Murphy plays for Spott
If Murphy was used correctly, he wouldnt that big of a liability.

The only thing for him now is to improve his defensive game, cuz a kid with that much offensive skill can be a threat

This I agree with. I know everyone is on Murphy's case, and I agree that he may not have been at the level defensively as other players may have been, but watching him rush up the ice and moving the puck, he had the offensive talent. All that was needed was to utilize him better and limiting his ice time to those situations.

The American's constant improvement I think has been a direct result of the NHLs southern expansion, typically before you would only really see kids in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan and North Eastern New York area play hockey and turn pro. Nowdays look at all the great hockey talent coming out of Texas, Colorado and California.

As more American kids get exposed to hockey, more of their natural gifted athletes hopefully will choose hockey and given their population size, only was a matter of time the US would rival Canada.

Sure US expansion has been a finanical disaster in the NHL, but I think in long run has been good for the growth of the game of hockey as a whole.
Posted via RS Mobile

Exactly, and since 2010, the US Hockey Program has capitalized on all the success on an international stage.

Southern Expansion may be a disaster, but look at the state of Texas and what Mike Modano and the stars have done. They believe in the game that it should grow from the kids and up. Not only have they built a fanbase within the kids from 15-20yrs ago, they now have buying power and could be putting their kids into hockey programs

It's not that Canada's hockey program has gotten worse per se, it's the fact that everybody else has improved their hockey programs.

^True, but the lockout should have benefited us the most. That was just a horrible tourney.