I didn’t understand Latvia was such a large hockey nation until recently. Yes, I was aware of Dinamo Riga and Latvian NHL players, but this level of dedication to the sport? Look at all of them! It must have more attendees than our championship celebration in Helsinki in 2019 did! And with fewer than 1,9 million people! Well done, guys!
Is there any bigger disconnect in sports fandom than between the way Canadians view the World Championship vs the way Europeans do?
Maybe in 5-10 years we will see a surge in Latvian players being top prospects taken in the draft. Perhaps it will be linked back to their success and ripple effect from this tournament. Awesome to see!
Would it be a good idea to change the format to something similar as FIFA World Cup? Get NHlers out of olympics, and focus on IIHF Worlds every 4 years? 2 years?
4 comments
I didn’t understand Latvia was such a large hockey nation until recently. Yes, I was aware of Dinamo Riga and Latvian NHL players, but this level of dedication to the sport? Look at all of them! It must have more attendees than our championship celebration in Helsinki in 2019 did! And with fewer than 1,9 million people! Well done, guys!
Is there any bigger disconnect in sports fandom than between the way Canadians view the World Championship vs the way Europeans do?
Maybe in 5-10 years we will see a surge in Latvian players being top prospects taken in the draft. Perhaps it will be linked back to their success and ripple effect from this tournament. Awesome to see!
Would it be a good idea to change the format to something similar as FIFA World Cup? Get NHlers out of olympics, and focus on IIHF Worlds every 4 years? 2 years?