I'm not really sure the 35% number is all that impressive. In fact, I'm 
surprised it isn't higher. Of course, to do a proper analysis of this 
factoid, one would have to know the number of U.S. college hockey players 
who graduated in, let's say, the last twenty years. This would have to be 
compared to the number of available hockey players from the rest of the 
world (but for simplicity, maybe just count, Canada and Sweden). Again, I 
select these two countries based on a wild guess that they are the biggest 
contributors of non-U.S. NHL players. Anybody out there have the real 
numbers?

Even if one could do the research and obtain the numbers suggested above 
and it turns out that the 35% U.S. college hockey player contribution is 
above the expected statistical likelyhood... would this really be 
impressive? Would the statistic be as impressive if it turned out that many 
of those U.S. college hockey players were actually from, oh... say, Canada? 
Maybe it would still be impressive because it would indicate that U.S. 
colleges are attractive enough to bring in players from across the border. 
Now I am wondering how many of 65% of the Stanley Cup participants with 
non-U.S. college hockey backgrounds are actually U.S. citizens. Wild guess 
time again... that number is probably statistically ignorable.

Maybe an easier approach to this (now ridiculous) investigation would be to 
just total up the number of NHL players who are of U.S. college backgrounds 
and compare to all the other NHL players. If this percentage is under 35%, 
then it's time to be impressed... because I suppose this would indicate 
that U.S. college players are better??? But one more wild guess... I 
strongly suspect that the percentage of NHL players with U.S. hockey 
college backgrounds is higher than 35%.

DISCLAIMER: This message is in no way a disparagement of U.S. college 
hockey players, the NCAA, Wally Shaver or Canadians! Just havin' some fun 
with the statistic in Wally's article, eh.

Dale Thomas
U of M
Go Gophers!

>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date:    Wed, 14 Jun 2006 08:48:36 -0400
>From:    "Dr. Bob Hamilton" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: NCAA in Stanley Cup Playoffs
>
>College route leads to Stanley Cup Finals
>By Wally Shaver   Let’s Play Hockey
>>> College hockey should be very proud of this year’s NHL Stanley Cup 
>>> finals.
>Did you know 35 percent of the players on the Edmonton vs. Carolina rosters
>come from U.S. college hockey backgrounds?   Pretty impressive, eh.<<
>
> Full story which includes other playoff teams' former college players can 
> be read at http://www.letsplayhockey.com/896shaver.html
>
>
>Bob Hamilton
>
>------------------------------
>
>End of Hockey-L Digest - 13 Jun 2006 to 15 Jun 2006 (#2006-113)
>***************************************************************
>