A report recently released by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) noted that nearly 80 percent of European players who play in the CHL (the Canadian junior leagues, where the bulk of players are drafted by NHL teams) never make it to the National Hockey League.
In recent years many young European hockey hopefuls have gone over to play in Canada supposedly to help them adapt to the North American game. The IIHF report recommends that most of those positions going to European players in the CHL should instead be going to North American players.
The report was released by the IIHF in hopes of allowing European players to play longer in the European leagues to not only hone their skills but also to bolster European hockey.
Hockey Night in Canada’s controversial analyst Don Cherry claims this report supports his long-held contention that young European players have received preferential treatment over Canadian players.
"You have all these Canadian kids who are working their #### off, just trying to get drafted”, Cherry told the Toronto Globe & Mail. “And they were passed over for guys that are Europeans. The Canadians were just as good. It boggled by my mind."
Cherry also told the G&M that cultural differences and language are to blame for the slow development of European players in the CHL.
His comments infuriated Ken Campbell of The Hockey News, who points out that “elite players, for the most part, will find their way to the NHL whether they play in Europe, the Canadian junior system or U.S. college hockey.”
While Cherry cited former Chicago Blackhawks prospect Igor Radulov as an example of why young Europeans struggle in the CHL, Campbell cites Marian Hossa, Petr Sykora and Tomas Vanek as star NHL’ers who adapted well to playing in either the CHL or the American college ranks.
Campbell also points out that, while nearly 80 percent of European prospects may not make it to the NHL, over 20 percent of them do. “The fact is, the CHL would love to have a graduation rate among Canadian players to the NHL that would be anywhere near that”, Campbell writes. “Next time you go to a junior game, take a close look at both benches. If more than three or four players from the two teams combined end up having a lengthy NHL career, you’ve pretty much hit the jackpot.”
He also points out that the CHL allows only two European players per team and “theoretically, they are taking up the spots of the two worst home-grown players on those teams, players who probably wouldn’t have had a snowball’s chance in Hades of making the NHL anyway.”
I have plenty of respect for Don Cherry, whose hockey sense is usually far sharper than his critics give him credit for, but I’ve never been comfortable with his rants against European players. I’m firmly on side with Campbell on this subject.
I agree with Campbell as well - the cream always rises to the top no matter where you are from or what league you play in. The NHL is a diverse lot as it should be. If European players come over to North America early, they come of free will. No one forces these players to leave the European leagues. They are trying to find the best competition to better their skills as well as their chances of getting to the NHL. It is in the NHL's best interest for these players to develop no matter where they come from or where they choose to play. As far as the report, it sounds like whining to me.
As for Cherry, he would love the sport to be 100% Canadian, players, teams, the works. His comments don't surprise me in the least. I wonder what crazy rant he'll go on if any of the Japanese players invited to camps in the CHL make a roster.
I agree that having European players on teams at all levels of hockey is important. We shouldn't forget that not only do these european players learn the North American game but also influence their team mates as well.
I've always cringed when these types of debates are made. What Don Cherry is talking about is discrimination. He roots and cheers for Canadians which is admirable but it shouldn't come at the expense of europeans. If we were to stop europeans from playing in the chl, how long before people started ranting to stop english speaking players in the QMJHL? Once we start to discriminate, it opens a whole flood gate of problems.
Canadian players give the 60 minute effort. Euros get the goals in the shoot outs. Can you spell KOIVU? LETINNEN? Do you want a fancy skating figure 8 game? Or do you want a ####'em, hit'em game? That's Canadian versus European. Football or Soccer?
tekhog-- Nice stereotyping, completely wrong. Would you say Kasperitis, Ruutu (Jarko), Nieminen (Ville) even Ovechkin play a soft, uninspired game? To say only North Americans play with grit and passion is wrong. How about Alexander Daigle? There's a guy who has a lot of skill and very little heart. Europeans are just as passionate and gritty as North Americans. Try again.
Stereotyping European players as not giving their all is completely untrue. Here in Dallas I get to watch Jere Lehtinen give his all every game. He isn't scoring goals in a shootout, or skating figure 8's, he's playing defense. Lehtinen has been nominated for the Selke 6 times and won it 3. Also as of this moment....the top 5 leading scorers(POINTS) in the NHL are European. I know all of their points weren't scored in the first 20 minutes of the game
Last edited by dalhockeyguy97 on October 29th at 11:34 PM.
You hear hockey announcers, including Don Cherry, talk about the NHL being the best hockey league in the world. There wouldn't be much truth to that if only North Americans had the opportunities to play. Europeans shouldn't get preferential treatment, but they should get a shot at the big leagues. I don't want an NHL without Malkin, Lehtinen, Jagr, Kovalchuk, Lidstrom, Ovechkin, etc.
BTW - 5 out of 5 of the top Point getters are Euros. How can they be getting all these points while the North American players are ####in'em and hit'n'em? (Su####ious.) Also, 4 of 5 of the Plus/Minus leaders are Euros. How can they be taking care of the puck in their own end so well while they're skating figure 8's (Preposterous!)
This just in...3 of the top 5 Plus/Minus leaders are from Sweden. Logic would dictate that only players from Sweden are good at defence (spelling for my Canadian brothers-in-arms). NOT!
These players are successful because they have the talent to put themselves into positions where they would succeed, not because they were given preferential treatment in the CHL.
Last edited by BlackGoldPenguin21 on October 30th at 12:50 PM.
I am lucky. I get to watch one of the best Euros in the NHL every night. And the best part is he is the best kept seceret in the league and I am talking about Mattias Norstrom. The Fall of the Soviet Union in the early 90's was one of the best things for hockey. Would the Jagr's and Hasek's of the world be in the NHL now. I do not agree with Don Cherry at all. Drafting a Euro is a risk anyway. Some never even cross the Sea to come here. There are still some Kings draft picks from 1995 that have never set foot in North America for even a Training Camp. I am sure the percentages for Euros in the first round becomming a solid NHL player is the Same as a North American Drafted player. The bottom line is simple. The NHL is the best league in the world and also the most money is made here so if the kids want to play here they will need to work there but off no matter where they are from.
"Theoretically if they are taking up the spots of the two worst home-grown players"
Or the spots can be used for the development of younger players or players who want the opportunity to potentially play NCAA or University hockey here. Why should Canadian born players, who are more than capable of playing at the junior level be denied the opportunity to play because they "wouldn't have had a snowball's chance in Hades of making the NHL anyway."
Any European player who is good enough to be noticed at the junior level does not need to play junior hockey here to be drafted to the NHL. That 20% that do get drafted would most likely still get drafted if they played back in Europe. Look at the late 80's and early 90's at all the top European talent that came from overseas. How many of those players played junior hockey here?
It is hockey politics because NHL clubs want these late round European picks to have a spot to play and adapt to the culture if they do not think they are ready for the NHL/AHL.
There is no reason at all for a player like Juri Thluszty or how ever you spell or say his name should be back playing in the OHL. It is BS that the Toronto Maple Leafs assign him back to the O. This happens all the time and Mr. Cherry is 100% right when it comes to this topic. I usually do not agree with him but the lame arguments that Campbell draws on might appear smart and knowledgeable, but is just a bunch of ignorant BS to cover-up the real issues the hockey people do not like to talk about. Money and the exploitation of youth athletes.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
