Disagree. We more than hold our own with the best teams in the world. We won the silver medal in the 2002 Olympics and the Bronze medal in the 2004 world championships. The US is third overall in Olympic ice hockey medals. In the World under 20 world championships, the US won the gold medal in 2004 and in the under 18 world championships the gold medal in 2002 and 2005 and the sliver medal in 2004.
The percentage of U.S.-born players in the NHL is at its highest point in six seasons. Opening day rosters contained 113 players from the United States, comprising 15.5 percent of the 728 players in the league. That is the highest it has been since 16 percent of players came from the United States in the 1997-98 season. The quality and numbers of US-born hockey players are on the rise. We can compete with the best.
Maybe, but here is another way to look at it. Take each position in the NHL: goalie, defenseman, left wing, center, and right wing. Now, think of the top 10 players at each position. How many USA players make any of these lists? Well, maybe Mike Modano at center, and (as much as I like Mike) even that is debatable. Maybe Keith Tchachuk (when healthy and in shape) at one of the other forward positions. But who else? Right now the top players in the NHL are either Canadian or European, not American.