{"id":4750,"date":"2009-06-25T12:24:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-25T17:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/2009\/06\/oh-canada-great-in-hockey-horrible-in-basketball\/"},"modified":"2009-06-25T12:24:00","modified_gmt":"2009-06-25T17:24:00","slug":"oh-canada-great-in-hockey-horrible-in-basketball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/2009\/06\/oh-canada-great-in-hockey-horrible-in-basketball\/","title":{"rendered":"Oh Canada: Great in Hockey, Horrible in Basketball"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=Section1>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Popular sportsbook <\/span><\/font><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial; mso-ansi-language:EN'><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bodog.com\/welcome\/1861245\/sportsbook\"><font color=black><span style='color:windowtext'>Bodog<\/span><\/font><\/a> <\/span><\/font><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>has offices in beautiful <\/span><\/font><st1:City><st1:place><font size=2 face=Arial><span   style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Vancouver<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> and eclectic <\/span><\/font><st1:City><st1:place><font size=2 face=Arial><span   style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Montreal<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>. One of their top writers states the fairly obvious: that <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> is still the <span class=GramE>world&#8217;s<\/span> best in hockey, but not so great in basketball. <o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Now if you are from <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>, you are probably wondering to yourself why this is even a topic.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>But over the years the rest of the world has been catching up, and when you look at who is winning awards each year you really have to wonder if the kids from <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> are still No. 1.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><strong><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Don Cherry<\/span><\/font><\/b><\/strong><span class=apple-converted-space><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>&nbsp;<\/span><\/font><\/span><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>would beat you down for saying it, but clearly the players from the former <\/span><\/font><st1:place><font size=2  face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Soviet Union<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> are right there in terms of the best players.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>But <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> is still regarded as having the best, and will continue to do so simply because <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> is the birthplace of hockey.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><strong><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Sidney Crosby<\/span><\/font><\/b><\/strong><span class=apple-converted-space><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>&nbsp;<\/span><\/font><\/span><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>is the latest in a long line of great Canuck players and he will be the star attraction when <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> takes on the world at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Heart and toughness has always been Canadian players&#8217; calling cards, and that is what makes <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>&#8217;s hockey players the best.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Get our<span class=apple-converted-space>&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.offshoreinsiders.com\/index.php?PageID=108\"><font color=black><span style='color:windowtext'>NHL Odds&nbsp;<\/span><\/font><\/a>in the <span class=SpellE>Bodog<\/span> Sportsbook! Of course in making <a href=\"http:\/\/www.offshoreinsiders.com\/index.php?Page=Articles\">sports picks<\/a> it&#8217;s about covering the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scoresoddspicks.com\/\">point spread<\/a>. <o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>It is a little harsh to say <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> sucks at basketball, but when you compare it to the <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>United   States<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> that really is the only conclusion you can make.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> has a lot of kids playing basketball at a grassroots level but so many of them don&#8217;t follow through.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>It is not the dream of a Canadian kid to make the NBA. They grow up wanting to play hockey.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><strong><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Steve Nash<\/span><\/font><\/b><\/strong><span class=apple-converted-space><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>&nbsp;<\/span><\/font><\/span><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>is an exception, but even he had to make it happen himself. He had to play collage ball in the <\/span><\/font><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>US<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> just to get noticed.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><st1:country-region><st1:place><font   size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Canada<\/span><\/font><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> only has the Toronto Raptors, so it is hard to grow a basketball culture. Until that happens, the money needed to develop young players will never be there.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.0pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:15.8pt'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>College ball north of the border looks nothing like what the average American fan is used to; there is no glamour or betting on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.offshoreinsiders.com\/index.php?PageID=83\">college basketball betting odds<\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=\"Times New Roman\"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><\/span><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>\u00a0<\/span><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"blogger-post-footer\"><a\nhref=\"http:\/\/www.offshoreinsiders.com\/\"><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>OffshoreInsiders.com<\/b><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Popular sportsbook Bodog has offices in beautiful Vancouver and eclectic Montreal. One of their top writers states the fairly obvious: that Canada is still the world&#8217;s best in hockey, but not so great in basketball. Now if you are from Canada, you are probably wondering to yourself why this is even a topic. But over &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/2009\/06\/oh-canada-great-in-hockey-horrible-in-basketball\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Oh Canada: Great in Hockey, Horrible in Basketball<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4750\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}