Everyone here is one of our Hockey Contributors, Bobby....Bobby this is a SPORTS blog!!! lol, yes im totally NBA but you and along with some more buddies will fill out the rest of the lineup! Here's Bobby's first post. Thanks BC!
OK so here we go, in a blog site that started off as a Basketball blog, we've now brought some hockey into it. That's where I come in, I've watched the game since I was a little kid, and know the game inside and out. If I didn't pursue accounting, I'd probably be doing something with hockey right now.
Anyways onto business, the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships are being held here in Canada (in Saskatchewan actually) this year, and its been some of the best hockey to watch. Just like March Madness and the passion the NCAA players show for their school, these Under 19 players are playing for their country. Twenty-three players are chosen to represent Canada, Sweden, the United States, the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Austria, Slovakia, Russia and Switzerland.
The Round Robin Finished, and it was unbelievable finish, what has become a New Years Eve tradition of Canada and the United States ended again in an epic battle! Canada finishes the Round Robin 4-0 and gets a bye to the Semi Finals. Sweden earned the other bye into the other Semi.
Now onto what we know, the Swiss beat the Russians in a quarter final to create an unreal semi final between Canada. Canada won this semi final 6-1, although the score doesn't show the game the Swiss played. They were hoping for a hot goaltender, and boy were they riding one. The Swiss showed they have the talent to compete with the elite in hockey and earned a spot to play for a bronze medal on Tuesday afternoon. The projected Number 1 draft pick at June's draft has to be Taylor Hall. He's had an unbelievable tournament, and is the only player on the Canadian roster who is draft eligible. Great set of hands, and a great physical game as well, he'll definitely help a team who will win the lottery draft (My money right now is on Carolina, can you imagine Hall and Staal on the same line, that's a deadly combination).
For the Toronto faithful, even though the team isn't playing well at the Air Canada Centre, at least we have Nazeem Kadri to look forward to. He's been having a good tournament, making hits, passes, and goals. His hits in the tournament have been clean (based on the North American Standard) but to the International Ice Hockey Federation, the hits are too 'hard'. Regardless, I can't wait to see him play in the Blue and White, hopefully next season!
My only pet peeve during this whole championships, well there are two. I don't like how Pepsi has 'created' a Cheer Nation where they have created and marketed a cheer for Canada. Canadians know how to cheer, its our game, let us cheer the way we always do!!! The other is the amount of Gatorade commercials that are out there. I mean I get it, before we play sports, we should be hydrated so that we can play at a higher level. Thanks, now do I need to see this during the first and second intermissions of every game?!?!?! On the other hand, I have enjoyed the Nike 'Force Fate' commercials,and the Richards Red commercial (Take the best day of your life, and put it in your mouth)...now that's Gold..no pun intended!
I'll have more updates for you, the tournament finishes on Tuesday. Buffalo hosts next year's tournament and then its back to Calgary...Four World Junior Championships in a row in well pretty much Canada (lets admit it, if the Americans could, they'd give us Buffalo)....
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post by Bobby C
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