2010 Team Norway

Thats a tough call, Like Ovechkin says, "Non can tell me I CAN'T play for my country" You know your country should be represented by your best athletes! I guess that would be saying that Shaun White & Micheal Phelps shouldnt be allowed to compete as they are too good!

Where do you draw the line???

Basically, you have amateur athletes and professional athletes. That's where you draw the line. It's pretty simple. It was like that years ago. It wasn't about sending your best athletes, it was about sending your best amateur athletes.

You have sports where there is no professional organization where the athletes are not paid (but maybe sponsored), like biathlon and ski jumping and bobsled. In those sports, a country sends its best because there is no professional of that sport.
Ice hockey was different back when the USSR existed because their amateur ice hockey players were playing on the professional level but were amateurs because they weren't paid to play. Men's basketball in the summer Olympics is joke now. The US has an entire team of professionals where other countries have a low number of professionals.
Michael Phelps is an amateur athlete. He competes in amateur competitions just like all other swimmers. There is no professional league for swimming. There's a difference between being too good and being paid to be an athlete where there is an expectation for a professional to be better than an amateur.

Someone paid off the right people in the IOC to allow professionals.

Best on best is the best way, best best. Oh and Best.

yeah but Rugby is the same way, Canada is all amateur and has a sense of pride, where as the Uk, Aus NZ are all payed players and there is not as much of a sense of pride as there used to be.

And What is the Spenglar Cup etc, i thought that was an amateur tournament??

I'm a newbie here and I know that I'm way in the minority on this. But I've been saying for years that the Olympics should go back to the way it was. With amateurs... whether it's no guys from the NBA, WTA, NHL and so on. I just think of the Olympics as a celebration of amatuer sport. I agree with the best vs the best thoughts out here... but why can't it be the best amateurs? Afterall, the World Juniors are more or less in this category unless they have been drafted and are playing under a professional contract and that's a great tournament (except the blowout games but I have an opinion on that as well).

Like I said, I know I'm in the minority.

Alex

Getting back to the OP I was real impressed by the Team Norway goalie. Things could've gotten real out of hand had it not been for him.

Originally Posted by Scottish

yeah but Rugby is the same way, Canada is all amateur and has a sense of pride, where as the Uk, Aus NZ are all payed players and there is not as much of a sense of pride as there used to be.

And What is the Spenglar Cup etc, i thought that was an amateur tournament??

Scottish:

The Spengler is a professional tourney featuring European club teams and Team Canada is mostly comprised of AHL Canadian-born players.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Alex