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Olympic Hockey: Is it time to hand it back to the amateur ranks?
February 24, 2010 - 8:01am
I'm of two minds with this, one wants to see the best, the other wants to witness the glory of nation vs nation minus the familiarity between players as we now see with many nations competing against their own club team mates. Opinions seem to be fairly split from what I see in general, comments?
no going back now ...
No.
I would love to see hockey be returned back to amateurs. We have the NHL for the other guys. Time for them and their million dollar salaries to disappear from the Olympics.
What is amateur in hockey? The Juniors? Is there any such thing as a true amateur in the Olympics? In order to compete you have to be rich or have sponsership.
When Olympic hockey was played by amateurs -- it wasn't really played by amateurs, at least not by all of the teams.
The Soviet Union's hockey team was, essentially, composed of professional hockey players. Yes, they were "soldiers" but all they did was play hockey. Hockey was their job.
That's what made the 1980 USA v. Soviets hockey game such a stunning upset: The Americans were actually amateurs (they were college students).
I agree stargazer it is BS to have the professionals playing, ichanging it was just another ill thought out male ego thing.
Amateurism was a class myth.
yes, and some real star athletes like Jim Thorpe suffered terribly to maintain that illusion ...
You had to know something was going rotten in Denmark when the Great One opted to watch his favourite curling team from Alberta, eh?
Yep, thank Gaia for women's hockey, and speed-skating, and snowboarding, and..... Seriously! The "fair sex" should take a bow and rub it in in the process. It's only fair.
Hockey was taken over by professionals long ago-amateur hockey exists only in Beer Leagues now.
Ya George, another example of the "professionals" in society thinking they know better and ARE better.....
You have problems with "professionals", Remind?
Well go ahead and tell us how, don't leave us hanging like that, I appreciate your regular why men are bad posts.
Remind has problems with excellence in general.
Oh, the thread topic. Go amateurs! I get kinda pumped by watching women's hockey in the Olympics. The men's side just seems wrong somehow.
C'mon Yarg. You really mean to say you feel all exposed when yours is left hanging out like that.
I don't think we can go back.
Oh yeah! Love rooting for a team that actually wins (yes I live in Toronto).
Besides the NHL, there are also KHL stars, and players from Swedish, German, and Swiss pro leagues competing in men's hockey. I'd like to see all of the pros get the boot...the beer leaguers are exactly the right guys we should have playing in the Olympics...I'm sure the other hockey nations have their own beer league equivalents.
Gary Bettman won't commit NHL players to 2014 Olympic Games
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/winter_olympics_2010/2010/02/19/2010-02-19_gary_bettman_wont_commit_nhl_players_to_2014_games.html#ixzz0gIM1Ii3j
Apparently, the Olympics disrupts the season as they're headed into the playoffs.
I like the best on best. Unfortunately, we are no longer head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the world.
Yeah this Olympic hockey is prolly the best hockey we'll see for a long time. Enjoy it while it lasts.
It's time we gave the NHL the boot, at least from Canada.
For the next winter olympics, let's have a team elimination process in Canada, with the winning team representing us in the 2014 games. Didn't we already do this before. And enough of this ego driven superstar, owning the podium bullshit. Let's tell Bettman to go fuck himself.
I think we should pass a law that if an person is chosen to participate in the Olympics (and a number of World Cups) that their employer must make allowances for their participation.
I think the NHLPA should have some input on 2014.
I watched the women's team defeat Finland tonight. A treat for these jaded old eyes. These amateurs play the firewagon hockey that propelled the Canadiens to la gloire in the long ago. Awe-inspiring to see them wheel and rocket up-ice as soon as they got the puck. Just as entertaining as the NHL variant. In spite of the lop-sided score, the Finnish goalie, Noora Raty, was really impressive. She reminded me a bit of Tony Esposito, tumbling about in the net like a caffeinated panda and generally keeping her side in the game.
Another puzzling interpretation of reality....... Olympic hockey players actually get absolutely no more or less pay than they would if they had stayed home and watched it on TV. Their salaries are paid in any case, and they are risking career ending injury to represent their country.
Plenty of other athletes are paid to train for years specifically to get to the Olympics, and some are paid cash if they win a medal.
Neither applies to hockey players.
They do get free room and board while they stay in the Olympic Village. Would you prefer we send a bill for that too?
The NHL has done some stupid things, but I really doubt they are dumb enough to abandon a premium showcase like the Olys.
It does not really disrupt anything, all teams still play all 41 home games in Olympic years.
Why would you have the law favour the money marketing extravaganza that is the Olympics over the money marketing extravaganza that is the NHL?
The players want to play and the fans want them to play.
I would say: fortunately ...
as for a return to amateurism,
if you think Olympic drug-testing is intrusive, wait till Olympic bodies had to pursue income tests: Where did you get such a fancy car? Who paid for your house? Your children go to a private school, how can you pay for that ??