OT: Congrats to Sweden
 

What a great game! My goodness!

Lidstrom is an unreal player. What a great performance when it mattered. Doesn't suprise me though. He's been stepping up for years.

Hank is the man!

That was a great last few minutes of the game. Good way to cap the tourney. Gratz to Sweden!

Three goals, all scored by current Wings. Nice. Very nice.

Yeah, I forgot to give props to Zetterberg.

4 Wings on the team.

Five. Zetterberg, Holmstrom, Samuelsson, Lidstrom, and Kronwall.

Speaking of Lidstrom. Wow, what a career he's had. A couple Norris trophies, a Con Smythe, three Stanley Cups, and now a Olympic gold medal. Great team and individual accolades for him. Clearly one of the best defensemen of all time.

I'm surprised that Europe doesn't have an equivalent hockey league to the NHL. Or do they?

I forgot Kronwall. my bad

No. Most of the elite players are in the NHL. However, the Russians are trying to build up their league; mid- or lower-tier NHLers are likely able to make just as much, if not more, there than they could in the NHL.

John Davidson called him the greatest defeseman in the world. Probably can't argue.

He's a guy I am proud to have on my NHL team. Have watched him over the years do the things needed to be a champion. Silent, under-rated for most of his career and a presumably 'good guy' and family man.

The play he had at the end of the game today, helping the goalie by jumping into the line of fire, stopping the puck...classic Lidstrom. Reminded me of the play he had against...er, um...I think it was Colorado in the 97 playoffs. Net was wide open. All you see is Lidstrom come into the screen and deflect a sure goal.

It's actually Sweden :) not two ee's

Lidstrom was amazing.. he's struggled in every international tournament I've seen him play, from Olympics to World Cup to the few times Detroit have lost early in the playoffs and he's shown up at the World Championships.

However, this tournament he's been solid as a rock.. A friend of mine said it best.. Lidstrom isn't spectacular.. he plays the easy way, board out, yet he's always there to easily simply "remove" the puck from an incoming attack. His very discreet defensive play is combined with an absolutely DEADLY shot from the blueline. His 3-2 today was just perfectly executed.. Forsberg, draws the opposition deep on the left wing, drops the pass back to Sundin who also pulls a Finn with him to the left side, drops it back to Lidstrom who's coming in fast at the blueline and BAM! 3-2.

Amazing.. we were three guys here and no one could sit down, we were all standing and moving back and forth trying to stay calm as the Finnish onslaught was stopped at the end of the game. Hank had an incredible save with the EDGE of his blocker with 30 seconds left of the game. Wow.

I'm exhausted.

Sorry man. I fixed it. Dint mean to insult.
:)

Finally Mats won something.God knows he won't win anything in Toronto:(

Aside from the fact that the top Europeans already play in the NHL, as ice4277 pointed out, the European unity feeling to build something isn't quite as big as it seems to be in the USA/Canada. Not to mention that there's only a market for (ice) hockey in Sweden, Finland, Russia, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Add the soccer = life culture across the continents' bigger and richer countries and you have those five countries with about 25 million people not living in Russia.

You need confirmation from the FOFC Swedes, but I bet the NHL is quite popular over there?

The NHL is quite popular indeed.. the reason there's no big league here is the financial part of it. Just like in soccer, Sweden can't match the stupendous salaries being offered abroad.

On the Swedish roster for the Olympics, the guy considered the best SEL-player was playing with the Sedins. Jorgen Jonsson. He's playing for Farjestad in SEL, and he earns more than ANY other player in the entire SEL. His salary? about $300,000.

Other top earners are near $150,000 (I'd guess there's about one guy like that on each team).

The only league in Europe that can get any kind of money out is the Russian Superleague.

As for a an "All-European" league, I doubt it. Like MIJB said, the hockey interest across Europe isn't exactly staggering. A few years ago they tried a sort of Champions League for hockey but it was a disaster, teams just played their scrubs. No interest at all.. and I think there's too much national pride to just take 3-4 teams from each of the top leagues and move them away from the domestic leagues into a new European Super League. It will never happen.