Well it worked for the olympics, they were also on a bigger ice sheet. But the problem all the nay sayers have is that once you take away the red line, new systems will come in, D-men will lag behind the play, the list goes on. The olympics just didnt give us a good look on how it would carry over to the NHL.
I go a little bit further back than 1972. Canada invented and exported the game of ice hockey.The Russians picked up many of their training principles from a Canadian,Lloyd Percival.The 1936 Great Britain Olympic champions were all Canadians drafted into the British team.Look at the scores in many of the early Olympic Games Championships.Remember that several Russian national teams were defeated by Canadian Amateur club sides at Worlds. "Arguably never were the dominant hockey nation?" Are you SERIOUS???!!! Do you realize how much credibility you lose with this remark?It's like saying England never were the dominant soccer nation.They are only one of the Big Six now,but Canada is the seminal hockey nation,full stop. Friesland,the Habs would pinch on the boards in the defensive end and get the turnover to hit a fast forward going through the neutral zone
Okay, I will concede the point about never being the dominant nation. But all I was trying to say is that Canadians can't expect to just go in and blow everyone off the ice. Apparently though, too many hockey fans north of the border, still think that way, and will look down on foreigners playing in the NHL even though Peter Forsberg is skating off with the scoring title.
I think it's a myth that Canadians all hate European hockey players. The rantings of one man on TV doesn't reflect much of the country. Or are y'all all like Rush Limbaugh? Frankly most I know who love the game, love the European influence. My dad cheers for the Russians over everyone because he likes their style better (this dates back to 72). Right now I get to watch a young Czech kid live every week and he's the most fabulously talented player I've seen since Petr Nedved at that age. He's a different player, but I think he's even better than Comrie was a few years ago. I have no idea how he'll survive in the NHL, but I have faith he's going to be a success. No one begrudges the kid for taking a canadian's spot, we're all thankful we have him. Most people in my generation view the 80s as the golden era of hockey and see the current game as a defensive travesty played by guys in 80 lbs of armour. When you grow up watching teams win 8-5. 1-0, 3OT playoff games seem a little dull if you're a neutral. I also don't know where you get the idea that Canadians think they're still the one true dominant hockey country is? We take pride in being the home of the sport and we'll argue that we're 'the true home of the game' or something, but I don't imagine you'll find too many people saying we're better than everyone and always have been. Sure we have two gold medals to talk some smack with for four years and our chests are puffed out a little more than usual, but just below the surface is a nation that is sure we're being passed by every country in the world and that our infrastructure is a mess. Whenever we don't win a major championship (except for the Worlds, ironically enough, but an Olympics, a world jr. or a World Cup) there is months of editorials about What Is Wrong With Canadian Hockey. One little set back and we're all doubting ourselvs again. Try as we might, we're just not an arrogant nation. For the guy that thought all hockey goals look the same and you can't follow the puck. I'm glad you don't get hockey. I don't think you deserve to. Back to your arguments about why Americans don't like hockey as much as the other American sports. Could it be because the other three are American sports (though a Canadian invented hoops in Mass, I still think it's an American-bred creation) and hockey isn't? cheers, hobbes
College plays without the two line pass rule, and many of those teams are on NHL-size sheets. Granted, it's a different level of play, but it ought to give some idea of how it might work.
Hobbes is such a classy kid. I had a blast on my honeymoon down in Mexico watching the Stanley Cup finals with a bunch of extremely cool Canucks. I had a navy USA Hockey shirt. An ex-Mountie from Saskatchewan (about 6'4") said, "How can you wear that shirt?" "I'm American for starters and we are the silver medalists, after all." We got hammered with those guys. Great time.