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When Will The USA Be The Country To Beat? (EDIT: Not just for WJHC)

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It's more than players, the coaches for Canada are on a higher level more than the players. I haven't checked but from the top of my head, I think there is only 2-3 American coaches in the NHL? I think it's going to take a while if ever.
 
I don't think we'll ever be THE country to beat, but I could see us being even with Canada in my lifetime.
 
TurdFerguson said:
The US needs far more rinks before it's close for development of new players. Canada has a higher number of indoor rinks, and FAR more outdoor rinks.

http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/countries/canada/
http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/countries/united-states/

Though of course the US can be the country to beat as soon as next year if players with duel citizenship decide to play for the US à la Brett Hull.
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Those numbers aren't exactly reliable. It says that Finland has 28 outdoor rinks although basically every sports field here serves as an outdoor rink during the winter.
 
Urbanskog said:
Those numbers aren't exactly reliable. It says that Finland has 28 outdoor rinks although basically every sports field here serves as an outdoor rink during the winter.
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I don't believe the outdoor numbers are reliable, I looked up a few sources and the outdoor numbers were all far off, for instance:
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1310879
I actually took the closest numbers I could find just to be conservative.
 
Claypool said:
If the best athletes in the United States grew up playing hockey the NHL would be made up entirely of US players. Everyone in the league would be 6'5, 230 pounds, and skate like the wind. It would be physically brutal sport to play in.
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most people that are 6'5 are too uncoordinated to play hockey. Hockey is much more of a skill sport (like soccer) rather than a pure athleticism sport (like football and basketball).
The average hockey player is 6'1 for a reason. (lower centre of mass is a big one, and smaller people are just generally more coordinated because they require less muscle memory)
 
Claypool said:
If the best athletes in the United States grew up playing hockey the NHL would be made up entirely of US players. Everyone in the league would be 6'5, 230 pounds, and skate like the wind. It would be physically brutal sport to play in.
Click to expand...

Mainly this, if the United States stressed to our athletes that the NHL was the route to go, within 20 years they would be a powerhouse.

However, the play here in the states is the teach your kid to shoot a basketball or throw a baseball (hopefully lefty!).

It all comes down to money, just like everything in this world. Baseball is America (Chase Headley is about to get 70 Million over 4 years, Geno got 76 over 8)
 
The best athletes still go to football, basketball, and baseball.

A few years ago, my nephew was 3rd string defensive back on his freshman high football team. He never got to play.

He quit and made the varsity hockey team as a freshman. He ended up a top 6 forward on the AA State Champion Flint Phantoms. Never would have made the varsity football or basketball teams, though.
 
TurdFerguson said:
The US needs far more rinks before it's close for development of new players. Canada has a higher number of indoor rinks, and FAR more outdoor rinks.

http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/countries/canada/
http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/countries/united-states/

Though of course the US can be the country to beat as soon as next year if players with duel citizenship decide to play for the US à la Brett Hull.
Click to expand...
Haha I wonder how they got those numbers. I find it extremely hard to believe there are only 500 outdoor rinks in the US.
 
snipetype said:
most people that are 6'5 are too uncoordinated to play hockey. Hockey is much more of a skill sport (like soccer) rather than a pure athleticism sport (like football and basketball).
The average hockey player is 6'1 for a reason. (lower centre of mass is a big one, and smaller people are just generally more coordinated because they require less muscle memory)
Click to expand...



They wouldn't be if they started at 5 yrs old.


I grew up on a lake in Michigan that was frozen four months out of the year, so hockey was pretty accessible for those months.

Other than that, trying to play hockey was a major pain in the ass, and ridiculously expensive.

Basketball is a million times more accessible. Even in the winter, I'd shovel the driveway and it was easier to get 4 on 4 bball than 4 on 4 hockey.
 
It will happen soon if Canada continues to make Hockey such an unrealistically expensive sport to play and equip. My last season of Midget hockey was $700 per player for registration alone. Completely ridiculous costs
 
For the record, I didn't create this in the World Junior forum and this was not intended to be strictly WJHC. I meant Olympics/World Cup but used the World Juniors as a measuring stick of what's to come kind of thing.
 
snipetype said:
most people that are 6'5 are too uncoordinated to play hockey. Hockey is much more of a skill sport (like soccer) rather than a pure athleticism sport (like football and basketball).
The average hockey player is 6'1 for a reason. (lower centre of mass is a big one, and smaller people are just generally more coordinated because they require less muscle memory)
Click to expand...

Not to go off topic, but I think this just has to do more with the distribution of height among males. There are many more people who are 6'1 than there are 6'5.
 
AD1066 said:
Never is a long time.

30 years ago the league was 76.5% Canadian.
20 years ago, 62.9% Canadian.
10 years ago, 54.4% Canadian.
Today, 50.9% Canadian.

The fact that it's still so high is a testament to how great you guys are at the sport though, I wish my country shared the same love of the game.
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Didn't have that statistic but that is definitely a good one that backs up my thoughts.

I just feel like Canada is on the way down and USA is on the way up in terms of young guys. My thoughts are probably a bit skewed because I follow the QMJHL(season ticket holder) and Quebec has definitely gone down hill when it comes to producing players(especially goalies) so it makes it seem worse and I watch every Pens game where I hear about the up and coming local talent like Saad and Gibson.
 
I think like many have said, in 25 years or so, I think you'll see the US pass Canada (Not that Canada will decline, but they're maxed out). The main things holding it back are accessibility, culture, and pay. Baseball viewership is on the decline, and I highly doubt they get as lucrative a tv contract as they just got, but it's still more accessible and cheaper for young kids than hockey.

When hockey can get a better foothold mainstream, I think you'll see a surge for the US.
 
I love the USA more than anything, but I just don't see it happening in my lifetime personally. Kids in the US just don't grow up with the same passion for hockey as kids in Canada do, and I don't see hockey overtaking football, baseball, and basketball. Canada is significantly ahead of the US right now. I think it will take longer than 25 years.
 
Penguins23 said:
For the record, I didn't create this in the World Junior forum and this was not intended to be strictly WJHC. I meant Olympics/World Cup but used the World Juniors as a measuring stick of what's to come kind of thing.
Click to expand...
In that case, I don't think it will ever happen. Culture and weather play too big of a part in developing players. If there was a huge shift in interest from basketball, football and baseball in the states to hockey then sure, but that's never going to happen. Scandinavian countries have a better chance of surpassing Canada than the States do, but no country really has a shot.
 
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