![Thomas Malthus, who argued that famine and disease would prevent expansion of the Surrey League of Bowls by limiting the elite bowler population at [(pop)/(pop density)^2]/(teams per parish).](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IksLauwlYcVFToZ23ieTBtBnBI4=/0x75:230x228/1200x800/filters:focal(0x75:230x228)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/389065/thomas_malthus.jpg)
Because there are no games today (I know, I know, the Bronze Medal game, but come on), I am passing the time by taking a nation's population and dividing it by its number of current NHL players. [numbers are from Inside the Rink's breakdown of NHL players by nationality, and Google population searches -- all numbers are 2008]
And, yes, I know this is stupid.
- Canada: 83,487:1
- Finland: 156,258:1
- Czech Republic: 196,752:1
- Sweden: 204,444:1
- Slovakia: 318,001:1
- Brunei: 396,692:1
- Denmark: 1,832,333:1
- Switzerland: 1,907,651:1
- U.S.: 1,985,781:1
- Slovenia: 2,039,400:1
- Latvia: 2,266,013:1
- Belarus: 3,226,666:1
- Norway: 4,700,000:1
- Russia: 5,251,851:1
- Germany: 10,267,505:1
- S. Korea: 48,607,000:1