We're #1! We're #1! We're #1! Russia is not.

[Serb]

Canada, a nation of 35 million people, has defeated Russia in the Cold War

Excuse me?

[Kidlicious]

Russian women are weak.

If it weren't for the women Russia would really be screwed.

[Serb]

No, we'll see you in Sochi-2014. No one cares about the World Cup, as the good players cannot go.

Compare Team Canada at the Olympics vs the World Cup team from 2009. They're not even remotely similar. WC means nothing.

Compare Team Russia at the Olympics vs the World Cup team from 2009 and you see the same - they're not even remotely similar.
Still it's a big international competition.

[Asher]

Here was Canada's 2009 World Championship team:

Goalkeepers: Josh Harding (Minnesota), Dwayne Roloson (Edmonton).

Defencemen: Drew Doughty (Los Angeles), Dan Hamhuis (Nashville), Chris Phillips (Ottawa), Luke Schenn (Toronto), Shea Weber (Nashville), Ian White (Toronto).

Forwards: Colby Armstrong (Atlanta), Shane Doan (Phoenix), Mike Fisher (Ottawa), Dany Heatley (Ottawa), Shawn Horcoff (Edmonton), Matthew Lombardi (Phoenix), James Neal (Dallas), Derek Roy (Buffalo), Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay), Jason Spezza (Ottawa), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay), Scottie Upshall (Phoenix).

3 guys were on the Olympic team (bolded). What a meaningless competition that is...

Harding and Roloson aren't even NHL starters.

It's not a big international competition, Serb, no matter how much you try to pretend it is. It's barely even known here in Canada and we're as hockey-mad as you can get.

[Asher]

Let's put this in perspective.

2009 World Championship Game: 1.4M people in Canada watched at its peak (970,000 avg)..this was a record high audience, by the way.

2010 Olympic Championship Game: 26M people in Canada watched at its peak
2009/2010 World Jrs: 12.3M people in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada WEEKLY AVERAGE: 1.4M people. Can't find the peak.

The 2009 World Championship final got LESS viewers than your average NHL game on Saturday night (Florida vs Toronto, for instance).

No, it's not a big international competition. It's a meaningless event that players play in in the hopes that one day they may get selected to the Olympic team.

[Serb]

Here was Canada's 2009 World Championship team:

Goalkeepers: Josh Harding (Minnesota), Dwayne Roloson (Edmonton).

Defencemen: Drew Doughty (Los Angeles), Dan Hamhuis (Nashville), Chris Phillips (Ottawa), Luke Schenn (Toronto), Shea Weber (Nashville), Ian White (Toronto).

Forwards: Colby Armstrong (Atlanta), Shane Doan (Phoenix), Mike Fisher (Ottawa), Dany Heatley (Ottawa), Shawn Horcoff (Edmonton), Matthew Lombardi (Phoenix), James Neal (Dallas), Derek Roy (Buffalo), Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay), Jason Spezza (Ottawa), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay), Scottie Upshall (Phoenix).

3 guys were on the Olympic team (bolded). What a meaningless competition that is...

Harding and Roloson aren't even NHL starters.

It's not a big international competition, Serb, no matter how much you try to pretend it is. It's barely even known here in Canada and we're as hockey-mad as you can get.

And team Russia had who? Kovalchuk. Great.

[Asher]

Thanks for proving my point. The games don't mean anything. They're scrimmages.

[Serb]

Thanks for proving my point. The games don't mean anything. They're scrimmages.

They are not, Gog damn you. The fact that most of the best players from all teams are not there doesn't make the competition meaningless.
What other international tournaments do we have?
If NHL won't let its players to participate in the Olympics (as they keep threaten), then in accordance with your logic there will be NO worthy international contests at all.
Then how the **** we will find out which nation pwns everyone in our favorite sport?

[rah]

If the best players aren't involved, it may still be a competition but it's value is well diminished. (which neither can legitimately claim to be best)

And if the NHL does the stupid thing and keeps it's players out, yes, there will be NO worthy international contests in Hockey.

[Asher]

They are not, Gog damn you. The fact that most of the best players from all teams are not there doesn't make the competition meaningless.

Yes, it does.

What other international tournaments do we have?
If NHL won't let its players to participate in the Olympics (as they keep threaten), then in accordance with your logic there will be NO worthy international contests at all.
Then how the **** we will find out which nation pwns everyone in our favorite sport?

There's the World Cup of Hockey. Last one was in 2004, though.

The NHL will be in 2014. Bettman isn't as dumb as people think. He's using the NHL participation in the 2014 Olympics as a bargaining chip with the NHLPA. Their collective bargaining agreement comes up for renewal in 2012 and the NHLPA really, really wants to go.

[Kidlicious]

They are not, Gog damn you.

Asher got to someone.

[Asher]

Russia likes the IIHF World Championships because they're crapshoots. Random players go from each country. It's the only way they can win.

The best players never go because the IIHF brilliantly schedules the tournament during the NHL playoffs.

[Serb]

Russia likes the IIHF World Championships because they're crapshoots. Random players go from each country. It's the only way they can win.

I realize you gonna masturbate over this Olympic victory during the next four years, but remind you it was your first Olympic win over Russians for the last half of century.

The best players never go because the IIHF brilliantly schedules the tournament during the NHL playoffs.

IIHF brilliantly schedules the tournament right after the finish of hockey seasons in all other countries.
So the rest of the hockey world should wait for the end of playoffs in one single league? The IIHF should just say to Russians, Czechs, Finns, Swedes, Slovaks, Swiss and other guys: "hey people, it doesn't matter that your national championships are already over, let us all seat together on our precious as$es and wait a couple of months until the NHL playoffs are over".
Great. 25 years ago NHL was nowhere near to the commanding position it has now. They got it only after the fall of the USSR, after invasion of all those Russians, Czechs and Slovaks into NHL.

[Asher]

The NHL is not "one single league". It is THE league. The rest of the world are minor leagues at best.

[Serb]

It is the league of stinking money bags who do give a damn about anything but their revenues.