Olympic Hockey

[Young Grasshopper]

@Imperious:

I was gonna say. They ( US hockey team) needed Labron, just Labron vs. any other team. Labron James would easily win against any six man team. Durant would need a goalie.

Are you guys serious? Labron would get tattooed to the boards by Zedano Chara, and Durant would get Freight trained in open ice by David Clarkson. These guys get slapped on the arm and their crying for a foul, do you honestly think they have a chance taking a body check let alone standing on skates?

[Gargantua]

And the Yankee panky begins.

The bottom line is this… a country with 10 times the population of ours, picked thier best, and they lost.

Worse… they embarrassed their country instead of bringing home a medal in their last game.

Only America is to blame.  It’s a shame really.  Atleast Hoffman has the self respect to know what’s done is done.

[Imperious Leader]

The bottom line is this… a country with 10 times the population of ours

This is the logic you want to use? I guess China should have won more, USA won about 4 more medals than Canada in total. In the NHL the last Canadian team to win was in 1993. USA teams won every year since.

LMFAO

[Jermofoot]

@Gargantua:

And the Yankee panky begins.

The bottom line is this… a country with 10 times the population of ours, picked thier best, and they lost.

Worse… they embarrassed their country instead of bringing home a medal in their last game.

Only America is to blame.  It’s a shame really.  Atleast Hoffman has the self respect to know what’s done is done.

We’ll see you in the World Series, SuperBowl, NBA Finals, World Cup, Olympics '16,  Baseball Classic, Daytona, World Cheeseburger Classic, Monster Truck Rally Championship, MLG Championship, Little League World Series, etc., etc.

Oh wait, no we won’t!  :lol:

[LHoffman]

@Imperious:

In the NHL the last Canadian team to win was in 1993. USA teams won every year since.

While this may reflect on the management/ownership of Canadian teams, it doesn’t do anything to suggest that the US is somehow better…

The majority of players in the NHL (and on US based teams) are Canadian, a large amount of star players are Canadian, and a good deal of the management/coaching is Canadian.

Last 7 Stanley Cup winners:

Chicago - Joel Quenneville (coach), Canada; Jonathan Toews (captain,) Canada; Stan Bowman (GM), Canada.
Los Angeles - Darryl Sutter (coach) Canada; Dustin Brown (captain), USA; Dean Lombardi (GM), USA.
Boston - Claude Julien (coach) Canada; Zdeno Chara (captain), Slovakia; Peter Chiarelli (GM), Canada.
Chicago - Joel Quenneville (coach), Canada; Jonathan Toews (captain,) Canada; Stan Bowman (GM), Canada.
Pittsburgh - Dan Bylsma (coach), USA; Sidney Crosby (captain), Canada; Ray Shero (GM), USA.
Detroit - Mike Babcock (coach), Canada; Nicklas Lidstrom (captain), Sweden; Ken Holland (GM), Canada.
Anaheim - Randy Carlyle (coach), Canada; Scott Niedermayer (captain), Canada; Brian Burke (GM) USA.

That’s  6/7 coaches, 4/7 captains (6/7 of those captains are not Americans) and 4/7 GMs. Historically, even to 1993, I would say those percentages would be higher.

Just saying…

[LHoffman]

@Jermofoot:

We’ll see you in the World Series, SuperBowl, NBA Finals, World Cup, Olympics '16,  Baseball Classic, Daytona, World Cheeseburger Classic, Monster Truck Rally Championship, MLG Championship, Little League World Series, etc., etc.

Oh wait, no we won’t!   :lol:

Americans do very well at sports they have invented. And especially those that are based primarily here in the US. Real bragging rights (to me) are when you can take on the best in the world and win. Which is what the olympics are. Hockey is one of the few team sports that you can have a true world champion. It really depends on how widespread and popular the game is. Soccer: yes, Cricket: yes, Rugby: yes, Hockey: yes.

American football: definitely not. Basketball: perhaps, but it is laughable when the US plays anyone else. Baseball, maybe… NASCAR: only exists here.

[Gargantua]

Well said again LHoff.

And world cheeseburger classic?

[LHoffman]

@Gargantua:

Well said again LHoff.

And world cheeseburger classic?

Yeah, I was a little confused on that one… if Jermo means Americans getting fat, well I think we can beat most anyone there.  :wink:

[Jermofoot]

Canadians would also lose the World Annual Laugh Off while the jokes sail right over their heads…eh?

[LHoffman]

@Jermofoot:

Canadians would also lose the World Annual Laugh Off while the jokes sail right over their heads…eh?

Don’t pick on the poor Canada… it isn’t their fault that no matter what they do in the olympics, or sports in general, they are still CANADA at the end of the day.  :lol:

[Gargantua]

Whatever.

An American team will never again be able to win the grey cup.

Canadian teams will always be WORLD CHAMPIONS!

[LHoffman]

@Gargantua:

Canadian teams will always be WORLD CHAMPIONS!

That is such a dumb title for a regional sports championship, which is why I am glad the NHL does not call the Stanley Cup winners “World Champions”.

Calling NFL and MLB champions “World Champions” is a lot conceited and not accurate. Even if they are the best team in the world (because no other country plays the sport), no other country has a team in competition.

There are ways to justify the title, but they are pretty thin.

[Young Grasshopper]

@Gargantua:

Worse… they embarrassed their country instead of bringing home a medal in their last game.

Canada has done that as well.

[Gargantua]

@LHoffman:

@Gargantua:

Canadian teams will always be WORLD CHAMPIONS!

That is such a dumb title for a regional sports championship, which is why I am glad the NHL does not call the Stanley Cup winners “World Champions”.

Calling NFL and MLB champions “World Champions” is a lot conceited and not accurate. Even if they are the best team in the world (because no other country plays the sport), no other country has a team in competition.

There are ways to justify the title, but they are pretty thin.

I agree.  Hence the sarcasm.

[LHoffman]

@Gargantua:

I agree.  Hence the sarcasm.

Yeah, I read it that way… just letting my position be known.  :roll:

[Jermofoot]

@LHoffman:

@Gargantua:

Canadian teams will always be WORLD CHAMPIONS!

That is such a dumb title for a regional sports championship, which is why I am glad the NHL does not call the Stanley Cup winners “World Champions”.

Calling NFL and MLB champions “World Champions” is a lot conceited and not accurate. Even if they are the best team in the world (because no other country plays the sport), no other country has a team in competition.

There are ways to justify the title, but they are pretty thin.

Plenty of people countries participate in baseball (and basketball as well).  It’s not a US-centric sport as much as you would believe.

Also, the US has no need for the CFL, except for dumping our NFL washouts that can still play in a substandard league.  8-)

(In all honesty, I wish I could see more CFL games as I like the rule variations within it)

[LHoffman]

@Jermofoot:

Plenty of people countries participate in baseball (and basketball as well).  It’s not a US-centric sport as much as you would believe.

Yes, which I mentioned. And it’s why I said you might be able to have a world-baseball tournament. The MLB has at least a little more credibility in calling it the World Series/“World Champions” in that the MLB is the de facto league of the world and all the best players from South/Central America and Japan come to play in it. (You could say the same of the NHL, but there are plenty of other good players and leagues in the world which, I believe, need to be included to vie for some sort of world title.)

American football is essentially non-existent elsewhere in the world. CFL doesn’t count.

Basketball is more popular in Europe and Asia than we normally see, though nothing close to what it is here or the overall talent level of the players. Americans have generally dominated in olympic basketball, but it has been somewhat closer in recent years. (Since pros have been allowed to play in 1992, the USA has won the tournament 5/6 times and won bronze the time they didn’t win gold. Competing at the Olympics would qualify as a “World Championship”. I just don’t understand how you can apply that title within a regional league.

[MrMalachiCrunch]

Calling NFL and MLB champions “World Champions” is a lot conceited and not accurate. Even if they are the best team in the world (because no other country plays the sport), no other country has a team in competition.

True of the NFL but last time I checked the Toronto Blue Jays of MLB play in a different country that the US of A and in fact were World Champions twice.  Also much like American NHL champions, they were stocked with foreign players.  There is probably a higher % of Americans playing hockey than Canadians playing baseball or basketball, tho in basketballs case that is changing.

In any case……Silly Americans, Hockey is for Canadians…  for now!

[LHoffman]

@MrMalachiCrunch:

True of the NFL but last time I checked the Toronto Blue Jays of MLB play in a different country that the US of A and in fact were World Champions twice.  Also much like American NHL champions, they were stocked with foreign players.

Yes, and I was going to issue a disclaimer on that fact (and the Raptors), however, it does not matter in my regional argument. There is little more that is “world”-like about the MLB because they have one team in city 60 miles from the US border. It is still North America and the only example of an MLB team being anywhere but the United States.

Being stocked with foreign players (and arguably the best foreign players) does give some credibility to the MLB and NHL calling their champions “World Champions”, even though the NHL does not. I don’t follow the NBA, but it seems like they draw all the best foreign players too. Football, again, is another story. It is essentially only an American sport. If you look on an NFL roster, I would bet 99.999999% are American born.

[Jermofoot]

@LHoffman:

Yes, which I mentioned. And it’s why I said you might be able to have a world-baseball tournament. The MLB has at least a little more credibility in calling it the World Series/“World Champions” in that the MLB is the de facto league of the world and all the best players from South/Central America and Japan come to play in it. (You could say the same of the NHL, but there are plenty of other good players and leagues in the world which, I believe, need to be included to vie for some sort of world title.)

Malachi already addressed this, but I also already mentioned the World Baseball Classic.  Take a peak at the history of that, which is a testament to the international play of baseball (hint: US does not dominate it).

Basketball is more popular in Europe and Asia than we normally see, though nothing close to what it is here or the overall talent level of the players. Americans have generally dominated in olympic basketball, but it has been somewhat closer in recent years. (Since pros have been allowed to play in 1992, the USA has won the tournament 5/6 times and won bronze the time they didn’t win gold. Competing at the Olympics would qualify as a “World Championship”. I just don’t understand how you can apply that title within a regional league.

Argentina was the winner in that year USA did not take gold.  Manu Ginobili was on that team and plays on my favorite NBA team, the San Antonio Spurs.  One third of that team’s roster is international players (i.e. not from the US).  Looking over recent drafts are there is a considerable international presence.  Even the NBA’s “farm system” (NCAA) is involved.

The US leagues are considered the “Show”, however.  Watch Bull Durham to understand what I mean.