Quote:
Originally posted by legion
I watched the U.S. vs. Sweden game.
Is it just me, of are most of the players for all of the countries NHL players? It seems they put the names of all of the NHL players in a box, shook it up, and drew Olympic teams...
Whatever happened to "amateur" athletes?
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Most of the players from the traditional "powerhouse" nations are NHL players. Some of the others (i.e. Italy, Germany & Switzerland) are even using Canadian & American players whose parents were born in that country and thus they are eligible to play.
The Olympics have been using NHL players since 1998 in Nagano, Japan.
I think it is great, watching the most talented players in the world skate on the larger international ice showing off their skills rather than having to watch all of the clutching & grabbing that goes on in the NHL with the smaller surface. You can't afford to go for the big open ice hit on the larger ice surface and miss the guy, as you will be out of position and unable to recover in time before the puck is in your own net.
Ralph