Germany has so few hockey players that the ones playing it must be quite enthusiastic about the sport in general which might be why they sticked with it.
Next country to have a couple of golden years?
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Germany has so few hockey players that the ones playing it must be quite enthusiastic about the sport in general which might be why they sticked with it.
Finland is all hockey all the time
Russia is general regional and specialized. Kids who play hockey have been in hockey school since they were 5.
There are only a handful of hockey schools in Russia where kids under the age of 9 or 10 receive full developmental opportunities. In terms of hockey infrastructure, Russia still lags behind Sweden and Finland on a per capita basis, and of course far below Canada.
Still, I think that the next country to break through and challenge for supremacy is Russia. In relative terms, only about 7 to 8% of kids with talent are discovered and developed, in comparison to near 100% for the other major powers (Canada, the US, Sweden and Finland). There are new pro and junior leagues springing up, there is enhanced interest with events like the WHC, and there is unlimited potential for growth, which makes Russia unique in that respect. A big element is the fact that kids in nearly all parts of Russia can skate outside during the winter, and I think that's a huge factor in producing good hockey players.
DoubleGold
X2
canswetoxic
Registered User
i heard Finland takes world sauna championship quite serious as well
This is off topic, but it's worth to mention that that last championship is now forever dedicated to Russian "sportsman" who died in that tournament. Finnish winner got severe burns all around his body barely surviving. Russian's have traditionally hotter saunas for 'training' then Finns, but whole "sport" came to it's end when all realized that Sauna is not arena for any kind competition.
No Sarcasm here.
ADD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfkHWJEGqUE / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8642tag4o8I
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Smeagoal
Registered User
Gotta give some love to Team USA in the future, I see them either winning gold or a medal for sure next Olympics.
Yepp who am i trying to fool saying Football is the number one sport in Sweden on a hockey forum
It seems doubtful.
Aho, Juolevi, Pujularvi and Laine are nice but that kind of talent is routine for Canada to produce year after year.
McDavid, Marner, Ekblad, Reinhart, Bennett, Fabbri all from the last 3 drafts and more impressive than the Finnish list and the past 2 drafts is as strong as ever for FInland.
Even including Barkov in their list of young guys and we have McKinnon and Monahan from the same draft to match him.
Anything can happen of course but it seems unlikely.
DoubleGold
X2
No. Finland has an amazing output of players currently per capita. I'm sure that Finland is going to win some gold medals in the coming years, but Finland simply can't challenge Canada's hegemony due to the vast difference in the amount of registered players. The only country that could pull that off is Russia, but they are a mess - I see so much potential gone to waste.
Yepp who am i trying to fool saying Football is the number one sport in Sweden on a hockey forum
Ok, I thought you tried to fool us that when Sweden won the u21 in football it was much much bigger thing than it was when we won olympics in hockey.
No punchline on such a joke.
I use the statistics published on the IIHF website for number of players, number of indoor rinks, and compare that to the population of the countries. For example, Finland has a little more than 4% of the population of Russia, and yet has 58% of the total number of rinks that exist in Russia. Those numbers alone show that Finland has a huge numerical advantage over Russia in producing players. Obviously, Canada's numbers are vastly beyond that.
It's funny how people take for granted that half the first round is always Canadian. Sure elite Finns Americans and swedes what not pop up each year, but it's as if everyone is just accustomed to Canadian players being drafted that they forget it means they have a hundred elite players.
You look at how more Americans are becoming dominant players and more are getting drafted in the first round and with higher picks and have to think they are on the upswing hockey-wise. Decades of Bettman pumping the NHL into places that never gave a **** about hockey is actually starting to payoff, as much as I hate to admit it. With 10x the population of Canada, it's just a matter of time til they become a powerhouse imo.
I also read in a few places that canadian hockey is starting to suffer because of the costs and injuries associated with minor hockey. Not that it is a dying sport, just that more parents are opting for things like soccer (GAH!!) or baseball for a variey of reasons.
Finland, Sweden and Russia will always be strong contenders, as will Canada. But as far as teams on the rise, I'd say 'murica.
I also read in a few places that canadian hockey is starting to suffer because of the costs and injuries associated with minor hockey. Not that it is a dying sport, just that more parents are opting for things like soccer (GAH!!) or baseball for a variey of reasons.
Finland, Sweden and Russia will always be strong contenders, as will Canada. But as far as teams on the rise, I'd say 'murica.
JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
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That doesn't explain where those percentages came from. How exactly can you know that Russia only gets perhaps 8% of the talented Russian kids, but other countries are magically getting 100%?
Throwing the US into that pot is absolutely absurd. The US has 600 less rinks (20% less) than Russia, and a population 126% larger than Russia's. In addition to this, the most athletic demographics in America are not exposed to hockey. There is no way Hockey in the US is more maxed than hockey in Russia.
Half the first round is an exaggeration. Besides, Canadians are poorly represented this year and even Chychrun is actually from Florida.
DoubleGold
X2
The athletic demographic thing is a fallacy. People try to use it as an excuse for soccer but It's just as wrong.
