I mean, they played their heart out and weren't able to win. But I think as far as individual talent, it left a little to be desired. Edmonton Oilers president and general manager Glen Sather says he noticed a talent dropoff when he selected the 1996 World Cup team. So we had to use other guys and they just didn't have the skill to play at that level. Junior hockey is a business in which revenue and winning games take precedence over developing players.
Professional hockey emphasizes size and aggressiveness.
While children in Europe learn fundamentals from hours of practice and are taught by trained coaches, Canadian kids are thrown into games, as many as 140 in a season, and rarely practice. They are coached by volunteers, many of whom are inexperienced or incompetent. For parents who dream of their sons becoming NHL stars, winning and playing games are more important than children learning skills and having fun. Instead of scoring goals, children are instructed to play defensively and to intimidate. At the age of 13, the dropout rate skyrockets.