NRH

What events? Phelps won 8 medals in 2008 when china spent a lot of money on the Olympics for their national pride and exposure and the French and a few other America's were still the big names of the 312 swimming events.

Did he play for Atlanta?

I still fail to see how Olympic funding is winning us golds every 4 years when clearly you're saying its the opportunities our parents provided us and that is the main reason you believe we should force our athletes to suffer as amateurs just to represent their nation on a global scale simply because small nations can't afford it. If the sport is determined it's future pros at such a young age then Olympic funding shouldn't be viewed as such a tremendous advantage since they've already had their talent fostered to its height. Also, do you have an example of a nation completely unknown in a sport suddenly winning multiple golds because they flooded that sport with money? America has tried desperately to do this with many sports to no avail, including some of those "cheap" sports.

Hmm? I thought Bernie wore a similar style but not quite exact then again pelle's mask could have been a tribute. Bernie probably broken quite a few

It was pelle's mask which is why I thought it was strange you said no flyer fan will recognize it.

I liked bryz but I don't see where you're going with him. He is a glaring point of money can foster talent. He also wouldn't have played hockey had someone in Russia not had cheap youth hockey or the inclination to push him towards a rink. You can grow bored of it, but you've failed to prove that the rich are the clearly dominate and most advantageous in the Olympics. All you guys have done is said that a nation of a billion in china and a nation of 300 million in America have more money invested in a population. You're telling me that Haiti a country with significantly less people an landmass needs $46 million dollars or even that of Somalia a nation that's fielded 7 athletes in all their Olympic appearances? Both of those countries wouldn't need $46 million in travel expenses and multiple training locations. You have still not proven that Leborn or Michael Jordan were rich kids, as I remember it many football players both American and European versions of the name grow up poor and use rented equipment or old beat up equipment. This whole notion that you need top of the line things to try is so obviously preconceived and wrong it's annoying. Next you'll tell me if my parents were rich I'd have been a world class runner. You're taking a lot of credit that is all due to these athletes and given it to a piece of paper and that's far more asinine an argument than me "misunderstanding" your "point". Don't accuse me of being some old man behind a desk from 5 years ago that used to go at it with you in constant flame wars. Hell if its a rich kid sport why do so many goons still existing? Why did scoring fall off so greatly since Mario and Wayne? Why is it that Schenn laid more hits in a shortened season than any of the BSB? Why is it that the US can "fund" their way to a World Cup victory? Why has it been so long since a Olympic gold in hockey? You're mistaking American funding their Olympians for parents funding their kids or local clubs with reusable equipment. This whole America is rich the Olympics are unfair isn't even an debate. Plenty of countries with less money have shown this argument isn't true.

There are many exceptions in every Country in the worlds emigration laws. The fact that ours are so strict is the thing that is broken. There is no reason I should have to make someone do all the pointless tests and red tape just to call themselves an American. Many business men and refugees have been waived to instantly become citizens, many military members bypass the system you mentioned as well to become a citizen.

To be completely honest I don't think the best players in hockey are the best in the world, somewhere along the line a naturally gifted player was introduced into to a different sport and never had the notion early enough in his life be steered toward hockey. As for parents shelling out huge amounts of money to introduce kids to sports? I'm quite sure most football kids don't have to shell out huge amounts of money to introduce those kids, in fact I believes many places in northern America an Canada have places where you may pay a few to rent equipment for the games and practices similar to our Rec leagues for children in America in sports like soccer and basketball. Many sports like soccer have farm systems that sign kids to contracts for club soccer at young ages but then it's the club that Fronts the money. However many of these kids are dirt poor and miserably fight their way into the system. Money didnt help the Asians education system, competition did, if you force children to compete to even get to attend high-school then you've made damn sure you get the best in your education system and the worst in your workforce. This is often the same for the Olympics overcome adversity or succumb to the excuse.

If you're going to use the "starting point" an argument then your money argument is irrelevant. You wouldn't be interested in hockey had someone not pointed it out to you. Phelps family introduce him to swimming so it's likely he'd have still went to an American college to become the swimmer he was in 2000,2004,2008. Nadals father, federers family, not their "county funding them" Africans aren't good at hockey because nobody plays it over there, not because it's "expensive" Americans aren't good at soccer because they like American football and baseball, not because it's "expensive" Americans funding of Olympic athletes once every four years isn't even close to a factor of them winning. America is at the top of medal counts because we accept all citizens onto our Olympic team. Asian Americans, African born runners, Jamaicans. Money doesn't seem to be your argument, location and culture seem to be your focus and mistaking it for money. No amount of money made Roddick or anyone else an Olympian from American. Didn't make the already rich Frenchmen fast enough to beat phelps in the 2008 Olympics.

Money would not have created a better athlete than phelps, the fact that you believe this is strange. Money didnt help anyone beat Federer or Nadal in the Olympics. Money didnt stop Jamaican bolt from crushing the entire world in the Olympics. Money hasn't stopped hundreds of poor athletes compete in sports. America has way more money than a lot of countries and yet we barely dominate sports we spend millions on. Top athletes have come from poverty to beat rich kids more often than rich kids crawl to the top.

I don't like your concept of training outweighing talent, Nadal and Federer winning Olmypic golds has less to do with the money their country spent on them. If you're good at your sport you go train where other people are good at it too. If a Canadian was really good at swimming he would still end up in America at some college in Ohio training year round. $46 million on tennis players didnt help us win any golds in tennis the Williams sister wouldn't have already won with their father training them in their back yard. No amount of money would grant you the talents stamkos has, I refuse to believe you can "buy" world class talent. The only thing money does is bring more people to the sport not magically create athletes. The reason you and stamkos are worlds apart in the sport is because he is naturally better and born into hockey? Do you really believe $46 million in training resoruces is going to make a Haitian tennis program world class? If anything the good players from poor counties move to locations where good players are at to compete and train. Olympics is about personal desire and national pride, not for living in dirt poor conditions because some other country lives that way.

I hate the concept of east vs west Every team already plays each other already right? 30 teams 82 games 2 teams are playing one another 82/15 5 games per matchup with a few games left over If you have them add 2 teams like giving Quebec their team back and I dunno Hartford too? That would give you closer to 5 games per matchup with a few games left over for tie breakers. Change scoring to a more European football style system 3 points for a win 1 point for draws, nobody seems to like the shoot out system where you get a point for losing. Top 16 teams go to the playoffs, no wild cards games unless there are ties in the scores that create more than 16 teams. 1vs16 2vs15 3vs14 4vs13 5vs12 6vs11 7vs10 8vs9 This would astronomically better at establishing the better teams overall than the current system. It would also turn the playoffs in 50% of the league making the playoffs instead of more making it than missing it.

Oh, then I suppose I should learn who is in what division instead of using the old conferences.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/frequentflyers/Gruesome-cut-for-Flyers-Eric-Wellwood.html http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/frequentflyers/Eric-Wellwood-expected-to-miss-nine-months.html must have missed that happening

China has by far more success in gymnastics by age cheating than with money stacking. I do believe the "russian" US gym coach is american too.

Timmy will save the day for them and everyone will be super shock at their performance.

Phelps most likely would have still been introduced to a pool by his parents and been in the Olympics at age 16 and then on the same road he is on now. You'd have to change a lot more than location to get a man with his pedigree to stay away from a pool.

Haiti has tennis players? Last Olympic tennis I don't think Haiti had tennis players. Often times players of countries will play elsewhere. You notice how the USA hasn't had Olympic gold in tennis (other than the Williams sisters) in at least the past 4 Olympics? Often times if you're pro you go where the money is, in a sport like hockey would you stay amateur for a gold medal or go pro for a Stanely Cup? Money isn't really a factor for success, this is why I hate salary caps, teams in baseball and euro football drop millions ontop of a starting 11 just to place 3rd in their respective leagues. Last I check dirt poor Ethiopians where crushing Americans in races and the races those Americans were winning? Naturalized Africans from Kenya (Bernard Lagat is a good example) Did Canada spend more money on their players than us for their Olympic gold? What about those basketball teams that beat Lebron and company in the Olympics? Are you going to tell me nobody is faster at 100m and 200m races than Usain Bolt because they're paying him more than the Aussie athletes? I hate that nobody believes you can't overcome a person with more money than you. When Billy Mills won the Olympic 10k in 1964 he was simply a marine reserve officer. He finished 2nd in the 10k at the UStrials. If I offered you a million dollars more than stamkos would you outplay him?

The Olympic village itself is free to the athletes but the IOC only opens that up so far out from the actual games. Endorsement deals do qualify you as a professional athlete, you're marketing a good based on your renown in "x" sport. Unfortunately, the competition is where "fair" comes into play, hockey for example, everyone plays on the same ice and is given the same equipment and modification rules for it. Most sports usually limit personal equipment or have restrictions on the type and everyone is suppose to follow the same drug free concept. But to level the playing field as some of you are wanting? It's up to the athlete and his country to level the field of play as it concerns to training. It's not an international competition if everyone was to training and compete in Canda for the Olympic hockey tournament. Adapt, overcome, compete

They had a lot of fights and injuries in the 70s so you have your excuse now. Get to it The beauty of hockey analysis is hindsight

isles Philly Pittsburg Boston Rangers Caps In that order

You'd can always watch replays of the 3 playoff seasons where the flyers were trying to triple crown the cup.

I'd rather see Vora,wellwood,read on the same line. One line change and the game speed is faster than the kings or Blackhawks. With all the youth on this team the first and second lines could spilt the minutes fairly even.

Olympic soccer is relatively blown off by most pros, the World Cup is the premier event and even that is bigger than the Olympics. Much throughout the 70s the AAU suffocated and blackmailed and controlled the track an field athletes for appearance fees. Around this time athletes like Frank Shorter and Steve Prefontaine were trying to get international experience again other nations big name runners, however when someone else controls your eligibility status for the Olympic Games you have to bend to their call. Situations like this and the glaring reflection that other nations were taking care of their amateurs better and treating them like pros anyways. Track and field is dominated by pros now, the Olympics should always be about who is best at the sport not who has the strongest batch of young kids.

Couts probably doesn't gamble with his career quite yet, I'd rather sign for 3million than try to hold out and score 10 more goals that the year before to make 4million and take a hockey stick to the eye.