia has been eliminated from competition until whenever they aren't it is now clealy Canada VS USA.

Russia will have to establish itself again.

EmptyNetAssassin said:
I can't wait for a canadian football team to be the best american footballers! Crazy how much the skill gap has closed between Canada's main sport and America's fourth. I am sure future world leader and comrade Trudeau will tell everyone how proud he is of these Canadians for booing the Americans, losing the fights , and barely beating usa in at OT thriller in Canada's main sport compared to the United State's 4th/5th most watched sport. USA won the fights , won the goal differential, and had a ot Loss in the final in a sport that is not their top 3 sport versus the country where hockey is the only sport that matters to them.
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You hold on to those won fights, and you didn't even win all those, but you hold on to those because It's all you got.
 
LEAFANFORLIFE23 said:
Sweden VS Finland could NEVER be the #1 hockey rivalry, if it doesn't in Canada it can't be the #1 hockey rivalry.

But yes now that Russia has been eliminated from competition until whenever they aren't it is now clealy Canada VS USA.

Russia will have to establish itself again.



You hold on to those won fights, and you didn't even win all those, but you hold on to those because It's all you got.
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When was the last time Russia was relevant in a best in best? 20 years ago?
 
It has been since 2010 imo. In that year Canada were stunned by the 5-3 loss to Ryan Miller's team, and then the epic Golden Goal OT game that sealed it. Before Russia was banned they kinda took a step back, and other Euro teams just don't have the swagger that USA brings. If last night's game ended up being Finland vs USA or Sweden vs USA, would anyone have cared? No, it is Canada vs USA. It was inevitable. Fate would not allow anything else.
 
EmptyNetAssassin said:
I can't wait for a canadian football team to be the best american footballers! Crazy how much the skill gap has closed between Canada's main sport and America's fourth. I am sure future world leader and comrade Trudeau will tell everyone how proud he is of these Canadians for booing the Americans, losing the fights , and barely beating usa in at OT thriller in Canada's main sport compared to the United State's 4th/5th most watched sport. USA won the fights , won the goal differential, and had a ot Loss in the final in a sport that is not their top 3 sport versus the country where hockey is the only sport that matters to them.
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Hockey is the third most played sport in Canada at the under 18 level after soccer and basketball , try again. Literally only rich kids play it , our rich kids are better than your rich kids its ok
 
EmptyNetAssassin said:
I can't wait for a canadian football team to be the best american footballers! Crazy how much the skill gap has closed between Canada's main sport and America's fourth. I am sure future world leader and comrade Trudeau will tell everyone how proud he is of these Canadians for booing the Americans, losing the fights , and barely beating usa in at OT thriller in Canada's main sport compared to the United State's 4th/5th most watched sport. USA won the fights , won the goal differential, and had a ot Loss in the final in a sport that is not their top 3 sport versus the country where hockey is the only sport that matters to them.
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They won the goal differential? Amazing :laugh:
 
LEAFANFORLIFE23 said:
Sweden VS Finland could NEVER be the #1 hockey rivalry, if it doesn't in Canada it can't be the #1 hockey rivalry.

But yes now that Russia has been eliminated from competition until whenever they aren't it is now clealy Canada VS USA.

Russia will have to establish itself again.



You hold on to those won fights, and you didn't even win all those, but you hold on to those because It's all you got.
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My team has 3 cups in last 25 years? How many cups does the maple.leafs and all of Canada have this millennium?
 
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