What is Canada's Strongest Sport?

[Mike Spartz]

Personally, I think that Canada's strongest sport overall is curling. I say this because unlike hockey or basketball curling has been the one sport that Canadian athletes preformed consistantly well in. Proof? Canada, men and women divisons, hold more Curling world titles than any other nation. If you don't believe me, check out http://tsn.ca/curling/

Furthermore, in recent winter oylimpics 1998, 2002 Canada has won 2 silvers, 1 bonze and 1 gold medal from curling. I further state that in Hockey, really, Canadian teams have not shown a strong consistancy in their excellent performance in the 2002 winter oylimpics. I'm not saying that canadians are bad hockey players, however i don't feel that they are as good at it when compared to curling.

[Chris Wood]

Personally, I think that Canada's strongest sport overall is curling. I say this because unlike hockey or basketball curling has been the one sport that Canadian athletes preformed consistantly well in. Proof? Canada, men and women divisons, hold more Curling world titles than any other nation. If you don't believe me, check out http://tsn.ca/curling/

Furthermore, in recent winter oylimpics 1998, 2002 Canada has won 2 silvers, 1 bonze and 1 gold medal from curling. I further state that in Hockey, really, Canadian teams have not shown a strong consistancy in their excellent performance in the 2002 winter oylimpics. I'm not saying that canadians are bad hockey players, however i don't feel that they are as good at it when compared to curling.

Does curling really count as a sport? Anyway, Olympics aside, most NHL players are Canadian, so that speaks for Canada's dominance in hockey right there.

[DianaGohan]

I would either say Curling or Hockey, since Curling's their original sport and Hockey's the most popular outside Canada's boundaries that people go into the boundary to watch.

[TimTwoFace]

Well, it's obviously hockey, and always will be, too. :p Right now about 60% of the players in the NHL are Canadians - and back in the 70's, it was more like 90%.

Curling does indeed count as a sport, as unorthodox as it may be. You just need to watch it and learn it to understand it. I didn't really give it much of a look until the Salt Lake Olympics, but then I quite got into it. :)

I'd suggest lacrosse as well, as it is Canada's official national sport (go figure), but I don't know what the other talent pools in the other nations of the world are like.

If I wanna be really snooty, I could suggest basketball and the North American version of football (as opposed to soccer). Sure, most of the talent for those sports is stateside, but they were both created in Canada/by Canadians about 100 years ago. :D

Bottom line though, it's hockey, dude. You can't really argue against it. :p

-Tim

[Nightflower]

Hockey!

Speaking of curling, has anyone seen that Paul Gross movie, Men with Brooms? ^_^

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Well, it's obviously hockey, and always will be, too. :p Right now about 60% of the players in the NHL are Canadians - and back in the 70's, it was more like 90%.

Curling does indeed count as a sport, as unorthodox as it may be. You just need to watch it and learn it to understand it. I didn't really give it much of a look until the Salt Lake Olympics, but then I quite got into it. :)

I'd suggest lacrosse as well, as it is Canada's official national sport (go figure), but I don't know what the other talent pools in the other nations of the world are like.

If I wanna be really snooty, I could suggest basketball and the North American version of football (as opposed to soccer). Sure, most of the talent for those sports is stateside, but they were both created in Canada/by Canadians about 100 years ago. :D

Bottom line though, it's hockey, dude. You can't really argue against it. :p

-Tim

I think he means which sport we are currently most dominant in. It's true that a lot of great hockey players are Canadian...but that "10 years without a Cup in Canada" thing really sticks in my head, so you can't honestly say that Canada is dominating the NHL in that the teams here kind of blah.

So yes, Curling. We rarely ever get worse than 3rd place in all of the tournaments in this sport.

[Mike Spartz]

I think he means which sport we are currently most dominant in. It's true that a lot of great hockey players are Canadian...but that "10 years without a Cup in Canada" thing really sticks in my head, so you can't honestly say that Canada is dominating the NHL in that the teams here kind of blah.

So yes, Curling. We rarely ever get worse than 3rd place in all of the tournaments in this sport.

This is exactly what I mean. Thanks Larry

Consistancy people Consistancy.

How dominant has Canadian Hockey been over the last 10 years? Sure some of our teams do well but its always unbalanced and I'm pissed that not one Canadian team has won a Stanley Cup in quite a while. Being that I live in BC, I was rooting for the Cancuks to at least make it into the semi finals, but they didn't and I guess I can't really blame them. They tried their hardest and came up short but that still dosen't make me feel any better.

I just wish that Canada would produce a team that could go the distance and achieve what we have not achieved in a long time...a Stanley Cup.

[TimTwoFace]

I think he means which sport we are currently most dominant in. It's true that a lot of great hockey players are Canadian...but that "10 years without a Cup in Canada" thing really sticks in my head, so you can't honestly say that Canada is dominating the NHL in that the teams here kind of blah.


Well, with the exception of Calgary, all of the Canadian teams have been pretty competitive over the past few years - and since the Montreal Canadiens won in 1993, a lot of teams have come really close to winning:

-The Canucks got to Game 7 of the Cup finals in 1994, and have recently become a true contender once again.
-The Leafs (gag) got to the semis in 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2002. (the dates might be off a tad...I don't follow the Leafs much)
-The Senators got to the semis last year, and have been a contender for a few years.

As nice as it would be to see a Canadian city win the Cup, the fact of the matter is that all the teams that do win the Cup are predominantly Canadian anyway, so that's just as good. With the new CBA coming in place, all those idiot GMs in the American cities that throw their money around (ie Glen Sather) - and thereby drive up the asking price for these athletes ($9 Mill for Bobby Holik? Gimme a break!) - when the new CBA is in place, things will be a lot more even-keeled again. The Canadian teams (and a few of the small-market American teams like Minnesota) know how to spend their money thriftily and responsibly and put a good product on the ice. In 2004, things will change big time. :)

So yeah, curling is definitely there, but hockey will always be Canada's dominant sport.

-Tim

[EinBebop]

Do Canadians still do that log-tossing thing? I bet they're unmatched in that! :p

[TimTwoFace]

Do Canadians still do that log-tossing thing? I bet they're unmatched in that! :p

You mean tossing the kabur? (sp?) I always figured that was a scottish thing, myself. :)

-Tim

[Outlander00]

I'd say Hockey... The players are better and the fans are for rabid that they will get aggressive to the point of violence (I have experienced that first hand :p). Plus, the bloody sport was invented there!


Speaking of curling, has anyone seen that Paul Gross movie, Men with Brooms? ^_^


My girlfriend has been bugging me to see it... I think I will be sooner or later :p

[Mike Spartz]

Well, with the exception of Calgary, all of the Canadian teams have been pretty competitive over the past few years - and since the Montreal Canadiens won in 1993, a lot of teams have come really close to winning:

-The Canucks got to Game 7 of the Cup finals in 1994, and have recently become a true contender once again.
-The Leafs (gag) got to the semis in 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2002. (the dates might be off a tad...I don't follow the Leafs much)
-The Senators got to the semis last year, and have been a contender for a few years.

As nice as it would be to see a Canadian city win the Cup, the fact of the matter is that all the teams that do win the Cup are predominantly Canadian anyway, so that's just as good. With the new CBA coming in place, all those idiot GMs in the American cities that throw their money around (ie Glen Sather) - and thereby drive up the asking price for these athletes ($9 Mill for Bobby Holik? Gimme a break!) - when the new CBA is in place, things will be a lot more even-keeled again. The Canadian teams (and a few of the small-market American teams like Minnesota) know how to spend their money thriftily and responsibly and put a good product on the ice. In 2004, things will change big time. :)

So yeah, curling is definitely there, but hockey will always be Canada's dominant sport.

-Tim

I respect your opinion Tim, but I still have to disagree.

To me, Hockey is Canada's most well known sport both in North America and around the world. When you go to another country and ask about canadians many will reply that we are a hockey nation. I will agree that Hockey is Canada's most popular sport and that we do have a real History with it. I will also agree that in the past there have been many great Hockey players and that at one time we were dominant in the sport, however not anymore.

You bring up some great points tim about Canada's apparent "dominance" in the sport over recent years. I agree that many canadian teams such as the leafs do well in the sport, that Canada is indeed a Contender for the Cup, and that compared to other nations we are great at hockey.

Still the fact remains, who is really dominate in this sport. Who is the one holding all the championships and titles year after year season after season?

My answer, sadly, is the USA. Sure Canada won the gold in Salt Lake City but are they really the most dominant at the sport?

Really this is a battle between two nations, Canada and the US because Hockey is really played mostly in North America. Right now, I see Canada at number 2, behind the USA. However, I will admit that Canada is showing some promise in Hockey again and hopefully we'll see Canadian Hockey dominat again soon.

Bottom line: Canada is a contender, not the dominator in Hockey.

[Nick Biped]

Well, I personally think that the sport which Canada's consistently strong in would have to be curling. In the Olympics and world championships, we always have very strong showings. Even if we don't always win, we're always up there.

However, I've also gotta say that people constantly identify hockey with Canada for good reasons. On the world stage, even though it's not like we win every World Juniors or Olympics or whatever, we're a constant presence, and it's very rare that we make an absolutely putrid performance (except for the time that we lost to Kazakhstan, but I won't go there :sweat: ). And as for the NHL, like Tim said, we still have the majority of players in there, and even though Canadian teams are at a natural disadvantage to the American ones (smaller markets, the Canadian dollar), from what country are lots of the players on the championship-winning teams from?

So, depending on how you look at it, I think Canada's "strongest" sport could be either curling or hockey. :)

[Elven Moon]

*big grin*

Hockey? Is it hockey? Am I right? :p

[Czar Gato]

My answer, sadly, is the USA. Sure Canada won the gold in Salt Lake City but are they really the most dominant at the sport?

Really this is a battle between two nations, Canada and the US because Hockey is really played mostly in North America. Right now, I see Canada at number 2, behind the USA. However, I will admit that Canada is showing some promise in Hockey again and hopefully we'll see Canadian Hockey dominat again soon.



yet most players on American teams are Canadian, am I right? That has to count for something. ;)

[TimTwoFace]

yet most players on American teams are Canadian, am I right? That has to count for something. ;)

Yeah, that's how I look at it. It all depends on what countries the players are from, not what country the particular teams play in. If I had the time and the patience I'd go over the Stanley Cup-winning team rosters since 1893 just to see what the percentages are like. Hell, maybe even since 1980, when the influx of American teams (well, only 4 or 5 of them, really) started to win more frequently. I still bet more Canadians were in those teams. :)

And really, as far as the nations from which players are born, I think Canada is the most dominant - and next in line would be Russia, and then Sweden and the US tied for third.

-Tim

[EinBebop]

You mean tossing the kabur? (sp?) I always figured that was a scottish thing, myself. :)My mistake. I hope the mounties don't come looking for me!

[Nightflower]

*big grin*

Hockey? Is it hockey? Am I right? :p
We're still arguing that. :P

I think Canada is more well-known for its hockey than curling, but I don't know if that means that it's its strongest. But hell, we've got kids playing hockey on our new $5 bill. That ought to count for something. :P

When my friend saw it, she said it won't be long before they change the national anthem to "CAAAAR!! ... Game on." :D

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

There's also the largely ignored world of "action" sports (won't call it extreme anymore). British Columbia is well represented with guys like Jay Miron and Dave Osato on BMX and also Colin McKay and Alex Chalmers on skateboard. Montreal has Max Dufour and Pierre-Luc Gagnon on skateboard. There are a lot more, but these guys come to mind immediately. I know they're not part of the mainstream, but they deserve to be mentioned, as these guys are some of the best in the world.