[Tallguy]

I’d say the real problem with North American hockey is all the slots reserved for slow, unathletic Canadians who “earned” it by coming up through the Jr Hockey ranks.

You raise an interesting point. I'd say at the current size of the NHL, it's inevitable that you're going to have Jr. Hockey as the biggest source of your 'talent' (or non-talent, as the case may be). Get rid of a third of the league's teams, shorten the season to about 60 games (which increases the value of each game), and expand the playing surface (to put a premium on skating). Those would be my presciptions. But none of it will happen, since it would cost revenue initially.

[Originalist]

You raise an interesting point. I'd say at the current size of the NHL, it's inevitable that you're going to have Jr. Hockey as the biggest source of your 'talent' (or non-talent, as the case may be). Get rid of a third of the league's teams, shorten the season to about 60 games (which increases the value of each game), and expand the playing surface (to put a premium on skating). Those would be my presciptions. But none of it will happen, since it would cost revenue initially.

I think the real reason none of it will ever happen is the power Canada has over hockey. Do what you propose and Canadian unemployment will rise 14%... ;)