Why are Europeans and Canadians filling most NHL teams?

[Ugottobekiddingme]

Any opinions?

[Mnhockeys]

Learning body contacts at early age. If you watched youth hockey US team plays against Canadian team, most of us would agree Canadian teams are more physical.

[farmington14]

They practice, practice, practice, and focus on skating and fundamentals at an early age. Europe's general model is something like 16 to 1 (16 hrs practice to 1 hr game). Seems parents in USA would never go for this, here it is all about games, games and more games. When you consider how many minutes your kid skates in an average game vs. practice the ice time difference is huge.

[muckandgrind]

Seems to me that 16:1 practice to game ratio would keep more kids away from hockey than drawing them to it. Believe it or not, kids love to play games and don't really care much for practice. I know that's hard to fathom for some, but it's generally the truth.

[old goalie85]

16:1 my kids would rather wrestle, or play basketball. Kids don't join the "ADM" they join hockey. Not cone skating.

[nobama]

They are teaching the kids to play hockey, not cone skating.
Playing hockey and running all over the ice are two different things.

[farmington14]

Seems to me that 16:1 practice to game ratio would keep more kids away from hockey than drawing them to it. Believe it or not, kids love to play games and don't really care much for practice. I know that's hard to fathom for some, but it's generally the truth.

I don't disagree at all, I love watching games and totally agree, the kids like them too. Problem is games don't do much for development of youth players and is probably the general answer of why not to many USA players make the NHL, we play for the "fun" of it, which is a good thing, just doesn't develop many for the NHL.

[5thgraders]

START BY GETTING RID OF THE BLUE PUCK hello HELL NO

[old goalie85]

Bama-I get it. still the kids want to play games. I watch my oldest practice w/ the highschool No cones. [small area GAMES, I watch my other sons Pee-wee a Small area games, zone entry, breakouts whatever,. No cones. I watch my daughter, and my two mites and it's all cones. Seems backwards.

[muckandgrind]

Seems to me that 16:1 practice to game ratio would keep more kids away from hockey than drawing them to it. Believe it or not, kids love to play games and don't really care much for practice. I know that's hard to fathom for some, but it's generally the truth.

I don't disagree at all, problem is games don't do much for development of youth players and is probably the general answer of why not a lot of USA players make the NHL, we play for the "fun" of it, which is a good thing, just doesn't get you to the NHL.

Americans are the 2nd largest nationality represented in the NHL.....and growing, so we must be doing something right.

[5thgraders]

Great Coaches

Priceless

[farmington14]

Seems to me that 16:1 practice to game ratio would keep more kids away from hockey than drawing them to it. Believe it or not, kids love to play games and don't really care much for practice. I know that's hard to fathom for some, but it's generally the truth.

I don't disagree at all, problem is games don't do much for development of youth players and is probably the general answer of why not a lot of USA players make the NHL, we play for the "fun" of it, which is a good thing, just doesn't get you to the NHL.

Americans are the 2nd largest nationality represented in the NHL.....and growing, so we must be doing something right.

We are doing much better, about 20% USA players now, not many elite players by NHL standards though.

[MrBoDangles]

Hockey numbers youth under 18

Canada 820,000
USA 300,000 This might be high for 18u in the US

Only three states have more players playing youth Hockey than the city of Toronto alone.

Just like Canada, Minnesota has a deep Hockey culture. Minnesota will only gain on Canada in the future with the recent explosion of Summer Hockey.

[observer]

A lot of off ice physical development as the team with the best overall fitness often wins the battles, short races, and the game.

And, in Europe they spend a lot of time in the classroom really understanding what the team is trying to accomplish on the ice. Skill without true knowledge of the game is something I see a lot of.

Those are the two areas where I see the most opportunity for improvement. I think the on ice development piece is going well.

[Skillz11]

They work and support and strive to make each other better. Also a higher pecentage of people who play hockey are Canadian or European so there is always higher probability that they will play.

[old goalie85]

They don't really play baseball, basketball, or football. Can't even compare.

[drop the puck]

Size.

MN and the US just does not develop enough bigger NHL caliber players. State high school hockey is full of speedy 5'10" players that simply lack the physical stature to play the NHL game.

The kids make decent college players, but D1 is not the NHL.

Maybe the bigger althetic kids are playing roundball or focusing on developing strength for football?

That said, MN and US hockey should be equal emphasis on player retention through all levels. If the kid is NHL caliber they will find him.

[DMom]

Seems to me that 16:1 practice to game ratio would keep more kids away from hockey than drawing them to it. Believe it or not, kids love to play games and don't really care much for practice. I know that's hard to fathom for some, but it's generally the truth.

I don't disagree at all, I love watching games and totally agree, the kids like them too. Problem is games don't do much for development of youth players and is probably the general answer of why not to many USA players make the NHL, we play for the "fun" of it, which is a good thing, just doesn't develop many for the NHL.

It all ends up being the same issue, small area games. I just watched a group of boys skate for three hours on the pond. Were they practicing or playing a game?

They can play plenty of games at practice that don't involve the dreaded 'car ride home', that don't involve paying refs, and don't involve crowds cheering for head shots. I asked my kids and they said that a bad day at practice is better than a day without ice. Mine don't care about the trappings of a 'game', they just want to skate.

And a lot of people who would comment on practice to game ratios are the same people putting their kids in AAA teams that have 4:1 ratios.

[Ugottobekiddingme]

All great comments and true...one other huge factor is that hockey is one of the few opportunities for athlete's from Canada and Europe to hit the big leagues and escape getting stuck with the same old drudgery that awaits. It's looked at as a "way out" and they are willing to sacrifice all to achieve this goal.

Check out www.hockey-site.com and look under the world overview section. This is interesting as they have a direction that doesn't include the blue pucks and checking is allowed to promote future player growth...the Canadians figured out the recipe for success as illustrated in the 2006 web site.

[SWPrez]

All great comments and true...one other huge factor is that hockey is one of the few opportunities for athlete's from Canada and Europe to hit the big leagues and escape getting stuck with the same old drudgery that awaits. It's looked at as a "way out" and they are willing to sacrifice all to achieve this goal.

Check out www.hockey-site.com and look under the world overview section. This is interesting as they have a direction that doesn't include the blue pucks and checking is allowed to promote future player growth...the Canadians figured out the recipe for success as illustrated in the 2006 web site.

It is all about training athleticism.

Three out of the last five years I have taken groups of players from our association over to Vasteras, Sweden for a cultural exchange. My hope is not only do they see another culture, but they see what their peers are doing.

My first trip had some great eye opening experiences. As our bus rolled into the Globen in Stockholm for a game our opponents were out stretching, stickhandling, running, and playing with a soccer ball. No big deal...we do that too...sometimes. We got on the ice and our guys wanted to sit in a circle stretching while the ref blew the whistle to start the game - they don't waste valuable ice time with something that can be done in advance.

We got beat and as our kids boarded the bus complaining about how they were starving and where is the closest McDonalds...the whole Swedish team showed up after drinking the chocolate milk like drinks and took off on a brisk team run.

My trip last October the kids got to take in full practices. Full practices include showing up an hour and a half early and working on sprints, weight training, and long distance training. Kids loved it...but it was culture shock.

The other thing that was very noticeable in Sweden is that they have limited ice, and ultimately weed out the lower end players. The 15/16 year old teams we played were chocked full of six foot plus athletes.

Recently, in Goalies World magazine, one of the top goalie coaches in the NHL stated to expect more and more goalies to come from Europe. His simple answer was that they are laying down an athletic base that Canada and the USA cannot match. In the end, they are better athletes physically, and we are not geared to produce athleticism that can match.

So....in conclusion. You want better hockey players you need to focus on better athleticism. A kid that works on running faster and faster, will skate faster. A kid that can jump higher and higher vertically can be more explosive.

It can be done, but is difficult in an association culture that we have here in Minnesota. Some parents see the value in pushing their kids to be better athletes, others want to dumb down programming. In Sweden, the culture is that intense athleticism is healthy and good for kids and that is the driver for their development before thinking about competition and how many tournaments little Sven will win this year.

[Ugottobekiddingme]

All great comments and true...one other huge factor is that hockey is one of the few opportunities for athlete's from Canada and Europe to hit the big leagues and escape getting stuck with the same old drudgery that awaits. It's looked at as a "way out" and they are willing to sacrifice all to achieve this goal.

Check out www.hockey-site.com and look under the world overview section. This is interesting as they have a direction that doesn't include the blue pucks and checking is allowed to promote future player growth...the Canadians figured out the recipe for success as illustrated in the 2006 web site.

It is all about training athleticism.

Three out of the last five years I have taken groups of players from our association over to Vasteras, Sweden for a cultural exchange. My hope is not only do they see another culture, but they see what their peers are doing.

My first trip had some great eye opening experiences. As our bus rolled into the Globen in Stockholm for a game our opponents were out stretching, stickhandling, running, and playing with a soccer ball. No big deal...we do that too...sometimes. We got on the ice and our guys wanted to sit in a circle stretching while the ref blew the whistle to start the game - they don't waste valuable ice time with something that can be done in advance.

We got beat and as our kids boarded the bus complaining about how they were starving and where is the closest McDonalds...the whole Swedish team showed up after drinking the chocolate milk like drinks and took off on a brisk team run.

My trip last October the kids got to take in full practices. Full practices include showing up an hour and a half early and working on sprints, weight training, and long distance training. Kids loved it...but it was culture shock.

The other thing that was very noticeable in Sweden is that they have limited ice, and ultimately weed out the lower end players. The 15/16 year old teams we played were chocked full of six foot plus athletes.

Recently, in Goalies World magazine, one of the top goalie coaches in the NHL stated to expect more and more goalies to come from Europe. His simple answer was that they are laying down an athletic base that Canada and the USA cannot match. In the end, they are better athletes physically, and we are not geared to produce athleticism that can match.

So....in conclusion. You want better hockey players you need to focus on better athleticism. A kid that works on running faster and faster, will skate faster. A kid that can jump higher and higher vertically can be more explosive.

It can be done, but is difficult in an association culture that we have here in Minnesota. Some parents see the value in pushing their kids to be better athletes, others want to dumb down programming. In Sweden, the culture is that intense athleticism is healthy and good for kids and that is the driver for their development before thinking about competition and how many tournaments little Sven will win this year.

Bingo...your association should thank you for allowing youth hockey participants to understand hockey abroad...and maybe we can bring up the level of competition understanding what is expected...was checking involved in the game?

[EXPRO]

Learning body contacts at early age. If you watched youth hockey US team plays against Canadian team, most of us would agree Canadian teams are more physical.

I agree with this post. Also, cone skating is not teaching kids the game of hockey, and it basic fundamentals. We need more teaching of the game and less "ADM".
As for playing games, they build players confidence, that gives them the ability to carrying the puck with pressure, play defense, and over all awareness of the ice. Don't get wrong, practice is good, if it is done the right way. Hockey is a Physical, hard, fast hockey game, so pack a lunch when play Canadian teams USA......

[MnMade-4-Life]

another issue is the availbility of other sports (mentioned earlier)

On one of my trips to Canada 2 summers ago, I had a discussion with one of the coaches. In Canada all of the "elite" athletes play hockey, that's what they do. Sure some wrestle, some play baseball, some lacrosse, but hockey is the primary focus.

Here in America, face it, it's a football nation. Most of our "elite" athletes play football, maybe basketball, maybe baseball. Many of which have only seen the inside of a hockey rink during the Olympics on TV.

Put this in the waaaaaay out there category, BUT say an athlete as physically gifted as LeBron James (note: I said physically, not mentally!)grew up in Calgary instead of Cleveland.

[muckandgrind]

another issue is the availbility of other sports (mentioned earlier)

On one of my trips to Canada 2 summers ago, I had a discussion with one of the coaches. In Canada all of the "elite" athletes play hockey, that's what they do. Sure some wrestle, some play baseball, some lacrosse, but hockey is the primary focus.

Here in America, face it, it's a football nation. Most of our "elite" athletes play football, maybe basketball, maybe baseball. Many of which have only seen the inside of a hockey rink during the Olympics on TV.

Put this in the waaaaaay out there category, BUT say an athlete as physically gifted as LeBron James (note: I said physically, not mentally!)grew up in Calgary instead of Cleveland.

Great point. If hockey was as popular as football in America, we would probably overtake Canada and the rest of the world in terms of producing elite players.

[Ugottobekiddingme]

Let's see...300 million in America and only 34 million in Canada. Plenty of athletes to fill many sports here in the US...usually popularity is where you find the money...maybe that's why LeBron isn't playing for the ABA (African basketball association). AAA is the biggest factor making our kids more competitive in todays market.