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IIHF 2012 World Juniors

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Gehrig, Dec 25, 2011.

  1. Sea Bass

    Sea Bass Well-Known Member

    I'm OK with this being called a youth tournament. For the vast majority of players in it, this is the highest level they'll play at.

    That 2005 team was the exception, not the rule, and while a ton of players on that team became NHL stars, that doesn't change the fact that with the exception of Bergeron, they were all still juniors.
     
  2. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    USA and Finland tied 0-0 after one. Finns showed more in the first 20 against the Yanks than they did for three periods against Canada.

    Brampton's own Scott Wedgewood gets the call in goal tonight for Canuckistan against the Czechs.
     
  3. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Finns being outshot 24-9 after two but winning 1-0. Needless to say, Finns goaltending has been terrific.
     
  4. Gehrig

    Gehrig Active Member

    Didn't take long in the third before the Americans tied the game. Saad scores for USA.
     
  5. Herbert Anchovy

    Herbert Anchovy Active Member

    Finland pulls the upset despite being outshot 39-27.
     
  6. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Americans needed John Gibson to make one save - on the shot that eventually became Finland's second goal - and couldn't get it. They pretty much shut it down after they went down 3-1. Finland competed harder at both ends of the rink. I suspect that is the last game Gibson will play in the tourney.

    Yanks will be up to play Canada, of that i have no doubt.
     
  7. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Canada beats Czechs 5-0 after Czech goalie Petr Mrazek kept his team only a goal down late into the second period. The Canuckistanis seemed to spend three-quarters of the game in the Czech end. Scott Wedgewood was rarely tested in the Canada net, set up the second goal with a great, long pass.

    Mike Futa, player personnel guy for the LA Kings, won the 50/50 at the game: $87,000.

    Canucks have Denmark tonight and then a day off before the game against the US on NYE. Unless they have totally shut it down after losing to Finland, the Yanks will be a test on Saturday.
     
  8. JC

    JC Well-Known Member

    A couple of interesting articles about the gorilla the WJHC have become.

    http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/2011/12/29/brunt_world_junior_hockey_canadians/

    http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/juniorhockey/blog/buzzing_the_net/post/WJC2012-5-reasons-why-it-8217-s-perfectly-Cana?urn=juniorhockey-wp5293
     
  9. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Tough to argue with any of that. TSN and Hockey Canada don't want the tourney to stray too far from these shores.

    TSN doesn't want to show Canada playing in the middle of the afternoon in front of nobody in shitty, dark, antiquated arenas. Hockey Canada doesn't want diminished media coverage and doesn't want to subject the kids to substandard hotels, long flights and horrific refereeing. They'd rather make money flogging tickets and merchandise than pay a chef or two to travel with the team so the players aren't subjected to the sketchy local cuisine.

    Both stories highlighted the general public's lack of interest in junior hockey, certainly before and after the tournament. Spot on, that. In 2009 and '10 fans streamed from the GTA to Ottawa and Buffalo for the tourney and conveniently forgot that studs like Hodgson, Subban, Tavares, Ellis and plenty of others either played for teams in the GTA or visited frequently for a fraction of the price to see them play for Canada.
     
  10. Herbert Anchovy

    Herbert Anchovy Active Member

    We'll see how it's received when it goes to Russia next year -- one of the sketch parts of Russia.
     
  11. Gehrig

    Gehrig Active Member

    Which Canadian goalie should start against the Americans on New Years Eve?
     
  12. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Sounds like it will be Wedgewood. Have no problem with that, he played well against the Czechs and a good Brampton boy will always step up to a challenge.

    Visentin has been very good too, games like last night are always tough to stay focused in for a goalie.
     
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