Detroit Red Wings & the NHL

[Tony G]

Canada still produces most of the players in the NHL. I just don't buy into the argument that the best players in the world are mostly Canadian.

Who won the Gold at the last Olympics? Canada. In fact they've won 2 of the last three golds.

[Jamie H]

Yep, 2 of the 3. Or 2 of the last 15. Both statements are true.

[Mike]

OT, that is just silly, a few pretty goals? Come on , get serious.

There were no goals in those clips because Z prevented that from happening with his exemplary defense.

Mike- are you Off Tackle from the World Xing days?

Yes sir.

Hank has won a single Cup in 2008 with Detroit, got your money's worth? What he has accomplished pales in comparison to most franchise players.

First off, Hank is not our franchise player. That would be his countryman, Nick Lidstrom - 4 time Stanley Cup champion, 7 Norris Trophies, Conn Smythe winner and all around swell guy. Z makes $7.5 mil per season. If Gordie were to slap somebody around for being overpaid he probably would have started with Curtis Joseph or Derrian Hatcher, $10 and 8.5 mil per season, respectively.

[Optimus Prime]

OP- the only example I took the time to research refutes your argument. 20 of the Stanley Cup-winning Wings hailed from the US or Europe; only 12 from Canada.
Majority = larger number
20 > 12
USA (and Europe)!! USA (and Europe)!!

Paul, you are missing the point entirely. The NHL is a business, what particular city a player draws his salary in is irrelevant. Just because the NHL Club happens to be located in a US or Canadian city does not mean the player suddenly is becomes an "honorary" citizen.

Take ANY Stanley Cup Winner's Roster and examine the citizenship of each player, you will find that the majority of the team hails for Canada, truly remarkable.

[Paul L]

Interesting read; OP/George- do you share this opinion?

http://www2.canada.com/windsorstar/news/life/story.html?id=e4078c50-a0a4-4c96-99df-504e31091006

[Hannibal]

So is realignment dead?

[SeanB]

So is realignment dead?

Last I read it was tabled because the Players' Union wouldn't sign off. I haven't heard/read anything else.

[Jamie H]

Seriously? Mandatory quotas for Canadian born players on Canadian teams? That's ridiculous.

[geo weidl]

Paul I just briefly read it. No I do not share this opinion.

[Hannibal]

It's impractical. Especially when your country's teams haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1993.

[Optimus Prime]

Really is it any different than the strict import rules of most major European soccer clubs? Or the Canadian Football League for that matter?

FYI....KHL -Kontinental Hockey League of Euroo\/Russia
The rosters must be not bigger than twenty-five players, with a maximum of five foreigners. In any match the teams can declare not more than four imports. The no-foreign-goalkeepers rule seems to be gone.

http://www.eurohockey.net/news/story.html?id=20080313111756newkontinentalhockeyleaguetakesshapesetsrules

As previously stated the NHL has become one giant North American business, where a particular team chooses to be domiciled or rents a sheet of ice matters very little, especially when it's Canadian Athletes doing most of the lifting come Stanley Cup Hoisting-time!

Yes, you are welcome.

First off, Hank is not our franchise player. That would be his countryman, Nick Lidstrom - 4 time Stanley Cup champion, 7 Norris Trophies, Conn Smythe winner and all around swell guy. Z makes $7.5 mil per season. If Gordie were to slap somebody around for being overpaid he probably would have started with Curtis Joseph or Derrian Hatcher, $10 and 8.5 mil per season, respectively.

Honestly after 2008 Nick had to have passed the baton to Hank in the dresssingroom, what is he 10 or 12 years younger? One-Nut-Nick had his prime, it's over now and last year's Norris was complete gift and joke to the other serious nominees....an elderly Statesman being shown the door I suppose.

[Optimus Prime]

Canadians just get pissy because they don't own their own game anymore. It would be like all the good NFL teams being from Canada or Mexico or something like that.

The way the NFL treated Canadian cities was disgraceful. That being said, the Don Cherry-like xenophobia exhibited by lots of Canadian fans is just as disgraceful.

I guess it's good policy when the Swedish Elite League or the KHL in Europe have strict import player rules but it's purely xenophobic or even racist should a Canadian/Amercian even raise the issue, right.

[Jamie H]

There is a difference. No one really gives a shit about any of those leagues except for the locals. The NHL is the only league that has international appeal.

But I would say the rules are stupid in those leagues too. The only reason to have rules like that is if you know your local players can't compete on the merits of their skill.

[Tony G]

Seriously? Mandatory quotas for Canadian born players on Canadian teams? That's ridiculous.

Canada has had Canadian content quotas in both radio and TV at times. I don't know if those quotas are still in place but it's not something new to that country.

[Hannibal]

Canada has had Canadian content quotas in both radio and TV at times. I don't know if those quotas are still in place but it's not something new to that country.

Quotas? No wonder everything on CBC other than hockey and news sucks so bad.