Yes, as for players playing in Switzerland at least - which are quite a lot - they're all flying back to NA when the lockout is over. Too bad, I could get used to have Logan Couture playing for us

I would possibly expect some surprises coming from Russia though..

I find its true for casual fans. Though my sample size consists of my parents.

I had coworkers mad at me when I wasn't cheering Vancouver on in the Cup final a couple years back.

"But but but, they're in CANADA!!!!"

The standard response was "there are more Canadians on the Bruins though". I actually have no idea if that was true though.

turncoat!

[Van <---> (Edm <--->Cgy) & Tor]
Tor <---> Mtl & Ott

All of these are 'oh hell no'

The rest, meh/maybes but who cares.

tyty

This is what I figured, but I was talking to a buddy today who thought otherwise cause I guess a lot of NBA players got stuck in Europe even after the lockout ended.

lol, yes

actually yeah, that's probably true

but that's more of a "support them if they make a run in the playoffs" thing, not a "ZOMG I NOW LOVE YOU GARY FOR PUTTING A TEAM IN SOME CITY IN MY COUNTRY BUT THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS AWAY" thing.

Coincidence that Couture's team is first in the Swiss league by a long shot? I THINK NOT! Kid just WINS

They're trying to get ratings and get people to watch when they do that. Canadian pride, etc etc. And certainly it is somewhat true for casual fans. If you're in Montreal or Ottawa or something. I'm guessing you are more interested in watching Vancouver or Calgary vs. san Jose rather than Minnesota or St. Louis vs. Chicago. Just because of the one Canadian team.

And yes, they generally do think and hope that Canadians will get excited to have 9 teams instead of 7. More matchups with two teams from their country, etc.

To be fair he didnt play the first 5 games or something, and was clearly out of shape for another couple games. Since then though he's been pretty good and seems to really be enjoying his stay here.

There are some great players in Switzerland right now such as Nash, Thornton, Spezza, Streit, Bergeron and so on and while some of them are clearly not giving everything (Spezza..), Couture is playing in box play, diving against blue line shots etc which makes him really loved by the fan. Couple games ago he dived against blue line shots 3 times during the same shift with a few seconds to go and a one goal lead.. Coming from a star players supposedly in Swizerland to stay in shape you really gotta love it..

I know someone at the club, i'm gonna try to obtain one of his jersey, would be an awesome memory of his stay here

It's true and it's not unfounded.

There are a lot of overarching themes that get tied into these discussions, ones which I wouldn't expect Americans itt to understand. And it's not entirely sour grapes, believe me, but during the peak of the technical and corporate Brain Drain in the late 20th century, it got really old to hear the rhetoric that in order to "make it" - whether as an individual or a franchise - you needed to establish yourself in the States. It touches a sensitive nerve up here, for sure.

There's a fair share of unfounded and ridiculous anti-American sentiment in our country, but we're also proud and not ignorant to the patronizing perception of us from a reasonable segment of Americans. I mean, Christ, look at it on this forum. It's a big joke for a bunch of posters and they can insist they don't mean anything by it and don't care one way or another (which I'm sure is true), but it gets really, really old.

And that patronizing perception is no more prevalent than in business. It's seen all the time in industries where Canadian subsidiaries exist for American parent corporations. My dad's company in the transportation industry almost went under about a decade ago due to American parent company insistence that they knew how to run the Canadian business better than Canadians. They were wrong. And it's not an isolated incident; this type of misguided jingoistic intervention was far too common when the economic climate was less favourable for us, and it's as insulting as it is frustrating.

We're not a third world country, we're not second class citizens and we have a pretty good grasp of our economic situation. So when we know there are markets that would succeed, we don't like being told we're wrong because "lol Canada." In that respect, Atlanta to Winnipeg was vindication for a lot of us. The Canadian dollar was out of our control during the 90's but with that major stumbling block out of the way - for now and in the foreseeable future - there are very few arguments left for avoiding Canadian markets that will be far more sustainable long-term than their American counterparts.

That's the short version. I could write an essay.

Training camp would start October 26.

Season starts from original schedule on November 2.

Season would not end April 11.

Cup final could go as late as last week of June.

This all from Bob McKenzie on the twitter.

Fingers crossed, hope I'm wrong but I still see this ultimately turning into some kind of 65-70 game season that starts sometime in December.

How hurt will you be if this doesn't work out?

I've got plenty of rope.

guys let's stop with the 'would start', the players are never going to accept this in its current form which would push the season start back from november 2

geddy: yeah, well i didn't read it as anti-americanism as much as pro-canada-ism. i think canadians of all stripes, at least the sense i get on the internet, have a hidden but fiercer patriotic streak than americans. i mean the american anthem is goddamn impossible to sing, but still, no one's joey mossing out on it during sporting events - not like canada during playoff games.

Oh dear

You're a brave man Geddy. I've always thought Whitby was pushing it

Colby Armstrong and Brandon Prust invited their twitter followers to play a street hockey game right next to the Bell Centre this afternoon, so obviously a DOUCHER showed up in a Leafs jersey.

yeah well Canadians care more about hockey than anything else (sporting-wise anyway, but generally speaking perhaps as well), so what do you expect? i don't see it as a patriotic thing, but a hockey thing. Canadians don't want their hockey team to win bc they love Canada and/or hate the United States, it's bc they really, really, really like hockey.

but even still, it's not like the vast majority of people outside of Winnipeg could really gaf if the Jets were playing the Hurricanes in the playoffs. sure they might prefer if they win, and be more likely to watch the game than if it was Canes/Capitals, but other than that not much of a difference.

i mean, i'd probably get more jacked for a series against Calgary than Chicago...

Backstrom to play center for Dynamo Moscow.

Pavelski for Dynamo Minsk.

Semin is suiting up for Torpedo tomorrow (should be a good game btw).

Vasilevski is going to get KHL playing time with Salavat.

P.S. russian federation announced that they are in talks with Canadian tv to show the Channel One Cup games, which is the russian stage of the EuroTour (13-16 December). so no canadian teams or players, i would put the odds of it happening at 10-1 against.

P.P.S. looks like espn made the wrong bet showing Dynamo Moscow during the lockout. next game will be SKA-Sibir', and Kovalchuk has been absolutely on fire. unfortunately, Tarasenko is likely going to sit out with a concussion.

P.P.P.S. Mirasty suffers first loss in a KHL fight???

Just imo but I think a 2nd team in the Toronto area would have very little national splash (although would probably make the most money)

Quebec City coming back would be huge for all of Quebec and maybe Francophones across the country.

yeah another Ontario team would be like Ottawa, aka no one cares

I would like some hockey please.