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NHL battle of the nations 1974–75

Canada won the 1974–75 nations league ahead of Sweden, when every country is weighed by how good its players are rather than how many there are. Sweden sits second. Counted in raw points Canada won, as always.

The nations league ranks the 3 countries with at least five NHL skaters in five disciplines and adds up the placings.

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1974–75Active season80/82 games
3 countries with at least five skaters. First in a category gets 3 points, second 2 and so on down to 1 for last. The table is the total.
1
CanadaCanada455 players
BOSBobby Orr135 ptsPHIBernie Parent44 W
Rate2ndTop trio1stBlue line2ndGoalies1stPer million1st
13pts
2
SwedenSweden5 players
LAKJuha Widing60 pts
Rate1stTop trio2ndBlue line1stGoalies3rdPer million2nd
11pts
3
USAUSA32 players
WSHTommy Williams58 ptsMNSPete Lopresti9 W
Rate3rdTop trio3rdBlue line3rdGoalies2ndPer million3rd
6pts
How the nations league is counted

Every country with at least five NHL skaters is ranked in five disciplines. First in a discipline is worth 3 points, second 2 and so on down to 1 for last. The league table is the sum. A shared placing gives the same points.

  • Points per gameAll the nation's skaters' points divided by their games, evened out toward the NHL average.
  • Best trioThe three best scorers' points combined.
  • Defencemen's points per gameThe defencemen's points per game, evened out the same way.
  • Goalies' save percentageThe goalies' save percentage, evened out toward the NHL average. A country without a goalie comes last.
  • NHL players per million inhabitantsHow many NHL players the country has per million inhabitants.

The rate disciplines are evened out so that a small country cannot win on one hot player: we add 400 games (300 for defencemen, 1,500 shots for goalies) at the NHL's own average before dividing. This season the NHL average is 0.55 points per game and player. A country with many games is barely affected; one with few is pulled toward the middle.

A player counts for his birth country, except Swedes, who count as Swedish wherever they were born. Players born in Sweden who represent another country count for no country. Regular season only, and only players with at least one game.

501 players and 12 918 points in the NHL this season.

Canada accounts for 93.1% of all NHL points with 90.8% of the players. Sweden has 1.0% of the players and 1.5% of the points, and sits third in raw points.

Total points

CanadaCanada
12 022
USAUSA
428
SwedenSweden
194

Goalie wins

CanadaCanada
587
USAUSA
12
SwedenSweden
0
The nations league's five categories plus raw points and player count. The higher value takes the round.
Sweden
Sweden
2nd in the league
2–5
Canada
Canada
1st in the league

Canada wins 5–2 against Sweden.

0.59Points per game0.55
156Best trio383
0.39Defencemen's points per game0.37
–Goalies' save percentage.891
0.5NHL players per million inhabitants11.3
194Total points12 022
5Players in the NHL455
Sweden against Canada season by season
Pick a rivalCanadaCanadaUSAUSA
The winner's flag above Sweden's placing. Sweden has won 5 of the last 30 seasons.
RussiaRussia7 titlesCzechiaCzechia7 titlesSwedenSweden5 titlesCanadaCanada4 titlesFinlandFinland3 titlesSlovakiaSlovakia2 titlesUSAUSA1 titleGermanyGermany1 title
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