Is this a boost for European Hockey?

For those European Countries where hockey is a big thing - Sweden, Russia, Finland, etc. this is obviously a good outcome that the North American teams are out.

But for other European countries, where hockey may not be as popular, is the advancement of other European teams a good thing for the sport overall and increasing it's popularity across Europe?

I don't buy this "We are from North America so we should cheer for North American teams!" or "We are from Europe, so we should cheer for European teams" crap.

Pick your teams based on the players on the teams.

Anyways, with respect to the question of it in anyway promoting the game in non-Elite European countries - I have no idea. Perhaps some members from these countries can answer...but again, like I said in the above paragraph, I should not make any difference...

I do hope more countries pick up the game and advance it (ie funding) so more countries could get better and we can one day talk about 12+ elite nations heading into a tournament!

I don't buy this "We are from North America so we should cheer for North American teams!" or "We are from Europe, so we should cheer for European teams" crap.

Pick your teams based on the players on the teams.

Anyways, with respect to the question of it in anyway promoting the game in non-Elite European countries - I have no idea. Perhaps some members from these countries can answer...but again, like I said in the above paragraph, I should not make any difference...

I do hope more countries pick up the game and advance it (ie funding) so more countries could get better and we can one day talk about 12+ elite nations heading into a tournament!

Even though I live in Sweden, I have a very hard time seeing how this would boost hockey in countrys that don't play that much. I can see how the intrest grows in Switzerland, and perhaps their neighbour Germany, as they see they can compete with the big ones. But that doesn't really have to do with the all european semis.

Even though I live in Sweden, I have a very hard time seeing how this would boost hockey in countrys that don't play that much. I can see how the intrest grows in Switzerland, and perhaps their neighbour Germany, as they see they can compete with the big ones. But that doesn't really have to do with the all european semis.In some western european countries hockey is still seen as an american sport, so maybe it can help if they realize europeans can actually be better than north americans.

But European success is really nothing new so any boost would be marginal especially since most people in those countries don't follow the games anyway.

There are far more deep rooted problems in most European hockey that is far more than just a national team success will solve. Most of it surrounds money.

There are far more deep rooted problems in most European hockey that is far more than just a national team success will solve. Most of it surrounds money.
Yeah, and NHL farming European leagues of its players for coffee money. I've already mentioned this in another thread though.
Winner = NHL
Winner = The players (although they have much less freedom and willpower in a European club than in a NHL club, they receive lots of $$$, some of it should have gone to the club they bought them from though)
Loser = European Hockey and European clubs

Hockey will still remain a fringe sport in most of the countries. Some frenchie could clear things up how bad things were before (figure skating coupled in the same union?).

Anyways, with respect to the question of it in anyway promoting the game in non-Elite European countries - I have no idea. Perhaps some members from these countries can answer...but again, like I said in the above paragraph, I should not make any difference...

In a word, no... The results don't effect the increase or the decrease of the popularity of the sport in non-hockey countries.

The Olmypics themselves though, do raise the interest in hockey, at least slightly.

It's a great boost for the European Hockey Tour. This weekend will stage the most important EHT ever.

Even though I live in Sweden, I have a very hard time seeing how this would boost hockey in countrys that don't play that much. I can see how the intrest grows in Switzerland, and perhaps their neighbour Germany, as they see they can compete with the big ones. But that doesn't really have to do with the all european semis.

I don't think it will grow in these countries. In Switzerland it is already a big sport behind soccer, I don't think there's much space to grow.
For the Germans these Olympics weren't so good compared with Salt Lake City and even after that there wasn't really a boost for the sport. And there are other problems for hockey in Germany, as the sport is nearly invisible here outside the big events. You can only watch the DEL on pay-tv (which isn't very common in Germany) and even the world championships I watched mostly on Austrian or Swiss tv 'cause you barley see the tournement on the German free tv. I think it'll get even worse with the relegation to the B-world championships.
Kudos to the DEL as you can watch soccer, handball and basketball on free tv but you have to pay for hockey :shakehead . Sounds like a major sport here, doesn't it? :sarcasm:

Kudos to the DEL as you can watch soccer, handball and basketball on free tv but you have to pay for hockey :shakehead . Sounds like a major sport here, doesn't it? :sarcasm:

It's the same in sweden and I think it's a very stupid, extremely short sighted strategy by the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation if they want to remain the #2 sport in sweden.

It's the same in sweden and I think it's a very stupid, extremely short sighted strategy by the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation if they want to remain the #2 sport in sweden.
Actually, hockey in Sweden is only #8 if considering how many who perform.
1. Football, about 650,000 licensed
2. Golf, about 275,000
3. Athletics, about 265,000
4. Floorball, about 250,000
5. Shooting, about 225,000
6. Handball, about 215,000
7. Gymnastics, about 210,000
8. Ice Hockey, about 190,000

Source: Swedish Sports Association, 2004, Licensed performers ages 7-70. As another thing, about 2,4 million of Swedens 9 million inhabitants are active in some form of sport. Among kids 7-14 years old, 72% boys and 67% girls are active in sports. Same numbers for 15-19 is 54% and 36%.

However, Ice Hockey is the second biggest TV sport after football, if that is what you meant.

The biggest sports in other European countries in 2004:

Finland:
1. Football
2. Athletics
3. Skiing

Norway:
1. Football
2. Skiing
3. Gymnastics

Denmark:
1. Football
2. Handball
3. Badminton

France:
1. Football
2. Tennis
3. Skiing

Germany:
1. Football
2. Gymnastics
3. Tennis

Austria:
1. Skiing
2. Football
3. Gymnastics

The biggest sports in other European countries in 2004:

Finland:
1. Football
2. Athletics
3. Skiing

Norway:
1. Football
2. Skiing
3. Gymnastics

Denmark:
1. Football
2. Handball
3. Badminton

France:
1. Football
2. Tennis
3. Skiing

Germany:
1. Football
2. Gymnastics
3. Tennis

Austria:
1. Skiing
2. Football
3. Gymnastics

I don't think hockey, handball... compete with athletics and gymnastics as these are basic sports without a big tv coverage outside the big events (olymics, Golden Series,...) or totaly different sports (tennis, skiing).
IMO the bigger competition is (in Germany) with the the other big team sports handball, basketball (falling behind them) and soccer (out of reach).

I just listed the biggest sports based on number of performers in each country, not what sports that are covered most in TV are have the most audience.

The biggest sports in other European countries in 2004:

Finland:
1. Football
2. Athletics
3. Skiing


You mean registered members of x club right?
Because there's like 50 professional soccer players in Finland, the rest are semi-professional and hold regurlar jobs.
Back in 99 when HJK were in the Champions League, every player on their team had a "profession".
There's probably like 2,000 professional Finnish ice hockey players.

And no way is there anyhting remotely close in any other sports code. Lumping them up like this is also strange. Athletics will have thousands of registered guys who only run a marathon, or training this year to run that marathon before they have a midlife crisis or whatever.. men and women.

The biggest sports in other European countries in 2004:

Finland:
1. Football
2. Athletics
3. Skiing

Finland is the only european country where Football is not number one. More like:

1 hockey
2 athletics
3 skiing

Not certain that's true, I think Basketball is more popular than Football in Greece

It's quite obvious that hockey will never become a major sport in most countries since it requires equipment and ice when in comparison soccer only needs a ball and a pitch. Putting a junior through hockey costs a lot since the equipment becomes small every few years. Not to mention the amount of beers involved after carrying that gargantuan equipment sack. Soccer moms have a lot less to do and they probably don't have to worry about their son/daughter being totally leveled. But if the infrastructure is there I don't see why hockey couldn't become more popular. "If you build it they will come"

Erm the Sports people do play and the sports people do watch is two different horses; For example Table Tnnis is agreat sport with lots of players of all ages, but it's non-existant on the TV-Stations map.

Btw Basketball is a better sport to watch on TV. Hockey is best when you watch it live.

Even Canada has more registered football (soccer) players than hockey players. Doesn't mean that soccer is the #1 sport here though.

This is probably the worst thing that could have happened for the NHL, but yeh, I'm sure European Hockey is happy.

This is probably the worst thing that could have happened for the NHL, but yeh, I'm sure European Hockey is happy.

since many euros are dominating the NHL, how is it bad?

Finland is the only european country where Football is not number one. More like:

1 hockey
2 athletics
3 skiing

Actually also in Finland football/soccer has more players than hockey. Football has twice as much players than hockey. Also floorball is nowdays more popular than hockey. Floorball may even be the sport which will have more players than football in near future, it's popularity has grown and will grow rapidly.

since many euros are dominating the NHL, how is it bad?

North America was eliminated from Olympic hockey. The NHL is trying to get people to watch hockey and people in non-hockey markets in the US would probably watch the olympics which would generate more exposure for the game. With the US and Canada out, interest will decline significantly, if not altogether, in non traditional markets.

For those European Countries where hockey is a big thing - Sweden, Russia, Finland, etc. this is obviously a good outcome that the North American teams are out.

But for other European countries, where hockey may not be as popular, is the advancement of other European teams a good thing for the sport overall and increasing it's popularity across Europe?


YES. IT ABSOLUTELY IS...

Read the post above, "Hockey needs Canada to lose....."

I could not have said it better myself.

best regards.

Actually also in Finland football/soccer has more players than hockey. Football has twice as much players than hockey. Also floorball is nowdays more popular than hockey. Floorball may even be the sport which will have more players than football in near future, it's popularity has grown and will grow rapidly.

True, but average attendance in elite leagues and media coverage are way much bigger for hockey, that's what I meant.

***!?! Floorball? :confused:

***!?! Floorball? :confused:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floorball

North America was eliminated from Olympic hockey. The NHL is trying to get people to watch hockey and people in non-hockey markets in the US would probably watch the olympics which would generate more exposure for the game. With the US and Canada out, interest will decline significantly, if not altogether, in non traditional markets.

I dont think it will affect interest in canada that much. Your right that many people in the USA wont bother to watch it now. They should feel lucky in some respects, at least they have a damn hockey team.
Isnt hockey in USA growing anyway? They have alot of good prospects right now.

Football isnt the major sport in all european countries. It usually is one of the more popular sports but for instant Austria's main sport is skiing. I fail to see how football is the number 1 sport in Finland and Norway and such other countries. No disrespect, but niether team is exactly anywhere near a powerhouse. I just find it hard to believe that football is their top sport, when they produce very few players of a good standard.

Isn't floorball just like ballhockey except the goalie gets hardly any equipment?

I think people are confusing participation levels with spectator interest. In Canada there are more people who play soccer than hockey, but as a spectator sport there is no interest at all.

I dont think it will affect interest in canada that much. Your right that many people in the USA wont bother to watch it now. They should feel lucky in some respects, at least they have a damn hockey team.
Isnt hockey in USA growing anyway? They have alot of good prospects right now.

Football isnt the major sport in all european countries. It usually is one of the more popular sports but for instant Austria's main sport is skiing. I fail to see how football is the number 1 sport in Finland and Norway and such other countries. No disrespect, but niether team is exactly anywhere near a powerhouse. I just find it hard to believe that football is their top sport, when they produce very few players of a good standard.

They are small countries. Not all countries can have a powerhouse team. Sweden have football as number one, but if you eliminate the top 3 players, we have a mediocre national team.

They are small countries. Not all countries can have a powerhouse team. Sweden have football as number one, but if you eliminate the top 3 players, we have a mediocre national team.
I also think it has to do with the climate. Most of Sweden's top football players are produced in Skåne, the most southern region in Sweden with short winters and longer summers.

Both Norway and Finland has no such zone, their entire countries are swallowed by the snowy winter, making successful football competition harder. Sweden doesn't produce almost any football stars from the northern regions of the country for example, but produce alot of stars in winter sports instead.

This is perhaps also the reason why Sweden is good in both summer and winter sports, because we have an ideal country hosting good conditions for both summer and winter athletes, combined with the typical Scandinavian culture that has always encouraged physical fitness.

Denmark on the other hand is good in football, but really bad in winter sports. They are just like Sweden's Skåne, but has no winter regions.

This was just a comparision of the nordic countries.

I don't buy this "We are from North America so we should cheer for North American teams!" or "We are from Europe, so we should cheer for European teams" crap.

Pick your teams based on the players on the teams.

Anyways, with respect to the question of it in anyway promoting the game in non-Elite European countries - I have no idea. Perhaps some members from these countries can answer...but again, like I said in the above paragraph, I should not make any difference...

I do hope more countries pick up the game and advance it (ie funding) so more countries could get better and we can one day talk about 12+ elite nations heading into a tournament!
Normally, you pick the team from your country. Anyway, as a Canadian I only root for Team Canada and when my team is out, I don't know, it depends for each tournament but I don't go by continent. Europeans tend to favor teams from their continent but Canadians don't automatically wil root for the US.

It's a great boost for the European Hockey Tour. This weekend will stage the most important EHT ever.


:biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Swiss hockey has been improving for the last decade and I can see it getting better in years to come, Germans will stagnate on, Countries like Belarus, Kazachstan and Latvia could improve as well, as far as popularity, I can see the european football becoming the major sport in USA before hockey gets any coverage in Africa or Asia, Spain, Portugal, England even...