Quote:
Originally Posted by Itse
Also, a lot of taxpayer money goes into developing youth players, not just in NA but all over the world. The Finns and Swedes didn't create those fancy goalie coaching programs to see Niemi and Lundqvist compete for the Stanley Cup. They created them to see them playing in the olympics and other international tournaments.
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Not to mention that any/all other international tournaments pale in comparison to the Olympics. The World Championship, for example, is mostly a mixture of some of the best players outside the NHL and the losers who couldn't make the Stanley Cup playoffs. Right now I'd be perfectly happy trading all our other medals for the hockey gold at the Olympics. It's the only one that
really matters.
I'm also amused by the idea that only "amateurs" would go if the NHL barred players from going. Players in the KHL, SHL, DEL, SM-Liiga aren't exactly playing pro bono...