In the motherland of ice hockey, competition is fierce even at junior age. This also shapes the style of play of Switzerland's next test match opponent.
On February 28, 2010, the earth shakes in Vancouver. NHL superstar Sidney Crosby has just shot Canada to Olympic gold in overtime - against arch-rival USA of all teams. A whole country cheers. The TV viewing figures are an incredible 80 percent. For the next few days, there will only be one topic in the media: the Canadians' Olympic ice hockey victory.
"Ice field hockey is in the DNA of the Canadians. We love this sport," says Jan Alston,
former Canadian ice hockey professional and current sports director of HC Lausanne.
Lausanne. The outstanding importance of field hockey in Canada even goes so far
Canada even goes so far as to depict children playing ice hockey on the five-dollar bill.
Or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau openly wearing the shirt of his beloved
Montréal Canadiens.
Hardened by the Canadian cold
"Even the little ones are crazy about field hockey," says Alston, who was born in Granby, Québec.
Alston. "As a boy, you come home from school, do your homework as quickly as possible
homework, pack your skates and field hockey stick and go out to play hockey.
play ice hockey." Bruce Kidd, former Olympian and sports historian at the University of
sports historian at the University of Toronto: "In a country characterized by
inescapable and inhospitable cold, ice hockey is the dance of life, a confirmation
confirmation that we are still alive despite the deathly cold." But the cold also has
also has an advantage. It doesn't need much more than water, and ice hockey can be played in any
ice hockey can be played in any backyard. In Switzerland, this is generally only possible in the mountain
the mountain regions, the least populated part of the country.
The youngest field hockey players are united in "The Great White North", where even in the junior leagues
where even in the junior leagues, average attendances of up to 10,000 fans are not uncommon, a
dream: the NHL. And, of course, the Canadian national team. But the road
difficult, the competition is huge. There are 442,163 licensed juniors as of 2017.
In comparison, there are 14,382 in Switzerland in 2017.
