Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandman
There's some logic there (although the average American male is 5'9"), but it just illustrates that in a sport that values size, not many top players are seen to be of an "extreme" size.
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For context:
The average Canadian male aged 20-39 is a little over 5'10", which is more relevant for hockey. Swedish men average 5'11 1/2", Russians in their twenties a little over 5'10", Finns, Czechs, and Slovaks about the same as Russians. (The U.S. averages shorter partly because of the large Hispanic population: Mexican men average 5'7 1/2", and some Latin American countries average less than that. But those ethnic groups have never taken a widespread interest in hockey, as compared to
béisbol or
fútbol.)
It makes sense that most hockey players would be taller and heavier than the general population, as that is a big advantage in a contact sport. It also makes sense that few of them would be found at heights of, say, 6'4" or more, because such men are pretty rare in any country and not necessarily any more athletic than the general population.