Toggle sidebar

Olympics: What does your nations roster look like if NHLers don't go?

  • Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
BMann said:
Again in your opinion. No one really cares for ? Many of the team sports are of the highest quality from handball to basketball. Nations celebrate their Olympians with acclaim especially the multiple medal winners. With your arguments why even have the Winter Olympics ? Most of the sports are very restricted given that many require certain climate conditions to have flourished initially and that includes ice hockey. Again many football nations take the Olympics seriously and some of the most renowned.
Click to expand...

Handball is the best thing with the Summer Olympics (except for Track and field) because the best teams are there with the best players. Total opposite of the Olympic football (and for example hockey world championship). But I agree it's my opinion at least.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hidek91 and Eye of Ra
Silky Johnson said:
I said "contributes" to answering these questions. And of course it does. Maybe not completely but certainly a contribution.

I will stipulate that it matters to some people. I just take issue with the prestige that some people automatically give it. For many years it was used as a propaganda tool for communist block countries who unfairly used professionals while others could not. It was good for a the five best on best versions but I don't think that is enough to clean up its ugly past. Without NHL and AHL players it is a third tier tournament at best
Click to expand...
The entire world used pros when they could, Germany sure did. I'm not sure why they singled out the NHL.
The prestige simply comes from it being the Olympics. Me personally, Who is there means little to me. I'd like the NHLers to be there because they are athletes who worked for it all their lifes.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Crosscrease14, Edenjung and Czechboy
Eisen said:
The entire world used pros when they could, Germany sure did. I'm not sure why they singled out the NHL.
Click to expand...

No professionals were allowed to participate in the Olympics at all prior to 1986. Different sports took varying amounts of time get their professionals in.

The communist block countries got away with it because they were "amateurs" who were paid for something else (Red Army) and just happened to do nothing but play hockey.

It took a while for the NHL and IIHF to come to the first agreement to pause the season during the Olympics.
 
Eisen said:
The entire world used pros when they could, Germany sure did. I'm not sure why they singled out the NHL.
The prestige simply comes from it being the Olympics. Me personally, 2ho is there means little to me. I'd like the NHLers to be there because they are athletes who worked for it all their lifes.
Click to expand...

To each there own. I have always disliked the Olympics for the politics, cheating with steroids, cheating with judging, boycotts and undeserving hosts.

I have worked (I am a senior executive in live event production) on 4 different Olympics and can tell you that the IOC is a difficult, arrogant and at times corrupt (I am only talking about proven allegations) organisation. Being there and seeing how the sausage was made relieved me of any respect I had for them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ManofSteel55, greatwhitenorth, Edenjung and 1 other person
Silky Johnson said:
No professionals were allowed to participate in the Olympics at all prior to 1986. Different sports took varying amounts of time get their professionals in.

The communist block countries got away with it because they were "amateurs" who were paid for something else (Red Army) and just happened to do nothing but play hockey.

It took a while for the NHL and IIHF to come to the first agreement to pause the season during the Olympics.
Click to expand...
As far as I know, athlete-soldiers were first present in either 1912 or 1908, not to the degree that is common today, but still.
 
Isn't it the case, for example, that the German biathletes are mainly employed by the border police - in Italy, too, most of them are employed by the police/army? The statement that only amateurs were allowed to participate is simply not true, or amateur is confused with popular sport, because no one who competes in an Olympic sport at world level can afford to work properly (at most a small part-time job)
 
Atas2000 said:
If Podkolzin was still in the KHL he would not have made the team maybe.
Click to expand...

Took a pill in Sbisa said:
Podkozlin is really the second name you think of when talking about the best Russians in the NHL?
Click to expand...

it was more of a joke like when I said Benning would be GM of the year, Podkolzin will win the Calder, and JT Miller will win the art ross.

Jokes aside, I think the best Russians are in the NHL, such as Ovehckin, Malkin, Panarin, Tarasenko, Kaprizov, Kuznetzov, Svechnikov. I do think there might be some sleepers in the KHL we haven't heard of. I think the Russians now are the favorites to win gold.
 
Eisen said:
As far as I know, athlete-soldiers were first present in either 1912 or 1908, not to the degree that is common today, but still.
Click to expand...

General George S. Patton competed in the modern pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics as an active soldier.

The difference is that he, like intended, was an actual soldier who was competing as a secondary part of his service. This is very different then taking all your best players and making them soldiers so they can be paid to play hockey full time
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eisen
lawrence said:
it was more of a joke like when I said Benning would be GM of the year, Podkolzin will win the Calder, and JT Miller will win the art ross.

Jokes aside, I think the best Russians are in the NHL, such as Ovehckin, Malkin, Panarin, Tarasenko, Kaprizov, Kuznetzov, Svechnikov. I do think there might be some sleepers in the KHL we haven't heard of. I think the Russians now are the favorites to win gold.
Click to expand...
The real reason for the strength of that russian squad may be the returnees like Gusev who is at this point back to his former self in the KHL.

Breakout guys like Rashevskiy or Tertyshniy I am not so sure about.
 
Silky Johnson said:
General George S. Patton competed in the modern pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics as an active soldier.

The difference is that he, like intended, was an actual soldier who was competing as a secondary part of his service. This is very different then taking all your best players and making them soldiers so they can be paid to play hockey full time
Click to expand...
I just googled it. A big part of the Swedish team was employed as soldiers for half a year before the games started in 1912. That's pretty much it for amateurs. They were paid to train.
 
Eisen said:
I just googled it. A big part of the Swedish team was employed as soldiers for half a year before the games started in 1912. That's pretty much it for amateurs. They were paid to train.
Click to expand...

Ok, so some countries were flaunting the amateur rules for longer.

Do you think the Red Army team was not a blatant end around the amateur status rules? Were any of the players in the military prior to being identified as (potencual) hockey stars?
 
Last edited:
Patrik Barkov said:
You think the AHL is the second best league in the world? :D
Click to expand...
this is the widespread opinion among many north american hockey fans. the results of the rochester amercans at the spengler cup 2013 don't really support this theory but then again the usual excuses are brought up like bigger rink and not important competition. i think it's easier to let them live their dogma
 
  • Like
Reactions: BlizzardSloth
swissdude said:
this is the widespread opinion among many north american hockey fans. the results of the rochester amercans at the spengler cup 2013 don't really support this theory but then again the usual excuses are brought up like bigger rink and not important competition. i think it's easier to let them live their dogma
Click to expand...
Many North Americans also have tunnel vision. But we also know that e.g. Canadian or US AHL team would not have a chance at an IIHF World Championship. At least not for a medal (it's even difficult with NHL players, especially for the US). But I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the K.O. Would reach round.
 
Silky Johnson said:
Actually, yes the hockey world does revolve around the NHL and North America. All the best players play in the NHL because it is by far the largest hockey market and has way more money moving around. 2/3 of all registered players play there and the majority of fans and fan revenue are there. Look at how much more profitable IIHF events are when they happen in NA even though they are second tier to the NHL. Same as Europe (UEFA) is the centre of the Football world only more pronounced.

Players aren't taken from their clubs for a pittance, they are offered better contracts to play in the best and most important hockey league in the world and they ALL take them if they can.

Even outliers like Ovechkin, who could make as much money in Russia while being able to play in the Olympics, don't leave. He stays in the NHL to break records because that will be his real legacy, being one of the best of the best.

I'm sure the players who win the medals are very happy to get them but I doubt they believe they have proved they are the best by winning them.

Olympic hockey is third tier without NHLers and even with them they are still behind the NHL in terms of importance. The fans and players have already voted on this - with their wallets.
Click to expand...

The players if they could would go. And tell the clubs in the KHL, Elitserien, SM-Liiga or Extraliga and also coming up fast the DEL how much they get for developing youngsters who they barely see play for the sides that develop them. With each post you make your narrow mindedness shines clearly more and more. You're not Don Cherry are you ?
 
BMann said:
The players if they could would go. And tell the clubs in the KHL, Elitserien, SM-Liiga or Extraliga and also coming up fast the DEL how much they get for developing youngsters who they barely see play for the sides that develop them. With each post you make your narrow mindedness shines clearly more and more. You're not Don Cherry are you ?
Click to expand...

Ad hominem attacks usually start when you run out of good arguments.

I don't consider myself closed minded. I currently live in the Middle East, have lived in Europe and North America. Speak three languages and am very well educated.

I just see it how it is. Regardless of how you want it to be, the NHL and NA dominate hockey by all three important metrics, number of fans, fan revenue and number of players. Its just reality.

I think the NHL, NHLPA and the Euro leagues should cooperate to make a properly constructed World Cup of Hockey. I don't think that the Olympics mean much without the best players in the world.

I am also a capitalist. I think the players have the right to go where they make the most money and I don't really care if other leagues paid for their development. You can't own the players...

If all the best players played in the DEL I would be watching alot more of those games and a lot less NHL.
 
Last edited:
Silky Johnson said:
Ad hominem attacks usually start when you run out of good arguments.

I don't consider myself closed minded. I currently live in the middle east, have lived in Europe and North America. Speak three languages and am very well educated.

I just see it how it is. Regardless of how you want it to be, the NHL and NA dominate hockey by all three important metrics, number of fans, fan revenue and number of players. Its just reality.

I think the NHL, NHLPA and the Euro leagues should cooperate to make a properly constructed World Cup of Hockey. I don't think that the Olympics mean much without the best players in the world.

I am also a capitalist. I think the players have the right to go where they make the most money and I don't really care if other leagues paid for their development. You can't own the players...

If all the best players played in the DEL I would be watching alot more of those games and a lot less NHL.
Click to expand...
"the current model of capitalism has run its course"
 
Silky Johnson said:
I am also a capitalist. I think the players have the right to go where they make the most money and I don't really care if other leagues paid for their development. You can't own the players...
.
Click to expand...
no offense but player develpment is costly. How on earth would you protect your investment? To your logic the european clubs had to make the kids pay for the development which even less than now could afford
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom