2004-2005 World Junior Championship Thread

[puck_it]

GOOD MG, we dominate in the third ;)

oh yeah its great to see Bucci :D

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Bucci and Barry both seem awfully hopeful that a CBA deal will get worked out by the 16th. We'll see.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Bucci and Barry both seem awfully hopeful that a CBA deal will get worked out by the 16th. We'll see.

[puck_it]

haha yeah they are very optimistic.

attn ref: call the damn penalty shot. good job ****ing us over. thanks.

[puck_it]

haha yeah they are very optimistic.

attn ref: call the damn penalty shot. good job ****ing us over. thanks.

[puck_it]

damn :cry: i hate that ref. and that russian team for being taunting asses

[puck_it]

damn :cry: i hate that ref. and that russian team for being taunting asses

[apolinar]

Just a touch of Ilya Kovalchukesse as far as the excessive celebrations and diving from the Russian team in the end. Was there something that brought that on? I didn't see any poor sportsmanship from the U.S. to warrant that... was there any?

[apolinar]

Just a touch of Ilya Kovalchukesse as far as the excessive celebrations and diving from the Russian team in the end. Was there something that brought that on? I didn't see any poor sportsmanship from the U.S. to warrant that... was there any?

[puck_it]

Just a touch of Ilya Kovalchukesse as far as the excessive celebrations and diving from the Russian team in the end. Was there something that brought that on? I didn't see any poor sportsmanship from the U.S. to warrant that... was there any?

the last stoppage in play *after* the russian bull, O'sullivan was yelling over the glass at an assitant coach and some players. had it been NHL, the two would have gone at it, looked like he was trying to get them to.

[puck_it]

Just a touch of Ilya Kovalchukesse as far as the excessive celebrations and diving from the Russian team in the end. Was there something that brought that on? I didn't see any poor sportsmanship from the U.S. to warrant that... was there any?

the last stoppage in play *after* the russian bull, O'sullivan was yelling over the glass at an assitant coach and some players. had it been NHL, the two would have gone at it, looked like he was trying to get them to.

[SoCalcaniac]

Bucci and Barry both seem awfully hopeful that a CBA deal will get worked out by the 16th. We'll see.

Boy were they a sight for sore eyes eh? and I too, noted that extreme optomism- (ok, maybe I've been listening too much of Canadian radio and I'm all out of faith!) and boy did Mr. SoCal continue to sound like a Melrose clone with his own brand of optimism. I just pray for my hub's sake that there is a season, because it sure won't be pretty in the SoCal house if things go the way I expect them to. :cry:

I am soooooo disappointed by the outcome of the USA v Russia game. I did not appreciate any of that taunting, showboating stuff that went down in the last minutes of the game- I thought Ovechkin and Malkin should have showed some leadership there and moved on. And don't think the Canadian kids didn't take note of that mess- the diving-for-calls deal really irked me as well. :mad:

I am still ticked that ESPN didn't opt to show the gold medal game if the US didn't make it to that round- I mean, do they have to show yet another episode of the World Series of Poker??? They're a sports network. POKER IS NOT A SPORT.

Overall, my disappointment with the US Team is on so many levels- the coaching- the defensive lapses, the goaltending, and all of the miscues as a unit- the biggest bright spot would be Special K........ that kid- OMG, he's got 'it'. And for Gretzy to compliment the kid, nice.

Did anyone get a load of Panger? He looked like a kid in a candy store, the glee in his eyes :D Made me miss all things hockey that much more.

Good Luck team Canada, you don't need it, but good luck, and congrats! :canada:

[SoCalcaniac]

Bucci and Barry both seem awfully hopeful that a CBA deal will get worked out by the 16th. We'll see.

Boy were they a sight for sore eyes eh? and I too, noted that extreme optomism- (ok, maybe I've been listening too much of Canadian radio and I'm all out of faith!) and boy did Mr. SoCal continue to sound like a Melrose clone with his own brand of optimism. I just pray for my hub's sake that there is a season, because it sure won't be pretty in the SoCal house if things go the way I expect them to. :cry:

I am soooooo disappointed by the outcome of the USA v Russia game. I did not appreciate any of that taunting, showboating stuff that went down in the last minutes of the game- I thought Ovechkin and Malkin should have showed some leadership there and moved on. And don't think the Canadian kids didn't take note of that mess- the diving-for-calls deal really irked me as well. :mad:

I am still ticked that ESPN didn't opt to show the gold medal game if the US didn't make it to that round- I mean, do they have to show yet another episode of the World Series of Poker??? They're a sports network. POKER IS NOT A SPORT.

Overall, my disappointment with the US Team is on so many levels- the coaching- the defensive lapses, the goaltending, and all of the miscues as a unit- the biggest bright spot would be Special K........ that kid- OMG, he's got 'it'. And for Gretzy to compliment the kid, nice.

Did anyone get a load of Panger? He looked like a kid in a candy store, the glee in his eyes :D Made me miss all things hockey that much more.

Good Luck team Canada, you don't need it, but good luck, and congrats! :canada:

[Shell]

I encourage everyone to send them an email to let them know it is an atrocity that they are not showing the gold medal game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sitetools/s/contact/espntv.html

[Shell]

I encourage everyone to send them an email to let them know it is an atrocity that they are not showing the gold medal game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sitetools/s/contact/espntv.html

[Anonymous]

I encourage everyone to send them an email to let them know it is an atrocity that they are not showing the gold medal game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sitetools/s/contact/espntv.html

Thanks Shell- Great idea..... I just sent an email...... Not that it'll help- but I feel better :mad:

Surely there is a way of getting the TSN feed addded to the sports packages on Satellite and Digital cable- I mean, I get the NY feed for all 4 networks and I get the L.A. feed for all 4 networks on DirecTV, and if I remember right, when I was in TO to see the Canes play the Creeps, we had NBC, CBS, ABC and ESPN @ The Westin Harbour Castle where we stayed- don't Canadians get our networks? Am I reaching for straws here? :lol:

[Anonymous]

I encourage everyone to send them an email to let them know it is an atrocity that they are not showing the gold medal game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sitetools/s/contact/espntv.html

Thanks Shell- Great idea..... I just sent an email...... Not that it'll help- but I feel better :mad:

Surely there is a way of getting the TSN feed addded to the sports packages on Satellite and Digital cable- I mean, I get the NY feed for all 4 networks and I get the L.A. feed for all 4 networks on DirecTV, and if I remember right, when I was in TO to see the Canes play the Creeps, we had NBC, CBS, ABC and ESPN @ The Westin Harbour Castle where we stayed- don't Canadians get our networks? Am I reaching for straws here? :lol:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

I love e-mailing ESPN. Gives me a chance to call them the "basketball and poker network."

Are they broadcasting the bronze medal game? I forgot to listen for that info.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

I love e-mailing ESPN. Gives me a chance to call them the "basketball and poker network."

Are they broadcasting the bronze medal game? I forgot to listen for that info.

[Anonymous]

the last stoppage in play *after* the russian bull, O'sullivan was yelling over the glass at an assitant coach and some players. had it been NHL, the two would have gone at it, looked like he was trying to get them to.

O'Sullivan was obviously reacting to the showboating at that point. He wasn't taunting, just upset over the behavior of the Russian players at that point. He was gesturing, "what are you thinking?" as he pointed to his head. The showboating had been done long before O'Sullivan started questioning why, and the russian team and the language gap obviously took him as taunting them when he wasn't. The Russian behavior was sparked way before that incident.

[Anonymous]

the last stoppage in play *after* the russian bull, O'sullivan was yelling over the glass at an assitant coach and some players. had it been NHL, the two would have gone at it, looked like he was trying to get them to.

O'Sullivan was obviously reacting to the showboating at that point. He wasn't taunting, just upset over the behavior of the Russian players at that point. He was gesturing, "what are you thinking?" as he pointed to his head. The showboating had been done long before O'Sullivan started questioning why, and the russian team and the language gap obviously took him as taunting them when he wasn't. The Russian behavior was sparked way before that incident.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

As sad as I was that USA was losing, I had to laugh when the yelling over the glass that puck_it mentions was going on and one of the Russian coachs just pointed up at the score board, lol. :angel:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

As sad as I was that USA was losing, I had to laugh when the yelling over the glass that puck_it mentions was going on and one of the Russian coachs just pointed up at the score board, lol. :angel:

[Anonymous]

I love e-mailing ESPN. Gives me a chance to call them the "basketball and poker network."

Are they broadcasting the bronze medal game? I forgot to listen for that info.

SHC- nope, they're not. That game comes on at 4:30 EST so apparently, that'll cut into daytime poker programming. :roll: But if you've got internet sound during the workday, you can listen on fan590.com...... they're playing both games.

As sad as I was that USA was losing, I had to laugh when the yelling over the glass that puck_it mentions was going on and one of the Russian coachs just pointed up at the score board, lol.


Yeah, funniest damn thing SHC- hubby looked at me and says 'did you see that dude? he's pointing at the scoreboard!' I said yeah, he's learned American cockiness customs eh? ;) LOL..

[Anonymous]

I love e-mailing ESPN. Gives me a chance to call them the "basketball and poker network."

Are they broadcasting the bronze medal game? I forgot to listen for that info.

SHC- nope, they're not. That game comes on at 4:30 EST so apparently, that'll cut into daytime poker programming. :roll: But if you've got internet sound during the workday, you can listen on fan590.com...... they're playing both games.

As sad as I was that USA was losing, I had to laugh when the yelling over the glass that puck_it mentions was going on and one of the Russian coachs just pointed up at the score board, lol.


Yeah, funniest damn thing SHC- hubby looked at me and says 'did you see that dude? he's pointing at the scoreboard!' I said yeah, he's learned American cockiness customs eh? ;) LOL..

[guinevere]

Yeah, funniest damn thing SHC- hubby looked at me and says 'did you see that dude? he's pointing at the scoreboard!' I said yeah, he's learned American cockiness customs eh? LOL..

and blowing kisses no less. :beatup:

I wrote ESPN something to the effect that I understood that poker and strong women competitions were the glue that held society together but to please consider throwing the hockey deprived huddled masses a bone and show the game.

[guinevere]

Yeah, funniest damn thing SHC- hubby looked at me and says 'did you see that dude? he's pointing at the scoreboard!' I said yeah, he's learned American cockiness customs eh? LOL..

and blowing kisses no less. :beatup:

I wrote ESPN something to the effect that I understood that poker and strong women competitions were the glue that held society together but to please consider throwing the hockey deprived huddled masses a bone and show the game.

[puck_it]

the last stoppage in play *after* the russian bull, O'sullivan was yelling over the glass at an assitant coach and some players. had it been NHL, the two would have gone at it, looked like he was trying to get them to.

O'Sullivan was obviously reacting to the showboating at that point. He wasn't taunting, just upset over the behavior of the Russian players at that point. He was gesturing, "what are you thinking?" as he pointed to his head. The showboating had been done long before O'Sullivan started questioning why, and the russian team and the language gap obviously took him as taunting them when he wasn't. The Russian behavior was sparked way before that incident.

exactly why i put stars on the after. he was doing what any sane minded person would do. :)

[puck_it]

the last stoppage in play *after* the russian bull, O'sullivan was yelling over the glass at an assitant coach and some players. had it been NHL, the two would have gone at it, looked like he was trying to get them to.

O'Sullivan was obviously reacting to the showboating at that point. He wasn't taunting, just upset over the behavior of the Russian players at that point. He was gesturing, "what are you thinking?" as he pointed to his head. The showboating had been done long before O'Sullivan started questioning why, and the russian team and the language gap obviously took him as taunting them when he wasn't. The Russian behavior was sparked way before that incident.

exactly why i put stars on the after. he was doing what any sane minded person would do. :)

[puck_it]

any body know any Canadians who can stream video? :) got any buddies Aaryn?

[puck_it]

any body know any Canadians who can stream video? :) got any buddies Aaryn?

[AbNormal27]

any body know any Canadians who can stream video? :) got any buddies Aaryn?

Sorry, can't help ya.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

any body know any Canadians who can stream video? :) got any buddies Aaryn?

Sorry, can't help ya.

Aaryn

[Night Train]

Question for those who have seen any of the Canada games. Who is Ladd on a line with? Just curious.

[Night Train]

Question for those who have seen any of the Canada games. Who is Ladd on a line with? Just curious.

[AbNormal27]

McKenzie: An eye on Ovechkin and Malkin

We really shouldn't be talking about taunting as we go into the gold medal game between Canada and Russia, as that's hardly the focus.

Having said that, some of the guys on Russia that are guilty of this taunting happen to be their absolute best players, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.

Ovechkin and Malkin may be the best two players in this tournament - we'll find that out at the gold medal game on Tuesday - but taunting has the potential to cause some problems and here's why.

At the beginning of a period, Ovechkin's ritual is often to skate down before the puck is dropped and pretend to be shooting at the goaltender and scoring.

The Americans were shocked to see this happen and didn't do anything about it, but Canada has already told the IIHF that they better make sure Ovechkin stays on his side of the ice. If not, there's potential for huge problems.

The biggest thing the IIHF could do is to call the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. When you see somebody behaving in an unsportsmanlike fashion, call a two-minute minor and that will be the end of it.

For TSN.ca, Im Bob McKenzie.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

McKenzie: An eye on Ovechkin and Malkin

We really shouldn't be talking about taunting as we go into the gold medal game between Canada and Russia, as that's hardly the focus.

Having said that, some of the guys on Russia that are guilty of this taunting happen to be their absolute best players, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.

Ovechkin and Malkin may be the best two players in this tournament - we'll find that out at the gold medal game on Tuesday - but taunting has the potential to cause some problems and here's why.

At the beginning of a period, Ovechkin's ritual is often to skate down before the puck is dropped and pretend to be shooting at the goaltender and scoring.

The Americans were shocked to see this happen and didn't do anything about it, but Canada has already told the IIHF that they better make sure Ovechkin stays on his side of the ice. If not, there's potential for huge problems.

The biggest thing the IIHF could do is to call the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. When you see somebody behaving in an unsportsmanlike fashion, call a two-minute minor and that will be the end of it.

For TSN.ca, Im Bob McKenzie.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Question for those who have seen any of the Canada games. Who is Ladd on a line with? Just curious.

Ladd is playing with Getzlaf and Carter.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Question for those who have seen any of the Canada games. Who is Ladd on a line with? Just curious.

Ladd is playing with Getzlaf and Carter.

Aaryn

[nccanes]

The Americans were shocked to see this happen and didn't do anything about it, but Canada has already told the IIHF that they better make sure Ovechkin stays on his side of the ice. If not, there's potential for huge problems.

The biggest thing the IIHF could do is to call the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. When you see somebody behaving in an unsportsmanlike fashion, call a two-minute minor and that will be the end of it.





Might I ask why the refs didn't talk to the Russian bench prior to now, or called a penalty prior to now? Why allow something that is unsporting to continue at all and lead to the population of Canada and the entirety of Hockey Canada to get worked up about it.

I have to say, after seeing the jubiliant Canadian fans going bonkers when the Swedes scored first against the US, I was thinking of returning the favor in the Gold Medal game and pull for whomever else was playing them, but seeing a U20 team (even if it's got NHL draftees on the roster) acting like a bunch of fools has changed my mind. No place for that at all.

I love jubilant goal celebrations, but taunting has no place in sport - IMO.

So, Go Canada! :canada:

Oh - and I nearly wept when I saw Bucci and Barry. I'm visiting my parents and despite my mother being in the midst of a story that had some importance, I made her stop so I could hear them speak, lol!

SoCal, Pang looked great. But I thought they'd probably jinx the USA because they got all geared up for the semis and finals, and the USA will go and lose the game.

Oh - I read on a different board that a good nickname for Ovechkin would be "Robo-Cap". I thought it was funny (until last night) and would settle for "cocky SOB" now, lol.

I'm going to stop in Columbia, SC on my way home tomorrow and catch the Everblades game vs. the Inferno. :D

[nccanes]

The Americans were shocked to see this happen and didn't do anything about it, but Canada has already told the IIHF that they better make sure Ovechkin stays on his side of the ice. If not, there's potential for huge problems.

The biggest thing the IIHF could do is to call the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. When you see somebody behaving in an unsportsmanlike fashion, call a two-minute minor and that will be the end of it.





Might I ask why the refs didn't talk to the Russian bench prior to now, or called a penalty prior to now? Why allow something that is unsporting to continue at all and lead to the population of Canada and the entirety of Hockey Canada to get worked up about it.

I have to say, after seeing the jubiliant Canadian fans going bonkers when the Swedes scored first against the US, I was thinking of returning the favor in the Gold Medal game and pull for whomever else was playing them, but seeing a U20 team (even if it's got NHL draftees on the roster) acting like a bunch of fools has changed my mind. No place for that at all.

I love jubilant goal celebrations, but taunting has no place in sport - IMO.

So, Go Canada! :canada:

Oh - and I nearly wept when I saw Bucci and Barry. I'm visiting my parents and despite my mother being in the midst of a story that had some importance, I made her stop so I could hear them speak, lol!

SoCal, Pang looked great. But I thought they'd probably jinx the USA because they got all geared up for the semis and finals, and the USA will go and lose the game.

Oh - I read on a different board that a good nickname for Ovechkin would be "Robo-Cap". I thought it was funny (until last night) and would settle for "cocky SOB" now, lol.

I'm going to stop in Columbia, SC on my way home tomorrow and catch the Everblades game vs. the Inferno. :D

[puck_it]

cocky-SOB it is!

aww shucks too bad you cant help with the game Aaryn. Just have to do all the cheering for an entire freaking nation ;) i will be watching poker or basketball :roll:

[puck_it]

cocky-SOB it is!

aww shucks too bad you cant help with the game Aaryn. Just have to do all the cheering for an entire freaking nation ;) i will be watching poker or basketball :roll:

[SoCalcaniac]

Might I ask why the refs didn't talk to the Russian bench prior to now, or called a penalty prior to now? Why allow something that is unsporting to continue at all and lead to the population of Canada and the entirety of Hockey Canada to get worked up about it.

I have to say, after seeing the jubiliant Canadian fans going bonkers when the Swedes scored first against the US, I was thinking of returning the favor in the Gold Medal game and pull for whomever else was playing them, but seeing a U20 team (even if it's got NHL draftees on the roster) acting like a bunch of fools has changed my mind. No place for that at all.

I love jubilant goal celebrations, but taunting has no place in sport - IMO.

So, Go Canada!

Oh - and I nearly wept when I saw Bucci and Barry. I'm visiting my parents and despite my mother being in the midst of a story that had some importance, I made her stop so I could hear them speak, lol!

SoCal, Pang looked great. But I thought they'd probably jinx the USA because they got all geared up for the semis and finals, and the USA will go and lose the game.

Oh - I read on a different board that a good nickname for Ovechkin would be "Robo-Cap". I thought it was funny (until last night) and would settle for "cocky SOB" now, lol.

Cocky SOB probably hits it just right.....Totally disappointed in Ovechkin. All that talk of him respecting the game, his reverence for North American play, blah, blah, blah, really isn't true and I'm sure George McPhee was shaking his head up in the stands with that act.

E- LOL, LOL on your mom story- I would've done the same thing! :)

The Canadians hooting at the US v SWE game made me chuckle for some unknown reason - I get a really funny kick out of seeing Canadian fans draped in the Maple Leaf and brimming with Pride. Makes me chuckle uncontrollably. :crazy: I remember when we went up to Columbus for the pre tourney games the week of Team USA's WC of Hockey training camp. Right before the USA v Canada game, we park our car in a lot near Nationwide arena- could've gotten closer, but I made hubby park in this particular lot because in the lot was two cars- don't know the make or models- parked facing the arena on a slope away from all of the other cars- ADORNED in HUMONGOUS Canadian Flags. You couldn't see what kind of cars they were because of the flags. The guys who the cars belonged to were tailgating, they see our car and the Canes vanity plate and they called out- "You came up here from Carolina for pre tourney?" (tone in voices very bewildered LOL) and we shout back "yep, we're here for the week...." showed them some pics we took with Shane Doan, Richards, St. Louis and Pat Quinn- they tell us, they drove from London, ONT- we get the Don Cherry Thumbs Up and they offered us a Molson- which we politely declined as we don't drink and off we went, making friends through hockey...... LOL. Best story next to seeing Gretzky just this close during the week.....

Go Canada....the pride of a Nation is on the line- and like I've said before, it just means so MUCH more to them..... you have your 'haters' here, but it's a friendly hater thing LOL .... :canada: ;)

I like that Ladd, Getzlaf, Carter line..... that dude that calls the games on the Fan590, you can tell he just gets all amped when they're out there :lol:

[SoCalcaniac]

Might I ask why the refs didn't talk to the Russian bench prior to now, or called a penalty prior to now? Why allow something that is unsporting to continue at all and lead to the population of Canada and the entirety of Hockey Canada to get worked up about it.

I have to say, after seeing the jubiliant Canadian fans going bonkers when the Swedes scored first against the US, I was thinking of returning the favor in the Gold Medal game and pull for whomever else was playing them, but seeing a U20 team (even if it's got NHL draftees on the roster) acting like a bunch of fools has changed my mind. No place for that at all.

I love jubilant goal celebrations, but taunting has no place in sport - IMO.

So, Go Canada!

Oh - and I nearly wept when I saw Bucci and Barry. I'm visiting my parents and despite my mother being in the midst of a story that had some importance, I made her stop so I could hear them speak, lol!

SoCal, Pang looked great. But I thought they'd probably jinx the USA because they got all geared up for the semis and finals, and the USA will go and lose the game.

Oh - I read on a different board that a good nickname for Ovechkin would be "Robo-Cap". I thought it was funny (until last night) and would settle for "cocky SOB" now, lol.

Cocky SOB probably hits it just right.....Totally disappointed in Ovechkin. All that talk of him respecting the game, his reverence for North American play, blah, blah, blah, really isn't true and I'm sure George McPhee was shaking his head up in the stands with that act.

E- LOL, LOL on your mom story- I would've done the same thing! :)

The Canadians hooting at the US v SWE game made me chuckle for some unknown reason - I get a really funny kick out of seeing Canadian fans draped in the Maple Leaf and brimming with Pride. Makes me chuckle uncontrollably. :crazy: I remember when we went up to Columbus for the pre tourney games the week of Team USA's WC of Hockey training camp. Right before the USA v Canada game, we park our car in a lot near Nationwide arena- could've gotten closer, but I made hubby park in this particular lot because in the lot was two cars- don't know the make or models- parked facing the arena on a slope away from all of the other cars- ADORNED in HUMONGOUS Canadian Flags. You couldn't see what kind of cars they were because of the flags. The guys who the cars belonged to were tailgating, they see our car and the Canes vanity plate and they called out- "You came up here from Carolina for pre tourney?" (tone in voices very bewildered LOL) and we shout back "yep, we're here for the week...." showed them some pics we took with Shane Doan, Richards, St. Louis and Pat Quinn- they tell us, they drove from London, ONT- we get the Don Cherry Thumbs Up and they offered us a Molson- which we politely declined as we don't drink and off we went, making friends through hockey...... LOL. Best story next to seeing Gretzky just this close during the week.....

Go Canada....the pride of a Nation is on the line- and like I've said before, it just means so MUCH more to them..... you have your 'haters' here, but it's a friendly hater thing LOL .... :canada: ;)

I like that Ladd, Getzlaf, Carter line..... that dude that calls the games on the Fan590, you can tell he just gets all amped when they're out there :lol:

[SoCalcaniac]

Ya know, having read and listened to several interviews with these kids and the coaches- I was starting to think it was just me when I thought they all seemed stepford-like :lol: - it's almost like they've joined a cult similar to the NHLPA in which they don't say a peep about last years loss to us :eek: ???? Burnside is a great writer, he had me chuckling over this. Poor kids- oh, the stress they must be under......

Sunday, January 2, 2005

By Scott Burnside
Special to ESPN.com
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The more Team Canada players insist they aren't thinking about the disastrous fashion in which their gold medal hopes went down the tubes at last year's World Junior Championship, the bigger the giant pink elephant that's taken up residence in the Canadian dressing room gets. You know the kind in the corner that no one will talk about.

Or, a guy named William Shakespeare once pointed out, "the puck boys from the north doth protest too much, methinks."

Or something like that.

In fact there's something a little creepy about the Canadians' determined, if polite, refusal to discuss blowing a 3-1 third-period lead against the Americans and losing the 2004 championship game 4-3, their only loss of the tournament. Creepy INDEED. What's up with that?

"It's totally past right now. Nobody's dwelling on it at all. Everybody's put it out of their mind and is really focusing on this year," said captain Mike Richards after the Canadians enjoyed their last practice prior to Tuesday night's gold medal game against Russia. "It's a totally different year right now. Different circumstances, different team we're playing, different really everything. Different guys on the team, different coaching staff, we're going to look for a different result I guess."

Sure, the names and teams and dates have changed, but it's still the same situation until Canada bests Russia and gives the heave-ho to the aforementioned pachyderm.

Even if the entire Canadian roster appears to have been stricken with selective amnesia, :laugh: an entire nation north of the 49th parallel recalls that it wasn't so much the loss but the excruciating manner in which it unfolded.


Leading 3-1, Canada watched as the Americans tied the game midway through the third period. Then, with 5:12 left in regulation, netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, the No. 1 draft pick the previous summer on loan from the Pittsburgh Penguins, sent a clearing pass that caromed off defenseman and teammate Braydon Coburn and trickled over the goal line for the winner.

Even now it's not clear whether the puck hit Coburn's shoulder or elbow or butt. Coburn, the eighth pick overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in last summer's draft, doesn't shed much light on the subject.

"Well. It's really not in my mind right now," he said. "I'm really concentrating and focused on the task at hand and the game tomorrow."

Continued discussion of the subject brings a look to Coburn's face that resembles someone suffering from kidney stones. Spies captured on foreign soil regularly give up information more freely than Coburn on whether it was difficult to recover from the goal and the loss.

"I tried to conduct myself as a professional. You just move on and you're ready for the next game and that's how I deal with it," Coburn said.

Well, did he remember the play? Did he realize what had happened at the time?

"Ah. I don't know," he said. "Like I said again, we're concentrating on tomorrow. That's pretty much all that's in our mind right now." :eek: :eek: :eek: Poor kid, it wasn't his fault, he was just in the wrong place wrong time- and now they've erased his memory of the whole incident :laugh:

Canada, which consistently ices among the best teams in this tournament, failed to win gold since 1997. And with three straight silver medals, second place is starting to get old.


This year's team has lived up to its pre-tournament billing one of Canada's best ever. It is undefeated at 5-0 and has outscored opponents 35-6. In Sunday's semifinal it held the Czech Republic to 11 shots.


The Russians, led by offensive sensations Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, should provide the sternest test yet for Canada. But most observers, including U.S. head coach Scott Sandelin, whose team Russia waxed 7-2 in semifinal play Sunday, are picking Canada to win. Such predictions have a familiar ring to the Canadian players and only serve to reinforce their Stepford Wives-like refusal to dwell on past failures. Even the guys who weren't part of last year's team are in lock step with the memory-cleansing program.


"I didn't have a chance to watch it. I heard about it but it was last year. I don't even want to talk about it," said the perpetually upbeat Patrice Bergeron, who was playing with the NHL's Boston Bruins when the fateful goal was scored. "People in that room, I don't think they live in the past, they live in this tournament right now. We're where we wanted to be; we're in the gold-medal game. It's in our hands now." Wow-wee; it's a sore spot alright- even the normally very sweet Bergeron? I know he may not have had 'a chance to watch it' but surely he saw highlights and replays...??? : :crazy:

Colin Fraser, a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2003, reacted as though he was being questioned about a stolen car or international espionage: "Ah, I wasn't there. I wasn't part of it. I don't know what was going on there. Tomorrow's game is what's important. We don't talk about it. It's obviously unfortunate and for those guys that were there they get a second chance." I get that he 'wasn't there- but c'mon? He's a Canadian! He was glued to the set just like the entire country- no doubt aboUt it!

Head coach Brent Sutter, who wasn't part of the coaching staff last year, only vaguely referred to last year's outcome.

"To be honest, I'm not concerned about that [distractions] because we do have a lot of returning guys. To me that's motivation from what might have happened in the past," Sutter said.

As for Coburn, we apologize for dragging up such painful memories. It was, after all, a rather unfortunate set of circumstances.


"Yeah," he said, grimacing, "it was."

[SoCalcaniac]

Ya know, having read and listened to several interviews with these kids and the coaches- I was starting to think it was just me when I thought they all seemed stepford-like :lol: - it's almost like they've joined a cult similar to the NHLPA in which they don't say a peep about last years loss to us :eek: ???? Burnside is a great writer, he had me chuckling over this. Poor kids- oh, the stress they must be under......

Sunday, January 2, 2005

By Scott Burnside
Special to ESPN.com
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The more Team Canada players insist they aren't thinking about the disastrous fashion in which their gold medal hopes went down the tubes at last year's World Junior Championship, the bigger the giant pink elephant that's taken up residence in the Canadian dressing room gets. You know the kind in the corner that no one will talk about.

Or, a guy named William Shakespeare once pointed out, "the puck boys from the north doth protest too much, methinks."

Or something like that.

In fact there's something a little creepy about the Canadians' determined, if polite, refusal to discuss blowing a 3-1 third-period lead against the Americans and losing the 2004 championship game 4-3, their only loss of the tournament. Creepy INDEED. What's up with that?

"It's totally past right now. Nobody's dwelling on it at all. Everybody's put it out of their mind and is really focusing on this year," said captain Mike Richards after the Canadians enjoyed their last practice prior to Tuesday night's gold medal game against Russia. "It's a totally different year right now. Different circumstances, different team we're playing, different really everything. Different guys on the team, different coaching staff, we're going to look for a different result I guess."

Sure, the names and teams and dates have changed, but it's still the same situation until Canada bests Russia and gives the heave-ho to the aforementioned pachyderm.

Even if the entire Canadian roster appears to have been stricken with selective amnesia, :laugh: an entire nation north of the 49th parallel recalls that it wasn't so much the loss but the excruciating manner in which it unfolded.


Leading 3-1, Canada watched as the Americans tied the game midway through the third period. Then, with 5:12 left in regulation, netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, the No. 1 draft pick the previous summer on loan from the Pittsburgh Penguins, sent a clearing pass that caromed off defenseman and teammate Braydon Coburn and trickled over the goal line for the winner.

Even now it's not clear whether the puck hit Coburn's shoulder or elbow or butt. Coburn, the eighth pick overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in last summer's draft, doesn't shed much light on the subject.

"Well. It's really not in my mind right now," he said. "I'm really concentrating and focused on the task at hand and the game tomorrow."

Continued discussion of the subject brings a look to Coburn's face that resembles someone suffering from kidney stones. Spies captured on foreign soil regularly give up information more freely than Coburn on whether it was difficult to recover from the goal and the loss.

"I tried to conduct myself as a professional. You just move on and you're ready for the next game and that's how I deal with it," Coburn said.

Well, did he remember the play? Did he realize what had happened at the time?

"Ah. I don't know," he said. "Like I said again, we're concentrating on tomorrow. That's pretty much all that's in our mind right now." :eek: :eek: :eek: Poor kid, it wasn't his fault, he was just in the wrong place wrong time- and now they've erased his memory of the whole incident :laugh:

Canada, which consistently ices among the best teams in this tournament, failed to win gold since 1997. And with three straight silver medals, second place is starting to get old.


This year's team has lived up to its pre-tournament billing one of Canada's best ever. It is undefeated at 5-0 and has outscored opponents 35-6. In Sunday's semifinal it held the Czech Republic to 11 shots.


The Russians, led by offensive sensations Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, should provide the sternest test yet for Canada. But most observers, including U.S. head coach Scott Sandelin, whose team Russia waxed 7-2 in semifinal play Sunday, are picking Canada to win. Such predictions have a familiar ring to the Canadian players and only serve to reinforce their Stepford Wives-like refusal to dwell on past failures. Even the guys who weren't part of last year's team are in lock step with the memory-cleansing program.


"I didn't have a chance to watch it. I heard about it but it was last year. I don't even want to talk about it," said the perpetually upbeat Patrice Bergeron, who was playing with the NHL's Boston Bruins when the fateful goal was scored. "People in that room, I don't think they live in the past, they live in this tournament right now. We're where we wanted to be; we're in the gold-medal game. It's in our hands now." Wow-wee; it's a sore spot alright- even the normally very sweet Bergeron? I know he may not have had 'a chance to watch it' but surely he saw highlights and replays...??? : :crazy:

Colin Fraser, a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2003, reacted as though he was being questioned about a stolen car or international espionage: "Ah, I wasn't there. I wasn't part of it. I don't know what was going on there. Tomorrow's game is what's important. We don't talk about it. It's obviously unfortunate and for those guys that were there they get a second chance." I get that he 'wasn't there- but c'mon? He's a Canadian! He was glued to the set just like the entire country- no doubt aboUt it!

Head coach Brent Sutter, who wasn't part of the coaching staff last year, only vaguely referred to last year's outcome.

"To be honest, I'm not concerned about that [distractions] because we do have a lot of returning guys. To me that's motivation from what might have happened in the past," Sutter said.

As for Coburn, we apologize for dragging up such painful memories. It was, after all, a rather unfortunate set of circumstances.


"Yeah," he said, grimacing, "it was."

[SoCalcaniac]

Congrats to Team Canada- they totally deserved this win and the GOLD. I tried mightily to listen over The Fan radio network but, apparently so was all of Canada LOL. I had intermittent broadcast at best and highspeed access couldn't over come it....

As for the boys in Red, White & Blue and the OT loss to the Czechs- I'm guessing they just weren't ready for much of anything in this tourney. Very disappointing.

Congrats to Team Canada. I'm glad ESPN thought so much of BOXING and some NBA all access show over this gold medal round. :mad:

[SoCalcaniac]

Congrats to Team Canada- they totally deserved this win and the GOLD. I tried mightily to listen over The Fan radio network but, apparently so was all of Canada LOL. I had intermittent broadcast at best and highspeed access couldn't over come it....

As for the boys in Red, White & Blue and the OT loss to the Czechs- I'm guessing they just weren't ready for much of anything in this tourney. Very disappointing.

Congrats to Team Canada. I'm glad ESPN thought so much of BOXING and some NBA all access show over this gold medal round. :mad:

[AbNormal27]

A couple things really stook out in my mind after watching the gold and bronze medal games last night...........

First, Montoya was weak all tournament long. I mean, at times it seemed that he couldn't have stopped a beach ball, even if it was HANDED to him! Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for him (maybe he got tournament jitters :huh: ). But if it IS, I'm glad the Rangers got him.

Second, why wasn't Robbie Schremp used more? That seemed very odd to me.

Third, Ladd is a talented player, but I really wasn't overly impressed with the performance he had. Hopefully he'll have worked out all the kinks in his game before he dons the Sightless Eye.

Fourth, where was the support for this tournament. It has already been stated by tournament officials that without the support of Canadian fans, this tournament would have been an abysmal failure. I'm not sure if it is the lack of a junior team in ND, but it has been brought up as a reason, along with the lockout. My guess is it will be a while before the WJHC comes back to the US, especially after the way ESPN "handled" things.

Fifth, I'm not sure if any of you had the TSN feed for any of the games, but Pierre Maguire (former Whalers coach) is Tripp North. The guy comes up with some of the dumbest comments and is sometimes very irritating. However, he did have 2 lines last night that had me roaring.........

When the Russians kept diving when they were barely touched, Maguire said, "They keep going down faster than free beer in a frat house!"

Later when it was apparent (later in the game) that the Russian players had been on the ice too long, Maguire said, "The Russian have got to get some fresher legs out there. They're sucking pond water right now."

Anyhoooooooo, this was an incredible performance by a truly dominant team. Hopefully the fools at the controls will get a deal donw soon so we can see these kids in the NHL sooner than later. :canada:

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

A couple things really stook out in my mind after watching the gold and bronze medal games last night...........

First, Montoya was weak all tournament long. I mean, at times it seemed that he couldn't have stopped a beach ball, even if it was HANDED to him! Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for him (maybe he got tournament jitters :huh: ). But if it IS, I'm glad the Rangers got him.

Second, why wasn't Robbie Schremp used more? That seemed very odd to me.

Third, Ladd is a talented player, but I really wasn't overly impressed with the performance he had. Hopefully he'll have worked out all the kinks in his game before he dons the Sightless Eye.

Fourth, where was the support for this tournament. It has already been stated by tournament officials that without the support of Canadian fans, this tournament would have been an abysmal failure. I'm not sure if it is the lack of a junior team in ND, but it has been brought up as a reason, along with the lockout. My guess is it will be a while before the WJHC comes back to the US, especially after the way ESPN "handled" things.

Fifth, I'm not sure if any of you had the TSN feed for any of the games, but Pierre Maguire (former Whalers coach) is Tripp North. The guy comes up with some of the dumbest comments and is sometimes very irritating. However, he did have 2 lines last night that had me roaring.........

When the Russians kept diving when they were barely touched, Maguire said, "They keep going down faster than free beer in a frat house!"

Later when it was apparent (later in the game) that the Russian players had been on the ice too long, Maguire said, "The Russian have got to get some fresher legs out there. They're sucking pond water right now."

Anyhoooooooo, this was an incredible performance by a truly dominant team. Hopefully the fools at the controls will get a deal donw soon so we can see these kids in the NHL sooner than later. :canada:

Aaryn

[puck_it]

glad you had fun watching it :) :canada:

i wrote espn my nasty email yesterday

[puck_it]

glad you had fun watching it :) :canada:

i wrote espn my nasty email yesterday

[apolinar]

Can you say, "message sent?" See pic below. :D
There is no Showboating or diving in hockey.
Or else your star Ovechkin gets hit multiple times and bails because of a "shoulder injury." I didn't get to see it but rumour has it that he bailed on his team when things weren't going right. Congrats on the draft Washington!.

http://cache.gettyimages.com/comp/51914674.jpg?x=x&dasite=MS_GINS&ef=2&ev=1&dareq=E2399169AC85D6DE7F9CD95D113652327B023871E114 6453621B2AC3A62513D3

[apolinar]

Can you say, "message sent?" See pic below. :D
There is no Showboating or diving in hockey.
Or else your star Ovechkin gets hit multiple times and bails because of a "shoulder injury." I didn't get to see it but rumour has it that he bailed on his team when things weren't going right. Congrats on the draft Washington!.

http://cache.gettyimages.com/comp/51914674.jpg?x=x&dasite=MS_GINS&ef=2&ev=1&dareq=E2399169AC85D6DE7F9CD95D113652327B023871E114 6453621B2AC3A62513D3

[Captain Slack]

My thanks to the guy holding the big Canadian flag in the background. :beer:

Priceless. :canada:

[Captain Slack]

My thanks to the guy holding the big Canadian flag in the background. :beer:

Priceless. :canada:

[puck_it]

actually captain slack, i beleive its the flag that was lowered from the rafters.

can see the abr acros the top and the cables ;)

but gg to whoever lowered it :D

[puck_it]

actually captain slack, i beleive its the flag that was lowered from the rafters.

can see the abr acros the top and the cables ;)

but gg to whoever lowered it :D

[SoCalcaniac]

Aaryn, thanks as always for the insight from up North- I too wonder about the US fan "presence". Unfortunately we got nothing from the TSN feeds- I guess the satellite providers and cable didn't care to 'get involved' unlike last year when we got it with our Center Ice package- UGH. Your assertion on Montoya was dead on- and I believe not only that the coaching stunk, i.e. that Sandelin dude didn't have this group prepared- Unlike the genius Mr. Sutter; and that these kids froze, pardon the pun- on home ice. I only had the Fan Radio network to rely on for my broadcast, and I was thorough impressed by all of the various interviews and just the background noise from all the fans from Canada. I listened to all the round robin and the last 2 game for Canada, and that whole go-Jets-Go and people singing "Oh Canada" at full throttle was just unreal to me. Had me chucklin' but I loved it. I just wish I coulda seen it. Did get to see clips on the TSN website today though and boy the joy in all of those kids. Great stuff.


Second, why wasn't Robbie Schremp used more? That seemed very odd to me.


Uh, that was my problem with the coaching. Schremp is doing pretty well in the OHL is he not? I've not looked at his stats recently, but I know he has been pretty steady and good gosh every time he was on the ice he was going to the net, and causing havoc. I am dumbfounded as to why he was relegated to 'special teams' :huh:

And back to the support from U.S. Fans- I know that they get sold out crowds for the North Dakota games- they have some sort of crazy sold out streak going right now for their games- and Stafford is one of the current Fighting Sioux members- maybe they spent more time advertising and trying to appeal to out of towners as opposed to the people there? I'm really clueless on this. I'd have thought they'd get better crowds for our team. But then again, after things started to tank- e.g. "Belarus" people might of said- later dudes. Just not sure about it all.....


I'm not sure if any of you had the TSN feed for any of the games, but Pierre Maguire (former Whalers coach) is Tripp North. The guy comes up with some of the dumbest comments and is sometimes very irritating.

LOL, LOL. I have always enjoyed watching Pierre- he's got so much insider knowledge and I trust him; but I had to laugh at the 'Tripp North' reference. I've always likened him to Dick Vitale of hockey- just a little hyper yet so knowledgeable. Very excitable little guy- and bears a slight resemblence to Dicky V. Maybe its the hair or lack there of.

Can't say enough about that win- Congrats to Team Canada. Funny about Karma for Ovechkin eh?

[SoCalcaniac]

Aaryn, thanks as always for the insight from up North- I too wonder about the US fan "presence". Unfortunately we got nothing from the TSN feeds- I guess the satellite providers and cable didn't care to 'get involved' unlike last year when we got it with our Center Ice package- UGH. Your assertion on Montoya was dead on- and I believe not only that the coaching stunk, i.e. that Sandelin dude didn't have this group prepared- Unlike the genius Mr. Sutter; and that these kids froze, pardon the pun- on home ice. I only had the Fan Radio network to rely on for my broadcast, and I was thorough impressed by all of the various interviews and just the background noise from all the fans from Canada. I listened to all the round robin and the last 2 game for Canada, and that whole go-Jets-Go and people singing "Oh Canada" at full throttle was just unreal to me. Had me chucklin' but I loved it. I just wish I coulda seen it. Did get to see clips on the TSN website today though and boy the joy in all of those kids. Great stuff.


Second, why wasn't Robbie Schremp used more? That seemed very odd to me.


Uh, that was my problem with the coaching. Schremp is doing pretty well in the OHL is he not? I've not looked at his stats recently, but I know he has been pretty steady and good gosh every time he was on the ice he was going to the net, and causing havoc. I am dumbfounded as to why he was relegated to 'special teams' :huh:

And back to the support from U.S. Fans- I know that they get sold out crowds for the North Dakota games- they have some sort of crazy sold out streak going right now for their games- and Stafford is one of the current Fighting Sioux members- maybe they spent more time advertising and trying to appeal to out of towners as opposed to the people there? I'm really clueless on this. I'd have thought they'd get better crowds for our team. But then again, after things started to tank- e.g. "Belarus" people might of said- later dudes. Just not sure about it all.....


I'm not sure if any of you had the TSN feed for any of the games, but Pierre Maguire (former Whalers coach) is Tripp North. The guy comes up with some of the dumbest comments and is sometimes very irritating.

LOL, LOL. I have always enjoyed watching Pierre- he's got so much insider knowledge and I trust him; but I had to laugh at the 'Tripp North' reference. I've always likened him to Dick Vitale of hockey- just a little hyper yet so knowledgeable. Very excitable little guy- and bears a slight resemblence to Dicky V. Maybe its the hair or lack there of.

Can't say enough about that win- Congrats to Team Canada. Funny about Karma for Ovechkin eh?

[StormShaman]

And back to the support from U.S. Fans- I know that they get sold out crowds for the North Dakota games- they have some sort of crazy sold out streak going right now for their games- and Stafford is one of the current Fighting Sioux members- maybe they spent more time advertising and trying to appeal to out of towners as opposed to the people there? I'm really clueless on this. I'd have thought they'd get better crowds for our team.

As I postered on another board (with some additions):

Here's the thing--North Dakota likes the Fighting Sioux, but that's almost exclusively in the eastern part of the state (and then mostly around Grand Forks). Minot has a nice little youth hockey program, but in North Dakota hockey is seen as the sole province of the big schools in the North Dakota High School Activities Association (of which there only 18 of those participate in hockey).

Calling North Dakota "hockey-crazed" is incorrect (well, not entirely correct)--once you cross the Red River from Minnesota, you're entering "The Great Hockey Desert", and Grand Forks is one of the small oases in that desert.

My hometown? The big four sports were futbol, basketbol, wrasslin' and beisbol (in the spring and summer). That's it! Hockey was something that you did in Minot.

[StormShaman]

And back to the support from U.S. Fans- I know that they get sold out crowds for the North Dakota games- they have some sort of crazy sold out streak going right now for their games- and Stafford is one of the current Fighting Sioux members- maybe they spent more time advertising and trying to appeal to out of towners as opposed to the people there? I'm really clueless on this. I'd have thought they'd get better crowds for our team.

As I postered on another board (with some additions):

Here's the thing--North Dakota likes the Fighting Sioux, but that's almost exclusively in the eastern part of the state (and then mostly around Grand Forks). Minot has a nice little youth hockey program, but in North Dakota hockey is seen as the sole province of the big schools in the North Dakota High School Activities Association (of which there only 18 of those participate in hockey).

Calling North Dakota "hockey-crazed" is incorrect (well, not entirely correct)--once you cross the Red River from Minnesota, you're entering "The Great Hockey Desert", and Grand Forks is one of the small oases in that desert.

My hometown? The big four sports were futbol, basketbol, wrasslin' and beisbol (in the spring and summer). That's it! Hockey was something that you did in Minot.

[nccanes]

Fourth, where was the support for this tournament. It has already been stated by tournament officials that without the support of Canadian fans, this tournament would have been an abysmal failure. I'm not sure if it is the lack of a junior team in ND, but it has been brought up as a reason, along with the lockout. My guess is it will be a while before the WJHC comes back to the US, especially after the way ESPN "handled" things.


The attendance (195,771) was better than in Finland (176,028) last year, so I guess the tournament won't go back there for while either.

I think it has to be acknowledged that the WJHC interest in Canada is quite unique. It doesn't make the US bad sports fans (or hockey fans) and it doesn't make Finland poor fans either - it's just different.

I'm not sure what ESPN has to be apologetic for, they covered a U20 world championship (at least from the USA perspective) - something they don't do for any other sport. The viewership isn't here (ratings wise) to justify covering non-US teams of teenagers in other games (yes, even the final), despite how disappointed the interested people are.

:huh:

[nccanes]

Fourth, where was the support for this tournament. It has already been stated by tournament officials that without the support of Canadian fans, this tournament would have been an abysmal failure. I'm not sure if it is the lack of a junior team in ND, but it has been brought up as a reason, along with the lockout. My guess is it will be a while before the WJHC comes back to the US, especially after the way ESPN "handled" things.


The attendance (195,771) was better than in Finland (176,028) last year, so I guess the tournament won't go back there for while either.

I think it has to be acknowledged that the WJHC interest in Canada is quite unique. It doesn't make the US bad sports fans (or hockey fans) and it doesn't make Finland poor fans either - it's just different.

I'm not sure what ESPN has to be apologetic for, they covered a U20 world championship (at least from the USA perspective) - something they don't do for any other sport. The viewership isn't here (ratings wise) to justify covering non-US teams of teenagers in other games (yes, even the final), despite how disappointed the interested people are.

:huh:

[puck_it]

I'm not sure what ESPN has to be apologetic for, they covered a U20 world championship (at least from the USA perspective) - something they don't do for any other sport. The viewership isn't here (ratings wise) to justify covering non-US teams of teenagers in other games (yes, even the final), despite how disappointed the interested people are.
yet ESPN shows classic boxing. which reaches about the same size demographic and it was matches everyone whos a boxing fan should have seen before? They chose that over new material? thats what bugs me.

also, Little League World Series. Thats international and like under 14

Spelling Bee (how thats a sport i dont know, i do have respect for them being that i cant spell, but not a sport) dont think its international.

[puck_it]

I'm not sure what ESPN has to be apologetic for, they covered a U20 world championship (at least from the USA perspective) - something they don't do for any other sport. The viewership isn't here (ratings wise) to justify covering non-US teams of teenagers in other games (yes, even the final), despite how disappointed the interested people are.
yet ESPN shows classic boxing. which reaches about the same size demographic and it was matches everyone whos a boxing fan should have seen before? They chose that over new material? thats what bugs me.

also, Little League World Series. Thats international and like under 14

Spelling Bee (how thats a sport i dont know, i do have respect for them being that i cant spell, but not a sport) dont think its international.

[nccanes]

yet ESPN shows classic boxing. which reaches about the same size demographic and it was matches everyone whos a boxing fan should have seen before? They chose that over new material? thats what bugs me.

also, Little League World Series. Thats international and like under 14

Spelling Bee (how thats a sport i dont know, i do have respect for them being that i cant spell, but not a sport) dont think its international.

I'm glad you brought up the LLWS, I don't personally watch it, but since ABC (in addition) to ESPN broadcast games, one can presume the ratings support that. I suspect some people watch the LLWS like some Canadians watch the WJHC, it's tradition and has some emotional appeal. But I left the LLWS out of my reply because it's not a USA National team out there.

Same for the Spelling Bee - it's a unique broadcast and gets a lot of attention and (I presume) ratings.

I guess I just don't get that worked up. There are TONS of international nat'l team sports that don't get coverage. The USA under-17 and under-20 soccer teams have local Raleigh players with them and I'd love to see kids I've seen play on Wake County fields play on the international stage on TV, but I don't get to see them either.

[nccanes]

yet ESPN shows classic boxing. which reaches about the same size demographic and it was matches everyone whos a boxing fan should have seen before? They chose that over new material? thats what bugs me.

also, Little League World Series. Thats international and like under 14

Spelling Bee (how thats a sport i dont know, i do have respect for them being that i cant spell, but not a sport) dont think its international.

I'm glad you brought up the LLWS, I don't personally watch it, but since ABC (in addition) to ESPN broadcast games, one can presume the ratings support that. I suspect some people watch the LLWS like some Canadians watch the WJHC, it's tradition and has some emotional appeal. But I left the LLWS out of my reply because it's not a USA National team out there.

Same for the Spelling Bee - it's a unique broadcast and gets a lot of attention and (I presume) ratings.

I guess I just don't get that worked up. There are TONS of international nat'l team sports that don't get coverage. The USA under-17 and under-20 soccer teams have local Raleigh players with them and I'd love to see kids I've seen play on Wake County fields play on the international stage on TV, but I don't get to see them either.

[puck_it]

im pissed at ESPN in general for their programing choices. I do watch the Main Event of the World series of Poker, but i dont like watching the 86 billionth regurgitaion of said event, hell i dont even like the 2nd time around. Especially when theres new material on. With technology, ESPN will soon have the on-demand type service, and offer a slew of different games and such. Its the next logical prgoression. Untill then, Hockey and soccer will continually get shafted for bass fishing.

[puck_it]

im pissed at ESPN in general for their programing choices. I do watch the Main Event of the World series of Poker, but i dont like watching the 86 billionth regurgitaion of said event, hell i dont even like the 2nd time around. Especially when theres new material on. With technology, ESPN will soon have the on-demand type service, and offer a slew of different games and such. Its the next logical prgoression. Untill then, Hockey and soccer will continually get shafted for bass fishing.

[AbNormal27]

Ovechkin sidelined for three weeks

TSN.ca Staff

TSN has learned Russian star Alexander Ovechkin has been diagnosed with strained shoulder muscles and will be sidelined for three weeks.

The Washington Capitals, who selected Ovechkin first overall in last summer's Entry Draft, have said that he will not need surgery to repair the damage.

Ovechkin was injured in Tuesday's gold medal game against Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in North Dakota. He was named the top forward in the tournament with seven goals and four assists and was named the all-star team.

Presently, the Moscow native is playing with Moscow Dynamo of the Russian Elite League where he has scored 10 goals and added 12 assists in 31 games.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Ovechkin sidelined for three weeks

TSN.ca Staff

TSN has learned Russian star Alexander Ovechkin has been diagnosed with strained shoulder muscles and will be sidelined for three weeks.

The Washington Capitals, who selected Ovechkin first overall in last summer's Entry Draft, have said that he will not need surgery to repair the damage.

Ovechkin was injured in Tuesday's gold medal game against Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in North Dakota. He was named the top forward in the tournament with seven goals and four assists and was named the all-star team.

Presently, the Moscow native is playing with Moscow Dynamo of the Russian Elite League where he has scored 10 goals and added 12 assists in 31 games.

Aaryn

[nccanes]

http://edit.bcnewsgroup.com/uploads/mapleridge/.DIR288/Andrew.jpg

SIMONE PONNE - Photo
Andrew Ladd holds up the gold medal he won playing for Canada at the world junior hockey championships in North Dakota.

(I realize that lighting is supposed to be dramatic, but the shadows make him look like he's got a right eyebrow like Eddie Munster)


Ladd brings home gold

By Michael Hall
Staff Reporter

Andrew Ladd is on top of the world.

The 19-year-old left-winger from Maple Ridge had two assists for Canada in its 6-1 win Tuesday over Russia in the gold-medal game of the 2005 World Junior Hockey Championships in North Dakota.

Ladd was on the bench as the last minute of the game wound down. He and the others on the bench already had their helmets and gloves already off before the final buzzer went.

"It was kind of funny," Ladd said. "There were still 30 seconds left on the clock and the guys who were on the ice were tired but they couldn't come off because we all had our gear off."

When the buzzer did sound, they all dog-piled goalie Jeff Glass in front of the Canadian net.

"We were all pretty anxious to get out there," Ladd said.

The gold medal is Canada's first at the world juniors since 1997.
Wayne Gretzky was one of three gold-medal presenters. Ladd was given his by somebody else, but he met the Great One several days before when he visited the team. "He's such an icon. It's pretty special to meet someone like that."

After the game, Ladd and his teammates bussed to Winnipeg, where they celebrated at a restaurant into the early hours of the morning.
On little sleep, Ladd flew to Vancouver later that morning to come visit his parents in Maple Ridge.

"It's good to be back," he said.

He hadn't been home in months, since the start of the Western Hockey League season. He played against Slovakia on Christmas Day.
Ladd said it was nice to relax with family and friends. "I don't get to do it that often in the winter."

It gave him time to think about what he had just achieved, about how far he's come in the past year. "It's just starting to sink in," he said.

Last season with the Calgary Hitmen, Ladd led all WHL rookies with 30 goals and had 75 points. He also led the Hitmen with a plus-39 rating and had 119 penalty minutes. Ladd was was selected the top rookie in the Eastern Conference of the WHL. He was then ranked the top North American prospect for the NHL draft by the Central Scouting Bureau.
In June, he was selected fourth overall by the Carolina Hurricanes, who traded up to get him.

In August, he went to the Canadian world junior team evaluation camp. He was one of 32 players invited to the team's main camp in December, and one of 22 who made it.

Canada went undefeated in five games at the world junior tournament, outscoring opponents 41-7 overall.

Ladd had three goals and seven points playing on a line with Jeff Carter and Ryan Getzlaf.

They were one of the two most productive lines in the tournament, combining for 29 points. Canada's first line of Patrice Bergeron, Sidney Crosby and Corey Perry also had 29 points.

"When you are surrounded by great players, it makes everything easier," Ladd said.

Some have called this year's Canadian junior team the best world junior team ever. Ladd's not so sure. "It's tough to sit back and say that now. But obviously we had a great team with lots of depth," he said.

"It's an honour itself just to be put in that category."

Just to be part of the team was an honour for Ladd. Now to show for his hard work he has a gold medal.

Ladd's aunt, Debbie Schausek, wanted him to come show it to her elementary class and talk to the kids Thursday.

He planned to take it with him to show his Hitmen teammates when he rejoined them in Calgary on Friday.

"I'm excited about what happened."

Andrew Ladd is on top of the world.

[nccanes]

http://edit.bcnewsgroup.com/uploads/mapleridge/.DIR288/Andrew.jpg

SIMONE PONNE - Photo
Andrew Ladd holds up the gold medal he won playing for Canada at the world junior hockey championships in North Dakota.

(I realize that lighting is supposed to be dramatic, but the shadows make him look like he's got a right eyebrow like Eddie Munster)


Ladd brings home gold

By Michael Hall
Staff Reporter

Andrew Ladd is on top of the world.

The 19-year-old left-winger from Maple Ridge had two assists for Canada in its 6-1 win Tuesday over Russia in the gold-medal game of the 2005 World Junior Hockey Championships in North Dakota.

Ladd was on the bench as the last minute of the game wound down. He and the others on the bench already had their helmets and gloves already off before the final buzzer went.

"It was kind of funny," Ladd said. "There were still 30 seconds left on the clock and the guys who were on the ice were tired but they couldn't come off because we all had our gear off."

When the buzzer did sound, they all dog-piled goalie Jeff Glass in front of the Canadian net.

"We were all pretty anxious to get out there," Ladd said.

The gold medal is Canada's first at the world juniors since 1997.
Wayne Gretzky was one of three gold-medal presenters. Ladd was given his by somebody else, but he met the Great One several days before when he visited the team. "He's such an icon. It's pretty special to meet someone like that."

After the game, Ladd and his teammates bussed to Winnipeg, where they celebrated at a restaurant into the early hours of the morning.
On little sleep, Ladd flew to Vancouver later that morning to come visit his parents in Maple Ridge.

"It's good to be back," he said.

He hadn't been home in months, since the start of the Western Hockey League season. He played against Slovakia on Christmas Day.
Ladd said it was nice to relax with family and friends. "I don't get to do it that often in the winter."

It gave him time to think about what he had just achieved, about how far he's come in the past year. "It's just starting to sink in," he said.

Last season with the Calgary Hitmen, Ladd led all WHL rookies with 30 goals and had 75 points. He also led the Hitmen with a plus-39 rating and had 119 penalty minutes. Ladd was was selected the top rookie in the Eastern Conference of the WHL. He was then ranked the top North American prospect for the NHL draft by the Central Scouting Bureau.
In June, he was selected fourth overall by the Carolina Hurricanes, who traded up to get him.

In August, he went to the Canadian world junior team evaluation camp. He was one of 32 players invited to the team's main camp in December, and one of 22 who made it.

Canada went undefeated in five games at the world junior tournament, outscoring opponents 41-7 overall.

Ladd had three goals and seven points playing on a line with Jeff Carter and Ryan Getzlaf.

They were one of the two most productive lines in the tournament, combining for 29 points. Canada's first line of Patrice Bergeron, Sidney Crosby and Corey Perry also had 29 points.

"When you are surrounded by great players, it makes everything easier," Ladd said.

Some have called this year's Canadian junior team the best world junior team ever. Ladd's not so sure. "It's tough to sit back and say that now. But obviously we had a great team with lots of depth," he said.

"It's an honour itself just to be put in that category."

Just to be part of the team was an honour for Ladd. Now to show for his hard work he has a gold medal.

Ladd's aunt, Debbie Schausek, wanted him to come show it to her elementary class and talk to the kids Thursday.

He planned to take it with him to show his Hitmen teammates when he rejoined them in Calgary on Friday.

"I'm excited about what happened."

Andrew Ladd is on top of the world.

[puck_it]

that lighting is weeeeeeeeeird. spooky ness ooooo :evil:

[puck_it]

that lighting is weeeeeeeeeird. spooky ness ooooo :evil:

[AbNormal27]

Missing: Beauchemin's souvenir puck

CALGARY (CP) - First Sidney Crosby's jersey. Now the backup goalie's puck.

But as far as Hockey Canada can tell, those are the only two items that didn't make it home from the world junior hockey championship in North Dakota.

"I don't know of any other items missing," Denis Hainault, Hockey Canada's director of men's high performance at Hockey Canada, said Monday.

Goalie Rejean Beauchemin kept the puck from the only game he played at the world junior tournament, a 9-0 shutout win over Germany. He noticed the puck was missing from his equipment bag before boarding a flight home at Winnipeg Airport last week.

Hockey Canada hasn't spoken with the Beauchemin family about the missing puck.

Hainault, the logistical guru for Canada in international tournaments, said he couldn't remember another year when this happened.

"Players have misplaced things from time to time, guys will sometimes tell me: `Geez, where's my medal?," Hainault said. "But I've never seen one specific item, and I'm referring really to Sidney Crosby's jersey here, get lost and five days later we still don't have it."

News of the missing puck comes on the heels of Crosby losing his red game-worn jersey from the world junior tournament. That incident sparked an internal investigation by Air Canada after Crosby flew from Winnipeg to Montreal and then to Mont-Joli, Que., only to open his hockey equipment bag and discover the jersey was gone.

Crosby put the red jersey in his hockey bag when the team left North Dakota. The team travelled by bus to Winnipeg before players flew home, meaning the jersey could have disappeared during the bus trip as well.

"Our portion of the investigation is nearing completion," Laura Cooke, a spokeswoman with Air Canada in Toronto, said Monday. "At this point we still do not have an indication that the jersey went missing while under our care. But obviously we will continue to co-operate with Hockey Canada's efforts to locate the missing jersey."

Hainault said Hockey Canada has filed police reports in North Dakota, Winnipeg and Montreal to try and track down Crosby's missing jersey.

On Friday, Hockey Canada pulled Crosby's white game-worn jersey off an online charity auction and gave it back to the 17-year-old phenom, to make sure he had at least one sweater.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Missing: Beauchemin's souvenir puck

CALGARY (CP) - First Sidney Crosby's jersey. Now the backup goalie's puck.

But as far as Hockey Canada can tell, those are the only two items that didn't make it home from the world junior hockey championship in North Dakota.

"I don't know of any other items missing," Denis Hainault, Hockey Canada's director of men's high performance at Hockey Canada, said Monday.

Goalie Rejean Beauchemin kept the puck from the only game he played at the world junior tournament, a 9-0 shutout win over Germany. He noticed the puck was missing from his equipment bag before boarding a flight home at Winnipeg Airport last week.

Hockey Canada hasn't spoken with the Beauchemin family about the missing puck.

Hainault, the logistical guru for Canada in international tournaments, said he couldn't remember another year when this happened.

"Players have misplaced things from time to time, guys will sometimes tell me: `Geez, where's my medal?," Hainault said. "But I've never seen one specific item, and I'm referring really to Sidney Crosby's jersey here, get lost and five days later we still don't have it."

News of the missing puck comes on the heels of Crosby losing his red game-worn jersey from the world junior tournament. That incident sparked an internal investigation by Air Canada after Crosby flew from Winnipeg to Montreal and then to Mont-Joli, Que., only to open his hockey equipment bag and discover the jersey was gone.

Crosby put the red jersey in his hockey bag when the team left North Dakota. The team travelled by bus to Winnipeg before players flew home, meaning the jersey could have disappeared during the bus trip as well.

"Our portion of the investigation is nearing completion," Laura Cooke, a spokeswoman with Air Canada in Toronto, said Monday. "At this point we still do not have an indication that the jersey went missing while under our care. But obviously we will continue to co-operate with Hockey Canada's efforts to locate the missing jersey."

Hainault said Hockey Canada has filed police reports in North Dakota, Winnipeg and Montreal to try and track down Crosby's missing jersey.

On Friday, Hockey Canada pulled Crosby's white game-worn jersey off an online charity auction and gave it back to the 17-year-old phenom, to make sure he had at least one sweater.

Aaryn

[puck_it]

tsk tsk

[puck_it]

tsk tsk

[StormShaman]

http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/8941378/759472

[StormShaman]

http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/8941378/759472

[AbNormal27]

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Sidney Crosby's Team Canada hockey jersey arrives in Halifax

RUTH DAVENPORT

HALIFAX (CP) - Sidney Crosby got his jersey back Thursday.

The beaming 17-year-old hockey phenom held up the Team Canada sweater for reporters at a news conference in Halifax, where he has spent the week with his family. "It's just nice that it's finally here and it's all over with," Crosby told reporters. "Ever since it happened, it's been a pretty big deal and it's been a long few days just waiting to finally get it, so it's nice to have it."

Crosby's agent made the trip to Halifax from Montreal to personally deliver the jersey Thursday afternoon.

The jersey has grabbed headlines since it disappeared from Crosby's luggage a little more than a week ago when it was stolen during the trip home from the world junior hockey championship.

Crosby wore the red sweater during the gold medal game against Russia, during which Crosby notched an assist in Canada's dominating 6-1 victory.

"Obviously, it's a souvenir of what you've done," he said. "To wear it in the gold medal game and to look back and know I wore it, and see clips of me playing it that game and not having that jersey, it was just tough."

Although Crosby said he was surprised by the hue and cry that his story had generated, he said the Media attention deserved some credit for the happy ending.

"It's taken on a life of its own, a little bit," he laughed on Thursday. "But I'm really happy to have it back and obviously a lot to do with it has to be the amount of awareness around it, there's not much anyone can do with a jersey that's so known like that."

On Wednesday, Montreal police announced the arrest of a 48-year-old man from Laval, Que., in connection with Crosby's missing jersey. He faces a charge of theft of an item worth more than $5,000.

The man, an Air Canada employee, was released with a promise to appear in court at a later date.

Crosby had no comment on the man's arrest, saying it was time to move on.

He said the recovered jersey, which had smelled of "sweat and champagne" after the Canadian team's gold medal game, had since been laundered and would soon occupy a spot of honour in his home.

"I'm going to keep it at home, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find a spot for it," said Crosby. "I don't think I'll frame it or anything like that, but I'll hold on to it."

Montreal police spokesman Laurent Gingras would not confirm reports that the daughter of the man arrested showed up for school last week wearing Crosby's No. 9 red hockey sweater.

"That's probably something that's dealing with the investigation so that's proof that we might not want to talk about at this time," Gingras said Thursday in Montreal.

Crosby wept when he discovered the jersey was missing from his equipment bag upon his return from the tournament in Grand Forks, N.D., last Wednesday.

He had flown to Mont-Joli, Que., via Montreal, to rejoin the Rimouski Oceanic after helping Canada win the tournament for the first time in eight years.

A week-long hunt for the sweater ended Monday in Lachute, Que., 60 kilometres northwest of Montreal, where a Canada Post worker found it during a routine emptying of mailboxes.

Jean-Marc Saucier said he found the sweater and a newspaper clipping about its disappearance in a plastic grocery bag sitting atop the mail.

The 28-year Canada Post employee believed right away it was the missing red No. 9 jersey Crosby wore in Canada's 6-1 win over Russia in the gold medal game.

"It was obviously his sweater," said the 52-year-old. "It had Crosby in big letters and on the other side were all the logos and everything.

"I'm just happy to find it. I knew it was Sidney Crosby's. I was quite upset that he had lost it. That kid's going to be really happy."

When the jersey went missing, Hockey Canada pulled another game-worn Crosby jersey, a white one, off eBay, where team memorabilia was being auctioned for charity. Crosby's sweater had drawn a bid of $20,000.

Hockey Canada announced it will put the white jersey back on the online auction Friday, along with other game-worn items such as gloves and helmets.

Crosby, from Cole Harbour, N.S., is a dynamic playmaker and scorer who is expected to be selected first overall if the NHL resumes play and a draft is held in June.

I love a happy ending.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

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Sidney Crosby's Team Canada hockey jersey arrives in Halifax

RUTH DAVENPORT

HALIFAX (CP) - Sidney Crosby got his jersey back Thursday.

The beaming 17-year-old hockey phenom held up the Team Canada sweater for reporters at a news conference in Halifax, where he has spent the week with his family. "It's just nice that it's finally here and it's all over with," Crosby told reporters. "Ever since it happened, it's been a pretty big deal and it's been a long few days just waiting to finally get it, so it's nice to have it."

Crosby's agent made the trip to Halifax from Montreal to personally deliver the jersey Thursday afternoon.

The jersey has grabbed headlines since it disappeared from Crosby's luggage a little more than a week ago when it was stolen during the trip home from the world junior hockey championship.

Crosby wore the red sweater during the gold medal game against Russia, during which Crosby notched an assist in Canada's dominating 6-1 victory.

"Obviously, it's a souvenir of what you've done," he said. "To wear it in the gold medal game and to look back and know I wore it, and see clips of me playing it that game and not having that jersey, it was just tough."

Although Crosby said he was surprised by the hue and cry that his story had generated, he said the Media attention deserved some credit for the happy ending.

"It's taken on a life of its own, a little bit," he laughed on Thursday. "But I'm really happy to have it back and obviously a lot to do with it has to be the amount of awareness around it, there's not much anyone can do with a jersey that's so known like that."

On Wednesday, Montreal police announced the arrest of a 48-year-old man from Laval, Que., in connection with Crosby's missing jersey. He faces a charge of theft of an item worth more than $5,000.

The man, an Air Canada employee, was released with a promise to appear in court at a later date.

Crosby had no comment on the man's arrest, saying it was time to move on.

He said the recovered jersey, which had smelled of "sweat and champagne" after the Canadian team's gold medal game, had since been laundered and would soon occupy a spot of honour in his home.

"I'm going to keep it at home, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find a spot for it," said Crosby. "I don't think I'll frame it or anything like that, but I'll hold on to it."

Montreal police spokesman Laurent Gingras would not confirm reports that the daughter of the man arrested showed up for school last week wearing Crosby's No. 9 red hockey sweater.

"That's probably something that's dealing with the investigation so that's proof that we might not want to talk about at this time," Gingras said Thursday in Montreal.

Crosby wept when he discovered the jersey was missing from his equipment bag upon his return from the tournament in Grand Forks, N.D., last Wednesday.

He had flown to Mont-Joli, Que., via Montreal, to rejoin the Rimouski Oceanic after helping Canada win the tournament for the first time in eight years.

A week-long hunt for the sweater ended Monday in Lachute, Que., 60 kilometres northwest of Montreal, where a Canada Post worker found it during a routine emptying of mailboxes.

Jean-Marc Saucier said he found the sweater and a newspaper clipping about its disappearance in a plastic grocery bag sitting atop the mail.

The 28-year Canada Post employee believed right away it was the missing red No. 9 jersey Crosby wore in Canada's 6-1 win over Russia in the gold medal game.

"It was obviously his sweater," said the 52-year-old. "It had Crosby in big letters and on the other side were all the logos and everything.

"I'm just happy to find it. I knew it was Sidney Crosby's. I was quite upset that he had lost it. That kid's going to be really happy."

When the jersey went missing, Hockey Canada pulled another game-worn Crosby jersey, a white one, off eBay, where team memorabilia was being auctioned for charity. Crosby's sweater had drawn a bid of $20,000.

Hockey Canada announced it will put the white jersey back on the online auction Friday, along with other game-worn items such as gloves and helmets.

Crosby, from Cole Harbour, N.S., is a dynamic playmaker and scorer who is expected to be selected first overall if the NHL resumes play and a draft is held in June.

I love a happy ending.

Aaryn

[apolinar]

Wow. Since when did 9 year olds fit in a junior's jersey?
And what's with the anonymous drop off in the mailbox. Butthead.
It's great seeing crosby hasn't been tainted from the stardom yet. Too bad many of those "fans" have been tainted already.

[apolinar]

Wow. Since when did 9 year olds fit in a junior's jersey?
And what's with the anonymous drop off in the mailbox. Butthead.
It's great seeing crosby hasn't been tainted from the stardom yet. Too bad many of those "fans" have been tainted already.

[SoCalcaniac]

Thank God they found it- poor kid- he was pretty devastated when it went missing, and I knew it was an employee of the airline- when I heard the story on Fan590 and the way Crosby left Grand Forks got on the team bus etc., etc., I knew it had to be an employee of the airline, cause his hockey bag with him, on the bus, what? would his teammates or coaches take it? It just didn't make sense.

And what dope would give his kid the jersey to wear to school?? And then stick it in the mailbox? Holy Cow.

I'm just glad the kid got a happy ending. I love how he's so-not-jaded and cared so much about the jersey. Rare in this day of I'm-too-cool-to-care athletes.....

[SoCalcaniac]

Thank God they found it- poor kid- he was pretty devastated when it went missing, and I knew it was an employee of the airline- when I heard the story on Fan590 and the way Crosby left Grand Forks got on the team bus etc., etc., I knew it had to be an employee of the airline, cause his hockey bag with him, on the bus, what? would his teammates or coaches take it? It just didn't make sense.

And what dope would give his kid the jersey to wear to school?? And then stick it in the mailbox? Holy Cow.

I'm just glad the kid got a happy ending. I love how he's so-not-jaded and cared so much about the jersey. Rare in this day of I'm-too-cool-to-care athletes.....

[AbNormal27]

Crosby jersey fetches $22,100 on EBay

Another happy ending involving Sidney Crosby's sweater.

His game-worn white jersey from the world junior hockey championship fetched $22,100 in an online auction Wednesday. The winning bidder was AMG Medical Inc. of Montreal, a national supplier of medical, surgical and home health-care products.

"We're very, very excited about this," AMG Medical president Philip delBuey said from Montreal.

"It's tremendous to have Sidney's jersey but our motivation really in buying it is also to help the beneficiaries of this auction, which are the victims of the tsunami and all the Canadian youths who participate in Hockey Canada's programs."

Hockey Canada has auctioned several items from the world junior championship to raise money for those causes.

The bidding on the EBay auction got somewhat frantic in the final minutes, with the price jumping $2,000 before the close.

"We were just trying to outbid everybody to make sure we got the sweater," delBuey said. "The sweater ties into a lot of other things we do as a company.

"We support local hockey in different parts of the country. In Halifax we support the Bradley Marks Memorial Hockey Tournament, and that tournament was set up in the memory of the son of our regional manager in Nova Scotia, Kevin Marks. And by coincidence, Kevin's wife knows the Crosby family."

The white jersey, worn by the teenage Rimouski Oceanic star in games against Finland and Sweden, was initially pulled off the online auction when Crosby's red sweater went missing on his way home from the tournament in North Dakota.

When police found his red jersey, Hockey Canada put the white sweater back in the auction last Friday. There were 59 bids in total.

DelBuey already has ideas for the jersey.

"You can rest assured it's going to be hung up in our office here," he said. "We're probably going to frame the jersey and have it in our conference room."

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Crosby jersey fetches $22,100 on EBay

Another happy ending involving Sidney Crosby's sweater.

His game-worn white jersey from the world junior hockey championship fetched $22,100 in an online auction Wednesday. The winning bidder was AMG Medical Inc. of Montreal, a national supplier of medical, surgical and home health-care products.

"We're very, very excited about this," AMG Medical president Philip delBuey said from Montreal.

"It's tremendous to have Sidney's jersey but our motivation really in buying it is also to help the beneficiaries of this auction, which are the victims of the tsunami and all the Canadian youths who participate in Hockey Canada's programs."

Hockey Canada has auctioned several items from the world junior championship to raise money for those causes.

The bidding on the EBay auction got somewhat frantic in the final minutes, with the price jumping $2,000 before the close.

"We were just trying to outbid everybody to make sure we got the sweater," delBuey said. "The sweater ties into a lot of other things we do as a company.

"We support local hockey in different parts of the country. In Halifax we support the Bradley Marks Memorial Hockey Tournament, and that tournament was set up in the memory of the son of our regional manager in Nova Scotia, Kevin Marks. And by coincidence, Kevin's wife knows the Crosby family."

The white jersey, worn by the teenage Rimouski Oceanic star in games against Finland and Sweden, was initially pulled off the online auction when Crosby's red sweater went missing on his way home from the tournament in North Dakota.

When police found his red jersey, Hockey Canada put the white sweater back in the auction last Friday. There were 59 bids in total.

DelBuey already has ideas for the jersey.

"You can rest assured it's going to be hung up in our office here," he said. "We're probably going to frame the jersey and have it in our conference room."

Aaryn

[puck_it]

Canadian junior hockey team players performing through post-tournament fatigue

(CP) - Canada's golden boys are playing tough through post-tournament fatigue following the world junior hockey championship.

The 22 players who won the gold medal in Grand Forks, N.D., on Jan. 4 have had little time to recover or celebrate because their respective club teams rely on them so much. Canadian captain Michael Richards, Patrice Bergeron, Nigel Dawes, Sidney Crosby and Anthony Stewart are churning out goals and assists for their clubs and goaltender Jeff Glass hasn't lost a game since his return to the Kootenay Ice.

Richards is taking a deserved break this week at home in Kenora, Ont. The Kitchener Rangers forward had three goals and six assists in three games his first weekend back after the tournament to earn the player-of-the-week award in the Ontario Hockey League.

He had two goals and two assists in his first game three days helping Canada win the gold.

"The first game back after the world junior he was at a different level than everybody else," said Kitchener coach Peter DeBoer, who was also an assistant coach of the Canadian team.

"I talked to him after the game and he said he couldn't believe how far ahead of the play he was."

The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick then began to show some signs of fatigue, cooling off with two assists in his next two games.

"I think some fatigue set in last weekend, three games in four days, and you could see he was starting to get a little tired so the break probably came at the right time," DeBoer said Thursday.

The players all left their club teams Dec. 12 for selection camp and did not return until Jan. 5.

While the players may say they aren't tired, there is an inevitable crash after such a physically and emotionally draining three and a half weeks.

Many of them were sent to their home towns by their teams for a few days as soon as there was a break in the schedule.

The players on this year's Canadian team will be helped in their recovery by the fact that this year's tournament was not in Europe, thus eliminating travel and jet lag.

Forwards Nigel Dawes and alternate captain Patrice Bergeron have been on tears since the tournament. Dawes, a New York Rangers draft pick, has five goals and five assists in his last six games for the Kootenay Ice.

Bergeron, the tournament MVP and Canada's leading scorer, has three goals and four assists in six games for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League.

Bergeron's linemate, 17-year-old Sidney Crosby, had six goals and nine assists in four games for the Rimouski Oceanic before an injury he suffered during the gold-medal game sidelined him. Crosby leads the Canadian Hockey League in scoring with 32 goals and 58 assists.

Glass is 6-0 for the Kootenay Ice, including a shutout, since backstopping Canada to gold. Dawes went home to Winnipeg and Glass to Cochrane, Alta., this week and will re-join the Ice on Friday.

Forward Clarke MacArthur, a key contributor offensively and defensively for Canada, feels he's almost back to 100 per cent thanks to the Medicine Hat Tigers' light schedule lately.

He went home to Lloydminster, Alta., for five days right after the tournament and didn't bother taking his hockey equipment with him.

"I was coming down with sort of a flu bug or something I was just so worn out from the month-long camp and tournament," MacArthur said Tuesday from Medicine Hat. "I've gotten my rest and we've just been practising lately, so I'm feeling pretty good right now."

Forward Corey Perry and defenceman Danny Syvret were back on the ice with the London Knights just two days after the championship game. Perry, an Anaheim Mighty Ducks draft pick, scored four goals and added two assists in six games and continues to lead the Ontario Hockey League scoring race with 27 goals and 42 assists.

World junior tournament all-star Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist in his first game back with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds three days after the tournament ended. The first-round pick of the Flyers was held off the scoreboard his next three games before picking up a goal and an assist against Oshawa on Sunday.

Dion Phaneuf, who was named the top defenceman in the tournament, logged the most minutes of any player on the Canadian team due to a short-staffed blue-line. The Calgary Flames draft pick has a goal and three assists in the five games since he has been back and Rebels captain Colin Fraser, a penalty killing specialist for Canada, had a goal and five assists in five games.

The Rebels went 3-2 under Canadian team coach Brent Sutter since their coach, general manager and owner got back. Sutter swung a couple of deals to get a goaltender and two forwards upon his return.

Calgary Hitmen forward Ryan Getzlaf was Canada's second-leading at the world junior tournament with two goals and seven assists. He's had three goals and an assist in three Hitmen games since then.

MacArthur faced Canadian teammates Getzlaf and Andrew Ladd on Wednesday when the Tigers beat the visiting Hitmen 4-1.

"We were goofing around out there a little bit on the ice, but it was mostly business now that we're back," MacArthur said. "We'll be friends in the off-season, but we're playing to win, so you're going to bump heads and stuff out there."

Forward Anthony Stewart had three goals and five assists in his first five games back with Kingston.

Defenceman Brent Seabrook is at home in Tsawwasen, B.C., this week, but has played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes through a shoulder injury he suffered on the first day of Canada's selection camp. The Chicago Blackhawks' draft pick had two goals, including the game-winner, in his first game back with Lethbridge.

Nobody has scored against the Kelowna Rockets when defenceman Shea Weber has been on the ice and he has also chipped a goal and an assist in four games.

Forward Stephen Dixon took some time off immediately following the tournament and upon rejoining the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, contributed two goals and five assists in four games.

Defenceman Cam Barker, who missed the back half of the tournament due to mononucleosis, has been skating with the Tigers, but not taking any contact. His status has been upgraded to day-to-day.

Backup goaltender Rejean Beauchemin has a 2-2 record, including a shutout for the Prince Albert Raiders. His teammate Jeremy Colliton remains out of the lineup with a knee injury he suffered in one of Canada's exhibition game prior to the tournament.

Defenceman Shawn Belle has played four games for Tri-City and has two assists and defenceman Braydon Coburn has a goal and two assists in six games for Portland.

[puck_it]

Canadian junior hockey team players performing through post-tournament fatigue

(CP) - Canada's golden boys are playing tough through post-tournament fatigue following the world junior hockey championship.

The 22 players who won the gold medal in Grand Forks, N.D., on Jan. 4 have had little time to recover or celebrate because their respective club teams rely on them so much. Canadian captain Michael Richards, Patrice Bergeron, Nigel Dawes, Sidney Crosby and Anthony Stewart are churning out goals and assists for their clubs and goaltender Jeff Glass hasn't lost a game since his return to the Kootenay Ice.

Richards is taking a deserved break this week at home in Kenora, Ont. The Kitchener Rangers forward had three goals and six assists in three games his first weekend back after the tournament to earn the player-of-the-week award in the Ontario Hockey League.

He had two goals and two assists in his first game three days helping Canada win the gold.

"The first game back after the world junior he was at a different level than everybody else," said Kitchener coach Peter DeBoer, who was also an assistant coach of the Canadian team.

"I talked to him after the game and he said he couldn't believe how far ahead of the play he was."

The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick then began to show some signs of fatigue, cooling off with two assists in his next two games.

"I think some fatigue set in last weekend, three games in four days, and you could see he was starting to get a little tired so the break probably came at the right time," DeBoer said Thursday.

The players all left their club teams Dec. 12 for selection camp and did not return until Jan. 5.

While the players may say they aren't tired, there is an inevitable crash after such a physically and emotionally draining three and a half weeks.

Many of them were sent to their home towns by their teams for a few days as soon as there was a break in the schedule.

The players on this year's Canadian team will be helped in their recovery by the fact that this year's tournament was not in Europe, thus eliminating travel and jet lag.

Forwards Nigel Dawes and alternate captain Patrice Bergeron have been on tears since the tournament. Dawes, a New York Rangers draft pick, has five goals and five assists in his last six games for the Kootenay Ice.

Bergeron, the tournament MVP and Canada's leading scorer, has three goals and four assists in six games for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League.

Bergeron's linemate, 17-year-old Sidney Crosby, had six goals and nine assists in four games for the Rimouski Oceanic before an injury he suffered during the gold-medal game sidelined him. Crosby leads the Canadian Hockey League in scoring with 32 goals and 58 assists.

Glass is 6-0 for the Kootenay Ice, including a shutout, since backstopping Canada to gold. Dawes went home to Winnipeg and Glass to Cochrane, Alta., this week and will re-join the Ice on Friday.

Forward Clarke MacArthur, a key contributor offensively and defensively for Canada, feels he's almost back to 100 per cent thanks to the Medicine Hat Tigers' light schedule lately.

He went home to Lloydminster, Alta., for five days right after the tournament and didn't bother taking his hockey equipment with him.

"I was coming down with sort of a flu bug or something I was just so worn out from the month-long camp and tournament," MacArthur said Tuesday from Medicine Hat. "I've gotten my rest and we've just been practising lately, so I'm feeling pretty good right now."

Forward Corey Perry and defenceman Danny Syvret were back on the ice with the London Knights just two days after the championship game. Perry, an Anaheim Mighty Ducks draft pick, scored four goals and added two assists in six games and continues to lead the Ontario Hockey League scoring race with 27 goals and 42 assists.

World junior tournament all-star Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist in his first game back with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds three days after the tournament ended. The first-round pick of the Flyers was held off the scoreboard his next three games before picking up a goal and an assist against Oshawa on Sunday.

Dion Phaneuf, who was named the top defenceman in the tournament, logged the most minutes of any player on the Canadian team due to a short-staffed blue-line. The Calgary Flames draft pick has a goal and three assists in the five games since he has been back and Rebels captain Colin Fraser, a penalty killing specialist for Canada, had a goal and five assists in five games.

The Rebels went 3-2 under Canadian team coach Brent Sutter since their coach, general manager and owner got back. Sutter swung a couple of deals to get a goaltender and two forwards upon his return.

Calgary Hitmen forward Ryan Getzlaf was Canada's second-leading at the world junior tournament with two goals and seven assists. He's had three goals and an assist in three Hitmen games since then.

MacArthur faced Canadian teammates Getzlaf and Andrew Ladd on Wednesday when the Tigers beat the visiting Hitmen 4-1.

"We were goofing around out there a little bit on the ice, but it was mostly business now that we're back," MacArthur said. "We'll be friends in the off-season, but we're playing to win, so you're going to bump heads and stuff out there."

Forward Anthony Stewart had three goals and five assists in his first five games back with Kingston.

Defenceman Brent Seabrook is at home in Tsawwasen, B.C., this week, but has played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes through a shoulder injury he suffered on the first day of Canada's selection camp. The Chicago Blackhawks' draft pick had two goals, including the game-winner, in his first game back with Lethbridge.

Nobody has scored against the Kelowna Rockets when defenceman Shea Weber has been on the ice and he has also chipped a goal and an assist in four games.

Forward Stephen Dixon took some time off immediately following the tournament and upon rejoining the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, contributed two goals and five assists in four games.

Defenceman Cam Barker, who missed the back half of the tournament due to mononucleosis, has been skating with the Tigers, but not taking any contact. His status has been upgraded to day-to-day.

Backup goaltender Rejean Beauchemin has a 2-2 record, including a shutout for the Prince Albert Raiders. His teammate Jeremy Colliton remains out of the lineup with a knee injury he suffered in one of Canada's exhibition game prior to the tournament.

Defenceman Shawn Belle has played four games for Tri-City and has two assists and defenceman Braydon Coburn has a goal and two assists in six games for Portland.

[AbNormal27]

ormer WJHC mates drop the gloves

It just goes to show that good friends - or teammates in this matter - make better enemies.

A Western Hockey League game between the Red Deer Rebels and Calgary Hitmen saw former World Junior teammates Ryan Getzlaf, Andrew Ladd, Dion Phaneuf and Colin Fraser drop the gloves on one another just three weeks after winning a gold medal with Team Canada.

Calgary's Ladd and Red Deer's Phaneuf went at it just two seconds into the game, while Getzlaf and Fraser fought during the ensuing faceoff.

Phaneuf scored the winner at 6:15 of the third period as the Rebels overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Hitmen 3-2.

Karey Pieper and Roman Wick also scored for the Rebels (24-16-4-4), who were 2-for-5 on the power play and moved into a third-place tie with the Hitmen in the Central Division.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

ormer WJHC mates drop the gloves

It just goes to show that good friends - or teammates in this matter - make better enemies.

A Western Hockey League game between the Red Deer Rebels and Calgary Hitmen saw former World Junior teammates Ryan Getzlaf, Andrew Ladd, Dion Phaneuf and Colin Fraser drop the gloves on one another just three weeks after winning a gold medal with Team Canada.

Calgary's Ladd and Red Deer's Phaneuf went at it just two seconds into the game, while Getzlaf and Fraser fought during the ensuing faceoff.

Phaneuf scored the winner at 6:15 of the third period as the Rebels overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Hitmen 3-2.

Karey Pieper and Roman Wick also scored for the Rebels (24-16-4-4), who were 2-for-5 on the power play and moved into a third-place tie with the Hitmen in the Central Division.

Aaryn

[SoCalcaniac]

OMG -here's a detailed story on what happened.... I read this last night and tuned in to listen to the game rematch in Calgary after the Lock Monsters won on the Hitmen's website- but we missed alot! :) Red Deer won on Tuesday- then Calgary held on to win it last night. They had Getzlaf and Fraser (separate) in for interviews during the 1st intermission, it was so funny, "we're buddies, just not on the ice"...... Getzlaf sounded a bit fuzzy with the concussion and all but was taking it in stride... :eek2:

Canadian junior teammates reunite and throw punches

Donna Spencer
Canadian Press

(CP) - Calgary Hitmen forward Ryan Getzlaf will be out of the lineup for a week to two weeks with a concussion after he was decked by his Canadian junior teammate Dion Phaneuf on Tuesday in Red Deer, Alta.

Getzlaf and Phaneuf, a defenceman for the Red Deer Rebels, played pivotal roles in helping Canada win a gold medal at the world junior championship earlier this month in Grand Forks, N.D. That didn't stop Phaneuf, the top defenceman in the tournament, from hammering Getzlaf, one of Canada's top scorers, into the glass midway through the first period of the Western Hockey League game.

The game was a reunion of four Canadian junior team players - Getzlaf, Phaneuf, Calgary's Andrew Ladd and Red Deer captain Colin Fraser - and the four made fur fly in the opening seconds.

Phaneuf and Ladd fought two seconds into the game and as soon as they were in the penalty box, Getzlaf and Fraser went at it.

"It was old-time hockey," Calgary GM Kelly Kisio said Wednesday.

Kisio wasn't pleased, however, about losing Getzlaf, his best player, to injury.

"We've been without him for probably a month and a half now and something like this, out for another couple of weeks, tends to hurt your team a little bit."

Due to the cities' proximity and the parity between the two teams, the Hitmen and Rebels have developed their own Battle of Alberta in major junior hockey.

Several Hitmen fans made the hour's drive north to Red Deer on Tuesday and the Canadian junior team players seemed to want to make a statement for their respective clubs.

"It was to make sure everyone knows world juniors is over and we're not buddies anymore," Getzlaf told the Calgary Herald. OH, OK...LOL

Rebels play-by-play man Cam Moon said Phaneuf and Ladd made use of the entire neutral zone during their tilt.
:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :eek:

"The crowd is buzzing. There's a hum in the building now," said Moon. "Fraser and Getzlaf sort of set up for the next drop of the puck.

"Now we're four seconds into the game, we've had two fights and all four world junior guys are sitting in the penalty box and the place is loving it."

Red Deer ended up winning the game 3-2, but the fireworks were all in the opening seconds.

"A bunch of people hadn't even shown up at the rink yet," Moon said. "People were still filing in. We're like 'If you're on your way to the rink, you've missed a whole bunch. You really need to get here earlier."' :lol:

-

[SoCalcaniac]

OMG -here's a detailed story on what happened.... I read this last night and tuned in to listen to the game rematch in Calgary after the Lock Monsters won on the Hitmen's website- but we missed alot! :) Red Deer won on Tuesday- then Calgary held on to win it last night. They had Getzlaf and Fraser (separate) in for interviews during the 1st intermission, it was so funny, "we're buddies, just not on the ice"...... Getzlaf sounded a bit fuzzy with the concussion and all but was taking it in stride... :eek2:

Canadian junior teammates reunite and throw punches

Donna Spencer
Canadian Press

(CP) - Calgary Hitmen forward Ryan Getzlaf will be out of the lineup for a week to two weeks with a concussion after he was decked by his Canadian junior teammate Dion Phaneuf on Tuesday in Red Deer, Alta.

Getzlaf and Phaneuf, a defenceman for the Red Deer Rebels, played pivotal roles in helping Canada win a gold medal at the world junior championship earlier this month in Grand Forks, N.D. That didn't stop Phaneuf, the top defenceman in the tournament, from hammering Getzlaf, one of Canada's top scorers, into the glass midway through the first period of the Western Hockey League game.

The game was a reunion of four Canadian junior team players - Getzlaf, Phaneuf, Calgary's Andrew Ladd and Red Deer captain Colin Fraser - and the four made fur fly in the opening seconds.

Phaneuf and Ladd fought two seconds into the game and as soon as they were in the penalty box, Getzlaf and Fraser went at it.

"It was old-time hockey," Calgary GM Kelly Kisio said Wednesday.

Kisio wasn't pleased, however, about losing Getzlaf, his best player, to injury.

"We've been without him for probably a month and a half now and something like this, out for another couple of weeks, tends to hurt your team a little bit."

Due to the cities' proximity and the parity between the two teams, the Hitmen and Rebels have developed their own Battle of Alberta in major junior hockey.

Several Hitmen fans made the hour's drive north to Red Deer on Tuesday and the Canadian junior team players seemed to want to make a statement for their respective clubs.

"It was to make sure everyone knows world juniors is over and we're not buddies anymore," Getzlaf told the Calgary Herald. OH, OK...LOL

Rebels play-by-play man Cam Moon said Phaneuf and Ladd made use of the entire neutral zone during their tilt.
:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :eek:

"The crowd is buzzing. There's a hum in the building now," said Moon. "Fraser and Getzlaf sort of set up for the next drop of the puck.

"Now we're four seconds into the game, we've had two fights and all four world junior guys are sitting in the penalty box and the place is loving it."

Red Deer ended up winning the game 3-2, but the fireworks were all in the opening seconds.

"A bunch of people hadn't even shown up at the rink yet," Moon said. "People were still filing in. We're like 'If you're on your way to the rink, you've missed a whole bunch. You really need to get here earlier."' :lol:

-

[AbNormal27]

Canada to get WJHC every three years

VIENNA (CP) - The world junior hockey championship will be played in Canada every three years in an unprecedented deal announced by the International Ice Hockey Federation on Saturday.

Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson officially approached the IIHF congress with the proposal this week and the deal was approved Saturday, albeit with some trepidation from some European federations who realize Canada will get home-ice advantage every three years.

"It's something I've been working on with (IIHF president) Rene Fasel for a couple of years and also through other federations," Nicholson said Saturday. "We've shown that we can sell the event. I was able to announce to the congress today that Vancouver is already all sold out."

The Dec. 26-Jan. 5 tournament is set for Vancouver, but Canada now also has rights to the 2009 and 2012 tournaments. The under-20 deal with Hockey Canada will then be re-evaluated after the 2012 tournament.

"The under-20 tournament always has great success in Canada," Fasel said Saturday. "Look at the passion in Halifax, where there 226,000 fans. And all the games are already all sold out in Vancouver."

The IIHF makes more money when the event is staged in Canada, where attendance records continue to be shattered with every event. In Europe, the world junior tournament is treated like a minor-league event. It's the men's IIHF world championship that gets Stanley Cup attention in Europe.

Fasel admitted handing over the under-20 tournament to Canada every three years wasn't as an easy sell to the rest of the federations, however.

"If I said yes, I would be lying," Fasel said. "Every federation is fighting for its interest. But at the end of the day everyone is also fighting for the game and everyone accepted the decision."

Nicholson said he appeased the European federations by promising to cover some training camp costs in Canada as well as some travel costs.

"I was really thrilled with the decision," Nicholson said. "You have a lot of countries who were looking at this. But what matters is that our fans are the winners here.

"They made this happen because of how they support the event and how they also buy tickets for non-Canadian games."

Nicholson said one Canadian host bidding process would be held for both the 2009 and 2012 tournaments.

"And we're going to move as quickly as we can on that," Nicholson said.

It appears one of those tournaments will likely be held in Ontario given that the province hasn't held the event since 1986 in Hamilton. Saskatoon hosted in 1991, Red Deer in '95, Winnipeg in '99 and Halifax in 2003. Montreal hosted the tournament in 1978.

Aaryn

[Staal 12]

Sweeeeeeeeet :D


It's always nice having it in your own country. I think it helps helps the players aswell, being the host country.