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jpv · 05-19-2008, 10:17 PM

Yes there's money, but there's also the fact that the NHL is older and more prestigious than any other league in the world. It will likely always be that way, and because of it the best players from every country in the world will gravitate towards it.
Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "environment," but the NHL has the most state-of-the-art facilities, the best coaching and training in the world.
I'm also not sure why you mean by "culture." The northern US fans and, it goes without saying, the Canadian ones are the most knowledgeable hockey fans in the world.
The development programs in the US and Canada surpasses those in the Russia or the European countries. This is why there are more top-flight players there. Russia has nothing to compare with the USHL, Quebec League, major juniors, or even D1 hockey. They have a handful of clubs from which they pick their elite players. I'm not sure where you were going with the development angle. USA and Canadian hockey is much deeper in talent than Russia, which is very top-heavy.
Add to all this that the US and Canadian markets are much more lucrative than Russian ones, and you have the reasons why the NHL will always be ahead of any other hockey league.

05-19-2008, 10:17 PM	#33 (permalink)
jpv Redshirt Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 146 Tournaments Joined: 0 Tournament Wins: 0	Re: Russian hockey team makes World finals! Yes there's money, but there's also the fact that the NHL is older and more prestigious than any other league in the world. It will likely always be that way, and because of it the best players from every country in the world will gravitate towards it. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "environment," but the NHL has the most state-of-the-art facilities, the best coaching and training in the world. I'm also not sure why you mean by "culture." The northern US fans and, it goes without saying, the Canadian ones are the most knowledgeable hockey fans in the world. The development programs in the US and Canada surpasses those in the Russia or the European countries. This is why there are more top-flight players there. Russia has nothing to compare with the USHL, Quebec League, major juniors, or even D1 hockey. They have a handful of clubs from which they pick their elite players. I'm not sure where you were going with the development angle. USA and Canadian hockey is much deeper in talent than Russia, which is very top-heavy. Add to all this that the US and Canadian markets are much more lucrative than Russian ones, and you have the reasons why the NHL will always be ahead of any other hockey league.