Who Would Each National Hockey Team's Equivalent be in Football/Soccer?

[Peiskos]

Not since the last World Cup in 2016. There hasn't been any reason to do so since hten.

I think the IIHF WC or "Skoda Cup" as its sometimes referred to around here is still a pretty entertaining tournament, yes the best players are often not there but it's still a good test for the depth of countries hockey programs. You can't deny that Canada's 2021 tournament wasn't exciting hockey, they started 0-3 and then went on to win gold for example.

 

[Czechboy]

I think the IIHF WC or "Skoda Cup" as its sometimes referred to around here is still a pretty entertaining tournament, yes the best players are often not there but it's still a good test for the depth of countries hockey programs. You can't deny that Canada's 2021 tournament wasn't exciting hockey, they started 0-3 and then went on to win gold for example.

or the 2015 team which was an all time great time!

It's flawed buy my fav tournament of the year (I'm an Oil fan so I have lots of free time in April)

 

[karhukissa]

Good thread, as a huge football fan i've been often thinking about this.

Canada - France. The most talented team and best on paper but it's a group of individuals. Sometimes talent is enough to win and sometimes not.

USA - Brazil. Entertaining, fast joga bonito. Almost as strong in paper as France. Can always win but can always end up being a total disaster.

Sweden - Spain. Great talent pool, plays well as a team and is always strong candidate for gold.

Finland - Italy. Both teams have the coaching and playstyle edge to stronger rosters and because of that can always win. Good talent but not as much as those three above.

Czech - Portugal. They come and go in waves, but at their worst they are still competitive. Sometimes can have extremely skillful batch of players.

Slovakia - Romania. Former great, has had a massive drought over the past few years but are reaching for another golden generation in the future.

Switzerland - Denmark. Can win any team but isn't consistent enough to be considered a real gold medal contender. Junior program has taken huge steps lately.

 

[Maestro84]

Italy has more world cups than Argentina.

Brazil - 5
Italy - 4
Germany - 4
Argentina - 3
France - 2
Uruguay - 2
Spain - 1
England - 1

You know I always forget Italy has won the WC that many times but I guess that's because it's been a while since they've even qualified for it. I can't really think of who Italy would be tbh, I got:

Canada = Brazil
Russia = Argentina
USA = France/England hybrid
Sweden = Germany/Netherlands hybrid
Czechia = Spain
Finland = Croatia/Belgium hybrid
Germany = USA
Slovakia = the underdog African team
Switzerland = Japan/Mexico hybrid

I thought about Italy and Finland but Finland doesn't nearly have as much historical success as Italy does in football.

 

[Peiskos]

You know I always forget Italy has won the WC that many times but I guess that's because it's been a while since they've even qualified for it. I can't really think of who Italy would be tbh, I got:

Canada = Brazil
Russia = Argentina
USA = France/England hybrid
Sweden = Germany/Netherlands hybrid
Czechia = Spain
Finland = Croatia/Belgium hybrid
Germany = USA
Slovakia = the underdog African team
Switzerland = Japan/Mexico hybrid

I thought about Italy and Finland but Finland doesn't nearly have as much historical success as Italy does in football.

Italy is the last champion of Europe with the Euro win in 2020, I guess Finland with its 2022 WC could be some sort of comparable.

 

[Lambo]

I thought about Italy and Finland but Finland doesn't nearly have as much historical success as Italy does in football.

It's not just about the historical comparison. Which is really, really, hard compared to football. But if we take the time after the fall of the USSR as a benchmark and only from the moment when Finland rose to become an ice hockey power. Therefore, a comparison with Italy would be very useful, including the way of playing.

 

[SwedishFire]

Canada - Brazil - the power house. New stars always comng up
USA - Italy?? or Argentina. So much talent, never a win.
Sweden - France. Good school, good hockey culture, always close to top.
Finland - Belgium, Always almost there. Edit: also always great goaltending.
Russia - Spain, golden offense. Close to never wins.
Czech - Germany. Theyre former powerhouse. There good, but always fall short to early.
Slovakia - USA. upsetters with som new talent.
Swiss - Netherlands. Great top players, not great depth. Never wins.
Germany - South Corea. Up n coming.
Denmark - Sweden. They got one superstar, some other star player and rest is a blend, can somtimes upset.

 

[Anton13]

Sweden=Germany
Germany=Sweden

 

[Czechboy]

Canada - Brazil - the poeer house. New stars always comng up
USA - Italy?? or Argentina. So much talent, never a win.
Sweden - France. Good school, good hockey culture, always close to top.
Finland - Belgium, Always almost there.
Russia - Spain, golden offense. Close to never wins.
Czech - Germany. Theyre former powerhouse. There good, but always fall short to early.
Slovakia - USA. upsetters with som new talent.
Swiss - Netherlands. Great top players, not great depth. Never wins.
Germany - South Corea. Up n coming.
Denmark - Sweden. They got one superstar, some other star player and rest is a blend, can somtimes upset.

This has been my fav so far!

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

Historically:

USSR - Brazil, because: beautiful skilled hockey way back when
Canada - Germany or perhaps the “Flying Magyar” Hungarian national team of the 1950s
Sweden - Netherlands (total football, nice and skilled and usually very competitive but ultimately falls short)
Russia - Côte d’Ivoire (Like y’know when they were the most fun national team to play in Fifa, with Yaya Touré and that fun, fast, deep and skilled trio of forwards? But then fails to win at the World Cup with those awesome players)
Finland - Ranging from Drillo Norway or 2004 Greece, to Italy
Czech Republic - Really liked @karhukissa likening them to Portugal. Jagr and Hasek were able to carry them kind of like Eusebio, Cristiano or Figo did, I guess.
Slovakia - Belgium perhaps, with their respective great generations that probably deserved better fates, but all things considered had their finer moments.
Switzerland - I’m thinking like, Poland, with Josi being Lewandowski, but the team overall having been quite competent for a while now.
Slovenia - Northern Ireland with Kopitar = George Best.
USA - Spain, maybe? They were always one of the hockey nations and had a great league, but their national teams rarely put it together until 2010/1996. Or like, Denmark, with the 1996 World Cup and 1992 Euros, or that fun 1986 team, and a pretty impressive side over the last few years that crumbled at the World Cup (like Team USA in Nagano, perhaps!)
Czechoslovakia - Czechoslovakia? Haha, I don’t know, maybe Netherlands again

 

[member 305909]

Except on the rare occasions when the USSR lost everybody else was happy. Never mind some beautiful way to play when with Brazil most others want them to win.

The two sports are too different in too many ways to have comparisons like this thread very meaningful.

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

Except on the rare occasions when the USSR lost everybody else was happy. Never mind some beautiful way to play when with Brazil most others want them to win.

The two sports are too different in too many ways to have comparisons like this thread very meaningful.

Half disagree. I think the Miracle on Ice is remembered fondly in Sweden because it was a great underdog story, and the same with the Czechoslovakian team that defeated the Soviets after their tanks ended the Prague Spring, but many at least in Sweden preferred the USSR’s eye-catching, skilled team game over what they perceived as dirty and violent Canadian hockey. Geopolitics and ideology didn’t seem to interfere that much with which type of hockey people preferred, but I think it’s understandable if many Finns for instance would feel hatred towards the Soviets.

 

[member 305909]

As a small country Finland punches above its weight in various fields as sports and politics.

However, hockey is not one of such a thing. At hockey Finland is not some plucky little country holding out against much bigger countries.

At hockey Finland has risen to the superpower-status over the past 30 years. We have the number of registered players about the same level as in the rival countries and the sport is taken very seriously and thus money spent on it by the country.

I would compare Finland at hockey with a similar size country, New Zealand, at rugby.

NZ is absolutely top elite of rugby. Is it often noted that NZ is a very small country when they beat much bigger countries like Australia or England?

Of course not. They are the elite of the sport like Finland with hockey.

Finland does relatively well at basketball which is a global sport but at soccer Finland has been woeful.

I don't know about NZ whether they are very good at anything else than rugby.

 

[Lartsaman]

You know I always forget Italy has won the WC that many times but I guess that's because it's been a while since they've even qualified for it. I can't really think of who Italy would be tbh, I got:

Canada = Brazil
Russia = Argentina
USA = France/England hybrid
Sweden = Germany/Netherlands hybrid
Czechia = Spain
Finland = Croatia/Belgium hybrid
Germany = USA
Slovakia = the underdog African team
Switzerland = Japan/Mexico hybrid

I thought about Italy and Finland but Finland doesn't nearly have as much historical success as Italy does in football.

This is by far the best outline here. I mostly agree but I would say Sweden is a Germany/Italy hybrid and Finland is equivalent to Netherlands.

 

[illone84]

This is by far the best outline here. I mostly agree but I would say Sweden is a Germany/Italy hybrid and Finland is equivalent to Netherlands.

Agree with this as well, but whoever said that Finland is like Belgium-huffing and puffing is probably too young or too dumb or both to remember that Finland has played in two best on best fInals. Thus, Finland is best compared to NL in this context.

 

[Lambo]

Agree with this as well, but whoever said that Finland is like Belgium-huffing and puffing is probably too young or too dumb or both to remember that Finland has played in two best on best fInals. Thus, Finland is best compared to NL in this context.

Well that fits too! But Finland would be more of a modified Netherlands that would be more constant. The Netherlands is not consistent enough in football. Finland is too stable in hockey tournament after tournament for that.

 

[Mathieukferland]

As a small country Finland punches above its weight in various fields as sports and politics.

However, hockey is not one of such a thing. At hockey Finland is not some plucky little country holding out against much bigger countries.

At hockey Finland has risen to the superpower-status over the past 30 years. We have the number of registered players about the same level as in the rival countries and the sport is taken very seriously and thus money spent on it by the country.

I would compare Finland at hockey with a similar size country, New Zealand, at rugby.

NZ is absolutely top elite of rugby. Is it often noted that NZ is a very small country when they beat much bigger countries like Australia or England?

Of course not. They are the elite of the sport like Finland with hockey.

Finland does relatively well at basketball which is a global sport but at soccer Finland has been woeful.

I don't know about NZ whether they are very good at anything else than rugby.

Better rugby comparison for Finland is Wales, seeing as it’s also a small country that has managed to win some tournaments (6 nations for wales, world championships for Finland) but has never won the biggest prize (wales has never won the rugby World Cup, and Finland has never won a best on best)

 

[Fjorden]

USA,,,England. Country with many great players that never win anything on senior level. Always chokes in Quarterfinal or semifinal

Russia: Brazil. Fantastic indivdualists, but not the best teamwork.

Canada: Germany. Robust team full of great players that often wins tournaments. A team that grows into the tournaments with the ability to tip close games into their favour.

Finland, Italy. Defensive minded team that conceed few goals, very structured but not full of stars.

Sweden,France: Always a solid deep team with some stars.

Czech: Netherlands. Great players now and then, but not as stable as the big5.

Slovakia, Belgium, A golden generation now and then, but not as stable as the teams above.

Switzerland: Switzerland. Solid team with few weaknesess, but not with the maximum capacity and the depth as the teams above.

Germany: Mexico. Almost always qualified and quite often in the quarterfinals Some stars like Draisaitl.

Denmark, Wales. Good team with some standouts now and then.

Latvia,. Denmark. Small country that do well. Good depth every year. Both lack really great offensive stars.

Norway, South Korea, Stable contender in the elite division, with few deep runs in tournaments. Almost always in the elite tournaments at senior level, but not a winning candidate.

 

[member 305909]

Better rugby comparison for Finland is Wales, seeing as it’s also a small country that has managed to win some tournaments (6 nations for wales, world championships for Finland) but has never won the biggest prize (wales has never won the rugby World Cup, and Finland has never won a best on best)

Perhaps you're right but rugby is a better comparison to hockey as it has about the same amount of competitive teams and a similar second tier and below the second tier really nothing.

Soccer is so much more widespread.

 

[Maestro84]

Well that fits too! But Finland would be more of a modified Netherlands that would be more constant. The Netherlands is not consistent enough in football. Finland is too stable in hockey tournament after tournament for that.

Consistency is actually a strength of Dutch, they just hardly win for whatever reason. Since 1974, they've made 3 finals at WC to go along with 1 bronze, 1 fourth place, and 2 QF appearances. At the Euros, they won once and made 3 semis. Finland could definitely become Netherlands eventually though but for now I think Croatia/Belgium is a closer comparison

 

[Lambo]

Consistency is actually a strength of Dutch, they just hardly win for whatever reason. Since 1974, they've made 3 finals at WC to go along with 1 bronze, 1 fourth place, and 2 QF appearances. At the Euros, they won once and made 3 semis. Finland could definitely become Netherlands eventually though but for now I think Croatia/Belgium is a closer comparison

The Netherlands did not qualify for a World Cup in 82, 86, 2002 and 2018. In addition, they were not at a European Championship in 64, 68, 72, 82 and 2018. Finland has always been involved in ice hockey and has won medals very often since '92. The comparison with Croatia and Belgium is not correct at all.

 

[member 305909]

Just goes to show how artificial it is to compare the two sports and the success-rate of various countries.

In hockey there are the same six countries over and over again. The only way a big team would miss a tournament is to be banned like a certain country currently.

In soccer a country can go far in a tournament and yet not even qualify for the next one.

In the world cup Argentina lost to Saudi-Arabia. That is the hockey equivalent of Canada losing to China except that is never going to happen.

 

[daver]

San Marino = Singapore

 

[Albatros]

Consistency is actually a strength of Dutch, they just hardly win for whatever reason. Since 1974, they've made 3 finals at WC to go along with 1 bronze, 1 fourth place, and 2 QF appearances. At the Euros, they won once and made 3 semis. Finland could definitely become Netherlands eventually though but for now I think Croatia/Belgium is a closer comparison

The Dutch commonly field a cacophony of 11 individuals in soccer as their major weakness whereas Finland deploys one concerted team in hockey as their major strength. Totaalvoetbal was 50 years ago.

 

[jcbio11]

Slovakia is Slovakia. Had some really good results in the past (hockey - 2002 World Champion, soccer - 2010 World Cup made the top 16) and has bright enough future in both sports.

Obviously our hockey results are visually much sexier, but taking into account soccer is the most competitive sport in the world and just qualifying for World Cup or EURO is difficult I'd say Slovakia is Slovakia.