Re-Unite Slovakia and the Czechs

[Urbanskog]

Better yet, make it Austria-Hungary. While you're at it, let's bring back the First French Empire as well so we can group France, Germany and Switzerland together.

 

[Porvari]

Reuniting Finland with Russia would be a killer combo of skill and system.

 

[Urbanskog]

Reuniting Finland with Russia would be a killer combo of skill and system.

A Finnish-Russian team would likely perform worse than either team when separated.

 

[Porvari]

A Finnish-Russian team would likely perform worse than either team when separated.

Ehh I dunno. Send them to the sauna/banya for a weekend and they'd probably swear eternal friendship and loyalty by Saturday 2 am.

 

[golfortennis]

I will admit to being naive at the time about how the USSR, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia were really groupings of countries, and how things were not as rosy as some would like it to appear. But seeing how happy athletes were to compete for their own country even if it meant getting shellacked suggested there was a lot more below the surface.

The fact people want to ignore all of that in the name of "more entertaining" hockey is... well, a commentary on something.

 

[okayhockey]

I think the rest of the world is already catching up to Canada.
You just have to look at the number of NHL players.
Only the Czech Republic and Slovakia are getting weaker.

Percentage of NHL Players by Nationality ‑ 2019‑2020 Stats

Rk	Nationality	Players	GP	G	A	P	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

1		Canada	42.6%	42.9%	41.6%	42.1%	41.9%	48.4%	41.2%	37.9%	42.9%
2		United States	26.1%	26.7%	26.7%	26.9%	26.9%	26.9%	25.2%	25.1%	27.0%
3		Sweden	11.6%	11.3%	10.6%	11.5%	11.2%	8.7%	11.1%	12.8%	10.1%
4		Russia	5.2%	4.8%	6.2%	5.5%	5.8%	4.5%	7.9%	4.6%	5.6%
5		Finland	5.1%	4.5%	4.7%	4.5%	4.6%	3.2%	4.9%	7.7%	4.0%
6		Czech Republic	3.4%	3.9%	4.4%	3.8%	4.0%	3.1%	4.4%	5.1%	4.6%
7		Switzerland	1.5%	1.6%	1.6%	1.7%	1.7%	1.9%	1.8%	0.5%	1.2%
8		Slovakia	1.2%	1.0%	0.7%	0.8%	0.8%	1.4%	0.6%	0.5%	0.6%
9		Germany	0.9%	0.8%	1.0%	0.9%	0.9%	0.4%	1.3%	0.5%	1.3%
10		Denmark	0.9%	0.9%	1.1%	0.8%	0.9%	0.6%	0.6%	2.1%	1.1%
11		Latvia	0.5%	0.5%	0.3%	0.2%	0.3%	0.2%	0.0%	0.5%	0.4%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Percentage of NHL Players by Nationality ‑ 2009‑2010 Stats

1		Canada	53.5%	54.1%	52.3%	51.2%	51.6%	62.0%	50.2%	58.1%	51.3%
2		United States	22.0%	20.6%	19.3%	19.5%	19.4%	19.1%	19.1%	18.8%	19.9%
3		Sweden	5.6%	6.2%	6.7%	7.9%	7.5%	4.2%	7.8%	4.7%	7.6%
4		Czech Republic	5.0%	5.6%	5.8%	6.4%	6.2%	4.6%	6.4%	4.7%	5.6%
5		Finland	4.0%	4.1%	3.8%	3.9%	3.8%	2.9%	3.9%	4.7%	3.9%
6		Russia	3.5%	3.5%	5.2%	4.8%	4.9%	3.0%	5.5%	2.6%	4.8%
7		Slovakia	1.9%	1.8%	2.2%	1.9%	2.0%	1.3%	2.2%	3.7%	2.0%
8		Germany	0.8%	1.0%	1.1%	1.0%	1.0%	0.8%	0.9%	0.5%	0.9%
9		Denmark	0.6%	0.5%	0.5%	0.4%	0.5%	0.2%	0.1%	1.0%	0.5%
10		Switzerland	0.5%	0.3%	0.2%	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%	0.5%	0.0%	0.2%
11		Belarus	0.5%	0.4%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.2%	0.5%	0.5%	0.7%
12		Latvia	0.5%	0.4%	0.0%	0.2%	0.1%	0.6%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Percentage of NHL Players by Nationality ‑ 1999‑2000 Stats

1		Canada	57.1%	54.1%	49.5%	48.7%	49.0%	64.2%	49.8%	44.9%	49.9%
2		United States	16.3%	17.1%	16.7%	16.3%	16.5%	14.9%	15.4%	20.4%	15.6%
3		Russia	7.7%	7.8%	9.7%	9.6%	9.6%	5.8%	10.0%	10.6%	10.7%
4		Czech Republic	6.1%	6.8%	8.1%	9.0%	8.7%	5.7%	9.7%	4.2%	8.0%
5		Sweden	5.0%	6.3%	6.3%	7.1%	6.8%	3.6%	6.2%	9.3%	6.0%
6		Finland	2.8%	3.0%	2.8%	3.6%	3.3%	2.2%	2.8%	3.2%	3.1%
7		Slovakia	2.1%	2.2%	3.8%	3.3%	3.5%	1.5%	2.8%	4.6%	4.0%
8		Latvia	0.8%	0.7%	0.8%	0.5%	0.6%	0.4%	1.1%	0.0%	1.0%
9		Germany	0.7%	0.5%	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.2%	0.5%	1.9%	0.4%
10		Ukraine	0.3%	0.1%	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%	0.1%	0.2%	0.0%	0.1%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[okayhockey]

A foursome tournament,would be funny.

-North America (Canada,USA)

-Scandinavia (Finland,Sweden,Denmark, Norway)

-Ex Soviet Union (Russia,Latvia,Belarus,Kazakhstan)

-Central Europe (Czech Republic,Slovakia,Germany,Switzerland,France,Austria)

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

I am sure it has been discussed before and I'm sure it's a bad idea but, just for hockey, and to possibly turn the Big 5 into the Big 6, why not combine Slovakia and the Czechs?

With 33 NHL players in 2020, the Czech Republic is still a big hockey nation. Only it is the weakest of the 6. The Czechs are weak in defense but with Hamara, Jiricek and Svozil that will probably change.

By bringing the two nations together, the level of Czechoslovakia would not be much different from that of Czechia. On the other hand, that would make an average nation less.

In the coming years, Czechia and Slovakia will get closer to Sweden and Finland.

The Slovaks have a 2004/2005 generation worthy of a great nation. If there is continuity, there will again be 7 great nations as in the 2000s.

 

[Czechboy]

If there is continuity, there will again be 7 great nations as in the 2000s.

I'm hoping for 9...
Swiss and Germans continue to rise up .... Swiss best on best is quite a good team but no NHL goalie to my knowledge?
Czechs get a few D and a bonafide starter (we may have as many as 5 1B type goalies next season but no Vezina contender)
Slovakia's new generation kicks in (they had 11 guys in NHL last year and Dano was just waived, Sekere and Chara are near the end of their careers)

However, I think in 5 years it'll still be a Big 5. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Re-unite Pangea! It's our only chance against the hockey version of the Space Jam aliens.

 

[Elvs]

With 33 NHL players in 2020, the Czech Republic is still a big hockey nation. Only it is the weakest of the 6. The Czechs are weak in defense but with Hamara, Jiricek and Svozil that will probably change.

By bringing the two nations together, the level of Czechoslovakia would not be much different from that of Czechia. On the other hand, that would make an average nation less.

In the coming years, Czechia and Slovakia will get closer to Sweden and Finland.

The Slovaks have a 2004/2005 generation worthy of a great nation. If there is continuity, there will again be 7 great nations as in the 2000s.

I'm hopeful about Slovakias 15-16 year olds, but I don't expect them (or the Czech Republic) to ever reach their level of the late 90's and early-mid 2000's again. But that's fine. While there are fewer elite nations now compared to 15 years ago, there are more semi-competitive nations.

Many people seem to lump together every non-elite nation into the same trash can. Yet, in reality (or at least in my opinion), Italy beating Latvia in a best-on-best tournament would be a bigger upset than Latvia beating Sweden or Finland.

I would say there are currently 5-7 nations good enough to win an Olympic gold. Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden and Finland are the definite five. Then there's the Czech Republic and to a lesser extent Switzerland (they are lacking a decent NHL goaltender), who are both unlikely candidates, but not impossible winners.

Behind them, I would say there's an additional four nations who are good enough to upset one of the elite nations in a quarter final game. Germany, Slovakia, Denmark and Latvia are in this group. Again, they are unlikely candidates to do so, but it wouldn't be among sport history's biggest upsets if they managed to reach the semi-finals. They are all, on paper, stronger than Belarus were in 2002, for example.

If you run into a hot Grubauer/Greiss/Halak/Andersen/Merzlikins at the wrong time, and you're on the wrong side of some penalty calls, they have players who can score on the power play. After that, nerves will start to creep in and anything can happen.

I hope that Canada or USA will suffer this fate soon, so we will stop seeing these threads.

 

[slovakiasnextone]

I have no idea why people keep talking about the Czech's as if they aren't competitive. Their Olympic roster today would look something like:

Kubalik - Krejci - Pastrnak
Vrana - Hertl - Voracek
Palat - Faksa - Necas
Jaskin - Chytil - Kase

Kempny - Gudas
Simek - Hronek
Hajek - Rutta

Francouz
Mrazek
​

Yes, they are clearly the 6th ranked nation but still good enough to compete for medals, even gold medals if everything gels. The defence is a definite weak spot, but in a short tournament finding quick chemistry and playing good team defence is more important than being good individually.

Only Krejci is going to be older than 32 when the Olympics comes around in 2022. Meanwhile Kubalik and Kase are currently 25, Pastrnak and Vrana are 24, Hronek is 23, Hajek is 22 and Necas and Chytil are 21. In other words, this team is only going to be better when the Olympics start.

On paper, the Czechs are stronger than the Finnish team that managed to win bronze in 2014.

---

The Slovak's are a different story of course:

Tatar - Hudacek - Panik
Cehlarik - Hrivik - Lantosi
Jurco - Ruzicka - Studenic
Pospisil - Pospisil - Lunter

Sekera - Cernak
Chara - Fehervary
Marincin - Jaros

Halak
Godla
​

They are arguably better than the Czechs on defense, and could have equally good goaltending in Halak (but should he suck there's no solid backup). The main problem here is obviously the forwards, or lack there of. What is now their first and second line would at one point have been their third and fourth line.

By 2022, I hope Chara will be retired. I don't wanna see him on big ice at the age of 45. They have a good KHL defenseman in Michal Cajkovsky, and hopefully Cernak, Fehervary and Jaros continues to make progress before the Olympics start. Hopefully a couple of their young AHL forwards will also be NHL players by then.

Regardless, the Slovak's will be good enough to compete for a quarter final spot. From there, anything more would be an upset, but they are good enough to surprise in at least one game. You don't have to look any further than the 2019 World Championship, where they beat USA 4-1 and lost to Canada 5-6 (the game winner was scored with only two seconds remaining, ouch).

All in all, less than a handful of Slovakia's players would make the Czech Olympic team. So apart from the other obvious reasons why national team's shouldn't be mixed together (other than for fun HFboards fantasy teams). There's no reason to combine their rosters. Slovakia finally has some good prospects on the way, and should be stronger in 2026 and 2030.

---

Edit: I realize this thread is about the World Juniors, but it's all connected. The purpose of these U20 teams is to prepare them for the men's international stage, and for their RESPECTIVE national teams.

Now that you mention it's just about the WJC, that makes me want to unite with the Czechs even less. Do you know how many times they've made it beyond the QF in Last 15 years in the WJC? None IIRC. (Sorry, Czech brothers and sisters for taking that particular jab).

In the same time Slovakia has made it twice on our own. Do I wish we had made it more often? Yes. Do I wish we had less blowout losses over the years? Yes.

But would I take every single blowout to have as much fun as I did during bronze medal 2015 as I did? Hell yes, I would.

 

[ThatGuy22]

Reunite the Austria-Hungary empire so they can have Kopitar to.

 

[Oilslick941611]

I doubt they'd have enough puck poise.

and not enough moist chocolate cake

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Oy...

I really appreciate that no one is getting snotty.

If you're concerned about the snottiness of the responses, read up on the history involved here. It's a spectacularly bad idea.

Closed.