Social Question

raiden88's avatar

Should USA Hockey withdraw from the international stage?

Asked by raiden88 (106points) November 5th, 2022

Or can their national team evolve and improve? To be realistic, I feel the only way the US team will ever improve and be just a little more successful is if one of two things happen: The team is genetically engineered and enhanced with almost superhuman skills, strength, speed, and hand eye which is futuristic at best and a fantasy at worst. Or if the US starts to create its own style. They could use that to obtain an edge over their Canadian and Russian and Swedish counterparts who view defeat and surrender as dishonorable, especially in an Olympic gold medal game or any international tournament for that matter. In other words, the US would have to play hockey similar to the way Bill Laimbeer played basketball back in the 1980s and early 90s. They need to use low, dirty tricks and more physically aggressive and violent tactics in order to make up for the American team’s lack of skill, depth, and genetics. Canada, Russia, and Sweden have very similar cultures where hockey is huge in those countries. Hockey in the US seems to have the back seat and has proven for the most part to be a failure. I think the US should withdraw from the world hockey stage for the time being and diffuse the situation until they can get genetic engineering technology which may take 50 or the next 100 years. Most US player simply don’t have the genetics to develop the skills to compete in those levels. Only 2 percent, or one in a million Americans have what it takes to be able to do so. Patrick Kane is one of those freak American athletes. I’m sorry. I very much want to see the US win another hockey gold medal in the Olympics, or another World Cup of Hockey. But the laws of genetics, relativity, and physics are laws, and they can never be broken. It’s too much. It’s just not physically possible for the US to be able to compete with their Canadian, Russian, and Swedish counterparts the way things are now. They need to get out of there and save themselves. When I look back on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the US really should not have been in the tournament to begin with. It just did not have even a slight chance and it was just plain lucky to win a medal because of goaltending alone, and it failed even more miserably in 2014 Sochi. Only advances in bio-genetic technology can help the US hockey team improve, not training or hard work of any sort. The differences between the US and Canada when it comes to talent and skill are totally insurmountable. The laws of physics, and relativity can never be broken.

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

7 Answers

JLoon's avatar

Have you actually been watching US team play at the Olympic or IHF level, or are you just trolling this BS from a burning Russian tank??

US men’s team is ranked 4th in the world, with over 3700 points – And the women’s team is no. 2 :
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IIHF_World_Ranking

elbanditoroso's avatar

Withdrawing seems like a poor approach.

Better that the US gets serious and takes ten years to fund and develop a real national team instead of scrambling to put one together every couple of years.

ragingloli's avatar

They could just do what comes natural to them, and create their own niche variation that only they participate in, so they can crown themselves “world champions” without any other competitors in it. No other reason that baseball, basketball, or handegg exist.
They could replace the goal with two sticks, make the puck oval, and force a commercial break every 5 minutes, so their overweight “athletes” have some time to breathe.
They could call it “colonial hokey” or something.

JLoon's avatar

@ragingloli – Hmmmm…

Is No. 9 jealous? ;p

ragingloli's avatar

Nein, Nein, Nein!
I do not care about sports.
Not even football, even though we won the World Cup in 2014, and single handedly removed the equation 7–1 from Brazilian Maths textbooks.

JLoon's avatar

^^ Your lips say Nein, “even though” your heart says 9. ;D

Smashley's avatar

I’m not sure what you’re hoping for? Why doesn’t the US care about international hockey enough to be the best team in the world, instead of just consistent top 5? Short answer, the will isn’t there. No one cares as much as you, apparently.

Genetics is a laughable argument. So Canadian soil just grows genetically better hockey players with a fraction of the population, who happen, despite this superiority, to be middling at most other sports? Give me a break.

The US is an amateur sport (if that term makes sense anymore) powerhouse, despite having much of its talent pool and money devoted to professional sports.

The US already has the best hockey league in the world with consistent teams, devoted to the success of the team. International play just doesn’t interest folks that much anymore. Players don’t want to risk injury for a team without chemistry or purpose. Sure in soccer you can run a bunch and get your cap and enjoy your scoreless match, but a hockey player without desire is a pitiful thing indeed.

The best international hockey is the World Juniors, anyway, and the US does win that tournament every few years.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.
Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther