World Junior Hockey Championships - Day 1
Hi Hockey fans!
It's that time again - the traditional time for the Canadian hockey fan to gear up for the World Junior Hockey Championships. I don't know why, but we Canucks cherish this time of year. We love to cheer our boys in red and white and suffer through their ups and downs. It is enticing to see our favourite NHL teams' top junior prospects perform on the world stage. For most of us, it is another chance to cheer on Team Canada in one of its myriad forms.
Starting every Boxing Day, our family tradition has been to hang out at my parents' place to watch the tournament. Clumped around in the small living room, we cheer on the team, ever hoping for gold. You see, in Canada, it's not a matter of whether we medal or place, it's did we win gold. It's not that we're not proud of our teams, it's just that there are always high expectations for them.
We cheer their successes and suffer with them in their defeats. We dissect the roster and devote early hours to getting up to watch the games when they are in other time zones. I have yet to travel in support of the Junior Team, but I have spent countless hours gnawing my fingernails, groaning and cheering wildly over the years. In a way it seems only Canadians appear to understand, the tournament is deeply important to us.
The tournament started for Canada with a old-time rivalry game against the highly-skilled Russians. The opening period saw a lot of jitters from the Canadians, despite a home-town atmosphere. The Russians scored within the and seemed to be running away with the play. Out-skated and looking a bit lost, Team Canada got on the board by regaining some composure and playing the way they planned - cycle down low and take shots from the point with a big body in front. An up and down remainder of the period saw the teams exchange many chances off the rush.
Team Canada settled down and tried to control the play in period two with big hits and again the cycle game. This was countered by the flying Russians who used their speed and skill develop several clear breaks down the wings - also assisted by a propensity to float in behind the Canadian defence. Team Canada forged ahead by two one-goal leads, only to see the Russians come back and end the period in a tie.
Pre-tournament, there were questions about both team's goaltending. Neither Canadian goaltender had risen above the other during the evaluation camp or the pre-tournament warm-up games. Igor Bobkov, the massive Russian goalie, had not been playing particularly well for his club team, my home-town London Knights. A weak second goal in the second period from Olivier Roy and one by Bobkov didn't seem to create any confidence for either team, leaving them in a 3-3 tie. How would they fare in the third period?
Canada came out with a mission, stick to their game plan and hem the Russians in their own zone. The strategy appeared to work as they scored two power-play goals in just over two minutes. The Russians started to try to rely on individual rushes to reply, but were stymied by some fierce defensive play. They were forechecked hard during their one power-play of the period and were unable to mount any coordinated offence. Many Canadians began to breathe easier after the first two-goal advantage of the game. An exciting game, just like a Russia/Canada game should be. The final score was 6-3 after a late period tally off a face-off.
This year, we are the under-dogs entering round-robin play. The U.S. managed to wrangle the title away from us last year in Saskatoon and as they have 8 returning players on their team; they are the favourites to win this year's tournament on home ice. With the tournament being held in Buffalo, N.Y., so close to the Canadian border, there will be quite a few Canadian fans making the trek south of the border to see their boys play.
The pressure on the Americans is high, due to the 'home ice' advantage, the depth of returning players as well as the desire to not only win back-to-back championships, but to win on home soil for the first time. The 2005 team from the Grand Forks tournament is often called our best team ever and the many Canadians that made the trek down the highway from Manitoba often made the arenas feel like home ice. Will the fans be the 7th man for the 'Nucks or the Amerks?
It's that time again - the traditional time for the Canadian hockey fan to gear up for the World Junior Hockey Championships. I don't know why, but we Canucks cherish this time of year. We love to cheer our boys in red and white and suffer through their ups and downs. It is enticing to see our favourite NHL teams' top junior prospects perform on the world stage. For most of us, it is another chance to cheer on Team Canada in one of its myriad forms.
Starting every Boxing Day, our family tradition has been to hang out at my parents' place to watch the tournament. Clumped around in the small living room, we cheer on the team, ever hoping for gold. You see, in Canada, it's not a matter of whether we medal or place, it's did we win gold. It's not that we're not proud of our teams, it's just that there are always high expectations for them.
We cheer their successes and suffer with them in their defeats. We dissect the roster and devote early hours to getting up to watch the games when they are in other time zones. I have yet to travel in support of the Junior Team, but I have spent countless hours gnawing my fingernails, groaning and cheering wildly over the years. In a way it seems only Canadians appear to understand, the tournament is deeply important to us.
The tournament started for Canada with a old-time rivalry game against the highly-skilled Russians. The opening period saw a lot of jitters from the Canadians, despite a home-town atmosphere. The Russians scored within the and seemed to be running away with the play. Out-skated and looking a bit lost, Team Canada got on the board by regaining some composure and playing the way they planned - cycle down low and take shots from the point with a big body in front. An up and down remainder of the period saw the teams exchange many chances off the rush.
Team Canada settled down and tried to control the play in period two with big hits and again the cycle game. This was countered by the flying Russians who used their speed and skill develop several clear breaks down the wings - also assisted by a propensity to float in behind the Canadian defence. Team Canada forged ahead by two one-goal leads, only to see the Russians come back and end the period in a tie.
Pre-tournament, there were questions about both team's goaltending. Neither Canadian goaltender had risen above the other during the evaluation camp or the pre-tournament warm-up games. Igor Bobkov, the massive Russian goalie, had not been playing particularly well for his club team, my home-town London Knights. A weak second goal in the second period from Olivier Roy and one by Bobkov didn't seem to create any confidence for either team, leaving them in a 3-3 tie. How would they fare in the third period?
Canada came out with a mission, stick to their game plan and hem the Russians in their own zone. The strategy appeared to work as they scored two power-play goals in just over two minutes. The Russians started to try to rely on individual rushes to reply, but were stymied by some fierce defensive play. They were forechecked hard during their one power-play of the period and were unable to mount any coordinated offence. Many Canadians began to breathe easier after the first two-goal advantage of the game. An exciting game, just like a Russia/Canada game should be. The final score was 6-3 after a late period tally off a face-off.
This year, we are the under-dogs entering round-robin play. The U.S. managed to wrangle the title away from us last year in Saskatoon and as they have 8 returning players on their team; they are the favourites to win this year's tournament on home ice. With the tournament being held in Buffalo, N.Y., so close to the Canadian border, there will be quite a few Canadian fans making the trek south of the border to see their boys play.
The pressure on the Americans is high, due to the 'home ice' advantage, the depth of returning players as well as the desire to not only win back-to-back championships, but to win on home soil for the first time. The 2005 team from the Grand Forks tournament is often called our best team ever and the many Canadians that made the trek down the highway from Manitoba often made the arenas feel like home ice. Will the fans be the 7th man for the 'Nucks or the Amerks?