America challenging Canada in producing our greatest export, hockey players?
Bring it on, says Hockey Canada.
"When I look at the demographics and as they build more arenas, they are going to have the numbers," said Bob Nicholson, Hockey Canada's president and CEO. "There are so many more Americans. If they continue to do what they've done in Dallas, St. Louis and other cities where the NHL teams built rinks, their numbers are going to continue to grow. They're getting those blue-chip athletes. It's good for them because it shows they're doing a good job promoting the sport. That's what we have to do here.
"We have a lot of new immigrants coming to our country and we can't just expect them to get skates for Christmas time. We've got to educate them. If you want to be a Canadian, join our game. We have to find different ways to do that. It's a challenge, but it's a good challenge. I think we're up to do that."
