Scheifele and Hellebucyk both just signed long term as UFAs in Winnipeg
Draisaitl just signed with Edmonton
Huberdeau with Calgary. Same with Weegar
Like the entire Ottawa core
You’re wrong on this
Is it too hard to play in Canada?
- Thread starter Melrose Munch
- Start date
Draisaitl just signed with Edmonton
Huberdeau with Calgary. Same with Weegar
Like the entire Ottawa core
You’re wrong on this
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You think the Oilers face no pressure outside the rink? Canucks? Both have made the finals in the last 15 years
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He played top 6 minutes when he was in Florida. And 100% would have played top 6 minutes with Pittsburgh. Lars Eller and Michael bunting were among their top 6 forwards in TOI lol.
Fatass
Registered User
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Should these star players never leave their houses? These guys are recognized shopping, and dining out, and going for walks, and the list of everyday things goes on. And on those occasions when their out and about and not recognized the
of course clubs up here will be successful. Not all players mind the fishbowl. Some might even do better because of it. But for a lot of players, and imo this was what Tkatchuk was referring to by his comments, they prefer the anonymity.
You’re the one saying no one wants to play in Canada.
That blatantly false. If it were true, why are these guys signing long term rather than leaving as fast as possible?
What we have here is a failure to communicate.....
You're right, technically I'm wrong.
I was addressing specifically UFA coming to a Canadian team from an American team. But yes, players already here oftentimes do stay here.
When I read the OP, it was UFA from other American teams that I had immediately come to mind
Fair point but what makes me not factor him in is he is at the tail end of his career and his family is from Ottawa (if I'm not mistaken he owns a gym in Orleans). I always got the impression he just wanted to get the transition to retirement started early. I remember someone telling me he spent his off-season here even when with the Flyers (not sure how true it is)
Even by those parameters:
Debrusk
Lucic
Neal
Tanev
Kadri
Coleman
Myers
Marleau
Alzner
We’re all top 6 forwards or top 4D at the time of signing who left US based teams to sign in Canada.
Players of Tavares skill basically never become available through UFA
Golden_Jet
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- Sep 21, 2005
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you brought up Tavares going home, so I mentioned Giroux as well, who was 35 when signed.
Yes Giroux moved to Ottawa around age 12-13 . He doesn’t own a gym , he works out at Greco’s gym.
Every single one of those players were very notable UFA, usually top 2-3 available at their position, at the time of signing.Your standards and my standards of those categories differ.
Go through the lists yourself. You can’t find 3 or more better players at their position at the time of signingWe'll have to agree to disagree on that one.
Llewzaher
Registered User
Montreal is worst. Perhaps because of being a linguistic island they have a media that is quite different from the rest of NA- at least when it comes to coverage of the Canadiens. I've heard stories of photographers posing as doctors to sneak into the rooms of players to get a picture
rien
My french sucks.
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Your story might be true but the rest is horse-shit.
Also, every big sport market in the world is like this. The spotlight might shine too bright for some...
DiggerDan
Registered User
The concept that it is harder to play in Canadian markets compared to US ones is true, but is very similar to many other sports and many other markets (look no further than soccer/football).
Having said that, I think there is something to why US teams have had much more success for the last 3 decades. Personally I think that many US markets/ownership understands that if they do not produce a great product on the ice, they are going to have trouble selling tickets. The sunbelt teams, as an example, have done a better job of focusing on providing more modern facilities, a better culture for the players, and more.
I think Canadian teams will catch up, but they are behind.
Having said that, I think there is something to why US teams have had much more success for the last 3 decades. Personally I think that many US markets/ownership understands that if they do not produce a great product on the ice, they are going to have trouble selling tickets. The sunbelt teams, as an example, have done a better job of focusing on providing more modern facilities, a better culture for the players, and more.
I think Canadian teams will catch up, but they are behind.
A team like Winnipeg has been said by multiple players to be a first rate org with first rate facilities. That hasn't done anything to move the needle to be able to attract top players from outside the org to want play there. So I absolutely think market desirability does play a key role here. Sometimes being a top rate organization can't overcome market desirability.
Louie the Blue
Because it's a trap
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I don’t think any market has comparable issues to Winnipeg, though, in terms of desirability.
DiggerDan
Registered User
Yeah I'd agree with that. My points are generalizations. There are obviously other reasons that play into why players want to sign in specific markets - be it the climate, travel requirements, and much more.
No, every kid in Canada that plays hockey seriously grows up wanting to be a Toronto Maple Leaf, or Montreal Canadien (or any original 6 team) and playing on hockey night in Canada with your friends and family watching. This is the dream below the Stanley cup/olympic gold.
You want the fans, pressure, media, circus etc... you want to be "the guy" who scores to take the leafs to the cup etc..
Would be nice, but boring playing in warm places where it's a secondary entertainment.
You want the fans, pressure, media, circus etc... you want to be "the guy" who scores to take the leafs to the cup etc..
Would be nice, but boring playing in warm places where it's a secondary entertainment.
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I definitely wouldn’t call it an insane outlier…it’s hard to win the cup and there are several other teams trying to do it as well. It’s true a Cdn team hasn’t won in the last 32 years….7 Cdn teams…but there are also 9 US teams that haven’t won over that period of time either.
You speak as if all Canadians have the same personality. Sure, as kids that may be the dream but then they grow up into adults and some realize they have no desire to be a gold fish in a fish bowl.
If this is they dream of every Canadian kid, why aren't these Canadian kids signing with the Canadian markets? Why aren't all the Toronro players clamoring to get into a blue Leafs sweater, jumping ship from the team that drafted them into a Canadian team's jersey?
The only player who's done that is John Tavares. Claude Giroux waited until the tail end of his career to do
it.
Georges Laracque- a freaking goon- even made it clear that he had no desire to ever play for his "hometown" team, Les Habitants.
It seems that if they don't draft them, they can't get a meaningful, impact player.
