Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
You're making quite a few assumptions about very different people.
Some hockey players probably prioritize warmth and travel. But some are just as likely to prioritize playing in front of hockey fans and a chance at the cup. Some are going to prioritize playing where their kids and wives would rather live.
Different atheletes sign in different cities for different reasons. Many of them have different priorities and priorities can be quite different for single vs married players.
You seem to outright dismiss or not factor in many of the reasons why Vancouver was ranked so highly, reasons like education (for their kids) lack of crime compared to large urban American centers. If a player's wife values feeling safe do you think she'd rather live in LA or Vancouver/Calgary? Vancouver is a beautiful city in its own right and very close to the ocean and mountains and skiing/yachting/boating/etc.
Bottom line is you can't really generalize like you've done. Different players will have different priorities. And growing in up Europe, Canada or the US will affect their prejudices and ideas about what are the most ideal cities and climates to play in. The Sedins could've bolted from Vancouver to a hotter American city but they didn't. Many players sign in Canada to play in front of hockey fans where hockey matters including a guy like Bouwmeester who could've signed in a variety of places and left a warmer large American city to come to Calgary.
Your conclusions are very suspect. Vancouver could rank top 10 for many players and so could other Canadian cities. Not everyone has the same priorities and generalizing like you have is silly.
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I agree Vancouver was on the list of places Gretzky would consider playing