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Pish and tush! Running around in futility may be exhausting, but it is not demanding or greuling. They don't do it every other day for two months, they don't play the same team over and over to develop a good hatred, and they aren't even allowed to hit each other.

NHL, as wonderful as it is, may have players from around the globe, but the game is played on only one continent. World Cup is worldwide. And, yes, they do sometimes play every other day during qualifying rounds; and there are some very deep-seeded rivalries in virtually every league around the globe. Take Liverpool and Manchester United, for example. Or a bit closer to home ... US and Mexico. The Mexico team has a track record of firing coaches that lose to the US team. I think one has even been shot to death. Must've been a heretic. ;o)

NHL, as wonderful as it is, may have players from around the globe, but the game is played on only one continent. World Cup is worldwide.

I think it was just demonstrated that the best players from the world play in the NHL. People from all the hockey playing nations follow their favorite sons in the world's premier league. It is all that the World Cup is, without the bother of going to all those subpar nations to play the games.

And, I can not stress this enough, there is good old American (well, North American) violence.