(let me know if you want on or off the ping list)
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Canada outplayed the US yesterday and the US really didn't look like they wanted the bronze - Finland clearly did.
The NHL may say they don't want their players in the next Olympics, but the KHL will, and it will be interesting to see (if) our college kids play European pros like they did "back in the day"
I think U.S. collegiate players would match up well against European professionals. One big difference between today and the days before NHL players competed in the Olympics is that most of the top European players are in the NHL right now -- and they wouldn't be able to compete for their home countries if the NHL involvement came to an end.
Sure, the KHL is the one league that can get some top-level talent ... but most of the top Russian players are in the NHL right now (Ilya Kovalchuk is one key exception).
If the U.S. were to put together a national team months in advance of the Olympics comprised of NCAA players and junior players drafted by NHL teams but not yet ready for the NHL, I think they'd do surprisingly well in the Olympics.
Thanks for the ping.
BTW..thanks for the great job you did with these Olympics. It's appreciated.
Total waste of time that’s why I didn;t even bother to watch it. They choked like the USA girls in the last 2 minutes. Bring back the grads from the Junior Hockey championships, and you’ll witness true hockey at it’s core. A LOT of Americans don’t even know it exists but runs from Christmas to New Years..
