Turkmenistan - The New Hockey Power

Sirquacksalot · 04-11-2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AE

Nice to see that the new dicta... president

is continuing the legacy.
His predecessor was always a great source of crazy ideas who'd make you smile even in your darkest hours.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3554626.stm
"President Niyazov of Turkmenistan has ordered the construction of a palace made of ice in the heart of his desert country, one of the hottest on earth."

Don't you just love the totalitarian dictators of some countries, they can do what ever they want and the crazier the idea is, the better.
Niyazov was my favorite, renaming a month in the calendar after his mother and building statues of himself in gold, ice rinks in the middle of a desert.

Berdimuhamedow looks like a crazy one too, chances of a KHL team in Turkmenistan soon?

Silly southern markets.

**fly4apuckguy** · 04-11-2012, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rj

Well they did not have a team in Ice Hockey at the Asian Winter Games last year while countries like Thailand and Bahrain did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hoc...n_Winter_Games

Top Division:

Gold: Kazakhstan (goal difference in 4 games: 62 to 3)
Silver: Japan
Bronze: South Korea
4th: China
5th: Chinese Taipei (goal difference in 4 games: 1 to 85)

Premier Division:

6th: Kyrgyzstan
7th: Thailand
8th: United Arab Emirates
9th: Mongolia
10th: Malaysia
11th: Kuwait
12th: Bahrain

I wish I could have watched that tournament.

rj · 04-11-2012, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fly4apuckguy

I wish I could have watched that tournament.

**fly4apuckguy** · 04-11-2012, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rj

Thanks for the vids. It's nice to know that had I been born in any of those countries, I could still play on their national teams.

SB164 · 04-11-2012, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GCZ

Hard to argue with that.

I for one welcome the great country of Turkmenistan as our new hockey overlords.

All hail Niyazov

missingchicklet · 04-11-2012, 05:23 PM

A leader clearly with great taste in sports.

htpwn · 04-11-2012, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missingchicklet

A leader clearly with great taste in sports.

Sirquacksalot · 04-11-2012, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htpwn

Holy minimalism Batman! He was clearly modelling that after a soccer kit.

Robin Hood · 04-12-2012, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Refuse

I find it interesting that so far in this thread we're all supporting a dictatorship only because it is endorsing hockey.

Haha.. Nice troll attempt. Too bad noone was biting

Fighter · 04-12-2012, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinRuutu

Damn you Preds! I thought that Wings had the best scouting system and our scouts go to places where no one else want's to go...

Ducks fan and Preds bandwagoner, but your point works anyway

I wonder in all this were North Korea ranks in the hockey world. They shouldn't be that bad: not sure but when I was in Pyongyang I think the guide said they have hockey rinks too...

Back on topic, if UAE and Bahrain have a hockey national teams, Turkmenistan have all the rights to hope for a bright future...

Refuse · 04-12-2012, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovand

Haha.. Nice troll attempt. Too bad noone was biting

Nah it was a reflection... I caught myself thinking 'Oh that's great!' then 'hmmm'

Turk · 04-12-2012, 10:05 AM

They just called. My plane leaves tomorrow.

Franck · 02-26-2013, 01:40 PM

I saw this great story about a young goalie not giving up despite being absolutely shelled posted on Puck Daddy today, guess where the tournament took place?

It seems Turkmenistan are at least making some effort to put up the façade of improvement in hockey. I wonder how long it takes for them to achieve IIHF membership.

FinRuutu · 02-26-2013, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Franck

I saw this great story about a young goalie not giving up despite being absolutely shelled posted on Puck Daddy today, guess where the tournament took place?

It seems Turkmenistan are at least making some effort to put up the façade of improvement in hockey. I wonder how long it takes for them to achieve IIHF membership.

Didn't know that they have Finnish coach.

WarriorOfGandhi · 02-26-2013, 01:55 PM

hopefully they move the Canucks to Ashgabat

#57 · 02-26-2013, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by octopi

5.5 million people?

Good luck with that.

Maybe find a couple other ex Soviet republics to join up with.

Are you serious? It's on par with a ton of well-known hockey nations. Quebec, Norway, Finland, Denmark, etc

The Saurus · 02-26-2013, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by #57

Are you serious? It's on par with a ton of well-known hockey nations. Quebec, Norway, Finland, Denmark, etc

Quebec is a well-known hockey nation eh? They definitely don't receive any money from Hockey Canada, eh?

Caroline Says ll · 02-26-2013, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GCZ

Hard to argue with that.

I for one welcome the great country of Turkmenistan as our new hockey overlords.

Great reference

Theokritos · 02-26-2013, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarriorofTime

A country with about the population of Finland with no history of a hockey culture and a very poor populace. It's nice that a couple kids are playing hockey but it will be pretty much luck if they have a player come to the NHL any time soon. Think Slovenia and Kopitar.

That comparison makes no sense. Slovenia has a considerable history of hockey culture. You can find Slovenian players in NHL camps and in the American Hockey League as early as 1968.

**Imaginary Threats** · 02-26-2013, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theokritos

That comparison makes no sense. Slovenia has a considerable history of hockey culture. You can find Slovenian players in NHL camps and in the American Hockey League as early as 1968.

Exactly, Slovenia is a nation of sportsmen, they have a huge winter sports culture (#1 in ski jumping right now I believe) and hockey gets lots of funding.

**Swervin81** · 02-26-2013, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Franck

I saw this great story about a young goalie not giving up despite being absolutely shelled posted on Puck Daddy today, guess where the tournament took place?

It seems Turkmenistan are at least making some effort to put up the façade of improvement in hockey. I wonder how long it takes for them to achieve IIHF membership.

Alright, who stole my copy of NHL 06?

canadianmagpie · 02-26-2013, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Swartzwelder

looks like the best place to play hockey!

Is that Phoenix?

kaiser matias · 02-26-2013, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imaginary Threats

Exactly, Slovenia is a nation of sportsmen, they have a huge winter sports culture (#1 in ski jumping right now I believe) and hockey gets lots of funding.

So much funding that their most successful team, Acroni Jesenice (where Kopitar first played), folded back in September.

**Imaginary Threats** · 02-26-2013, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaiser matias

So much funding that their most successful team, Acroni Jesenice (where Kopitar first played), folded back in September.

Governing bodies don't fund professional teams, they fund grass roots development.

kaiser matias · 02-26-2013, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imaginary Threats

Governing bodies don't fund professional teams, they fund grass roots development.

Oh I know. I'm aware of the situation behind the demise of Acroni, just pointing out that their most successful team by far, where nearly all national team players were from, is now defunct.

And is the government really funding hockey that much there? It seems most of their progress has come from outside the country, whether players leaving at a young age to play abroad (see Kopitar for example), or teams like Acroni (until their demise) and Olympija Ljubljana playing in the Austrian league. Though surely participation in the Olympics next year will have some positive effect.