Olympic/International Ice/game > NHL ice/game

[DigiV 6]

DigiV, don't be so sensitive. Ruutu's point is that it takes more skill in your mental game to play on the NHL rink. The game is faster and requires quicker decision making on the NHL rink. Ruutu is not giving logic to make a rink smaller. This observation from Ruutu is from a player who doesn't watch the game on Olympic and NHL size rinks. It is from a player that plays at the elite level in Olympic and NHL rinks.

I'm just curious: What year did you start watching NHL hockey?

Eh, 1991?

[DarkStar50 679]

Did you ever watch all 3 games of the 1987 Canada Cup played in Canada, Russia vs Canada? Those were the three best games of all time among the elite players of Canada and Russia. There is no higher level than that series. That series featured 12 Hall of Fame players: Gretzky, Gilmour, Messier, Anderson, Gartner, Hawerchuk, Bourque, Coffey, Murphy, Fuhr, Fetisov, and Larionov. That series was played on NHL rinks and it was end-to-end action.

[DigiV 6]

Did you ever watch all 3 games of the 1987 Canada Cup played in Canada, Russia vs Canada? Those were the three best games of all time among the elite players of Canada and Russia. There is no higher level than that series. That series featured 12 Hall of Fame players: Gretzky, Gilmour, Messier, Anderson, Gartner, Hawerchuk, Bourque, Coffey, Murphy, Fuhr, Fetisov, and Larionov. That series was played on NHL rinks and it was end-to-end action.

I'm sure it was fantastic but those guys can't even come close to how strong and fast the current players are.

[DarkStar50 679]

hahaha. What you don't know, you don't know. Either one of those teams would destroy any team in today's game. Russia was playing pure Russian 5 hockey at the time and the KLM line was unstoppable. You might want to look up who they are. Canada had 10 HOFers and oh wait, I forgot Mario Lemieux!! Make that 11 HOFers. Get back to us after you check out some game clips on Youtube. I suggest you see for yourself what I'm talking about taking place on an NHL rink.

[BenderHockey 127]

I'm sure it was fantastic but those guys can't even come close to how strong and fast the current players are.

Surely you cannot be serious. Gartner: one of, if not THE fastest skaters of all time; Messier: no one stronger and meaner in the corners and along the boards; Overall, I would pick those 10 guys over any 10 guys on an NHL roster today.

[DigiV 6]

Come on you guys can't be serious here? Obviously there are some players from then that would still hang in the league now but on average? Absolutely not. This isn't to say that one of the great players from 30+ years ago being developed today wouldn't be as great as they were then but to actually pluck those guys in that form and place them in todays game? Ha, they'd get crushed.

I've watched games from the 70's, 80's, it's like a mens A league team lmao. Guys today are 220lb+ skating as fast as guys that were 170lb back then. Don't be ridiculous. There's even an interview with Bure from not to long ago and he says that exact same thing.

[chippa13 1844]

Give those guys from yesteryear equivalent equipment, training and regimen as today's players and they would do just fine.

[MN old and slow 92]

Bobby Orr would dominate today as back then if he had the modern training and equipment. Would be fun to get a time machine and see these match ups. Eveleth HS 1945 vs Edina HS 2014. My money would be on the 1945 Bears. Different game years ago small benches not go go 100 percent 50 second shifts. My old man bias should be noted. My time was the 60s and 70s we were the best (just kidding)