The difference with hockey (we don't have to specify "ice hockey" in Canada...) is that, now that there are lots of non-Canadians in the NHL, including many of the top stars, most of the national teams in the Olympics have their share of jaded millionaires.

Kind of like the World Cup of football ("soccer", we call it). Was there an era in the history of soccer when the British teams weren't dominant any more, and were starting to lose to other countries, and national pride in Britain was outraged?

I suspect that basketball will reach that situation in a few decades, as more and more non-Americans play in the NBA.