Craig Stanley, a State Assemblyman from New Jersey - and a Baptist deacon - has declared that the Devils' name is wildly inappropriate, and is lobbying to have it changed. The moniker comes from the mythical Jersey Devil, a legend in the 18th century which saw a family's 13th child turn into a bat-like monster, rather than being Satanic; Stanley, however, sees things differently.
Besides fighting the team owner, he'll have to contend with thousands of fans as well as the state governor, but it seems fairly clear that this is not a man picking a battle he thinks he can win. Or a battle he particularly cares about winning, for that matter. What better way to get noticed by other staunch Christians than by throwing yourself into an apparent David vs. Goliath battle for your religion's beliefs? There is absolutely no suggesting that this isn't politically motivated, at least in part, and is just another news item that gave me a laugh today.
2005-05-29
The NHL's predicament got a little more dire on Saturday, with ESPN announcing that they would not pick up their $60-million US option to televise games next season (if, indeed, there is a next season). The league can now negotiate with any network, including ESPN, who would probably be willing to negotiate a new deal, but for much less money. The headline of the article, "NHL left with deals with NBC, CBC and TSN," seems fairly cocky ("left" being suggestive of inadequacy amongst the remaining networks), but is still accurate: without a big American contract, Gary Bettman's dream (read: pipe dream) of getting the entire U.S. of A. excited about hockey is headed down the tubes. Pass the Draino!
Holy plumbing allusions, Batman.
Finally, if my previous post didn't make you watch the Memorial Cup semi-final tonight, which saw 11 goals - 3 coming from the phenomenon that is Sidney Crosby - then do yourself a huge favour: WATCH THE FINAL. It comes Sunday at 4 pm ET on Rogers Sportsnet, and will definitely be worth your while, if you are any kind of a hockey fan. Enjoy.
Holy plumbing allusions, Batman.
Finally, if my previous post didn't make you watch the Memorial Cup semi-final tonight, which saw 11 goals - 3 coming from the phenomenon that is Sidney Crosby - then do yourself a huge favour: WATCH THE FINAL. It comes Sunday at 4 pm ET on Rogers Sportsnet, and will definitely be worth your while, if you are any kind of a hockey fan. Enjoy.
2005-05-25
Don't Worry, Be Happy
Looks like the NHL and NHLPA have been making some solid progress in CBA talks...they aren't about to sign a new agreement at this juncture, but the fact that they're talking, and making any progress at all, is promising. Bill Daly has expressed a lot of optimism from his side of the table, and that's the best news to come out of those negotiations since "Well, we might be able to save the 2004-05 season if we get a deal done in the next two hours." (Not that that was such spectacular news to begin with.) Stay updated by clicking the NHL CBA News link on the right side of this page. (Or, you know, you could go directly to that site. But then you'd miss what I had to say.)
As for hockey action going on right now, there are better things to do than watch re-runs on the NHL Network...me, I'm saving that for July and August. No, now is the time of year to watch the Memorial Cup! This is fantastic hockey, folks; it's going to make you wonder why you wasted your time with the World Championships...makes them look like a Grass-Growing competition. (Or, since those are seldom televised, a NASCAR race.) There's a lot more to the Rimouski Océanic than Sidney Crosby, and the London Knights are a virtual who's-who of world-class players from the World Junior Championships, with Corey Perry, Dan Fritsche, Danny Syvret, and Robbie Schremp. The Ottawa 67's (sic) aren't playing like underdogs either, making the Océanic earn their 4-3 victory on Tuesday night, fighting for the "W" until the final buzzer. And the defending two-time champion Kelowna Rockets...well, they're eliminated, so that's that. There's just four more days remaining in the tournament, though, so whether you're a casual hockey fan or a die-hard who's desperate for some action, give it a look! You won't be disappointed.
As for hockey action going on right now, there are better things to do than watch re-runs on the NHL Network...me, I'm saving that for July and August. No, now is the time of year to watch the Memorial Cup! This is fantastic hockey, folks; it's going to make you wonder why you wasted your time with the World Championships...makes them look like a Grass-Growing competition. (Or, since those are seldom televised, a NASCAR race.) There's a lot more to the Rimouski Océanic than Sidney Crosby, and the London Knights are a virtual who's-who of world-class players from the World Junior Championships, with Corey Perry, Dan Fritsche, Danny Syvret, and Robbie Schremp. The Ottawa 67's (sic) aren't playing like underdogs either, making the Océanic earn their 4-3 victory on Tuesday night, fighting for the "W" until the final buzzer. And the defending two-time champion Kelowna Rockets...well, they're eliminated, so that's that. There's just four more days remaining in the tournament, though, so whether you're a casual hockey fan or a die-hard who's desperate for some action, give it a look! You won't be disappointed.
2005-05-15
The Top 10 Things to Do While Watching Canada Lose the Gold
10. Marvel at how much Patrick Marleau looks like actor Matthew Fox ("Jack" from Lost)
9. Put in the 2005 World Cup DVD and watch that instead.
8. Put in the 2002 Olympic Hockey Gold Medal DVD and watch that instead.
7. Try using the Force to help Canada score a goal (if it doesn't work, it's only because they're too far away. Honest.)
6. Check on the score of the Jays game.
5. Drink a shot every time Pierre McGuire begins to yell during his commentary (caution: you will get drunk)
4. Drink a shot every time a pass misses its target by more than three feet (caution: you will get even drunker)
3. For more of a mental challenge: given the teams represented by the players in that game, and assuming there was currently an NHL season, which teams would still be in the playoffs? (To raise the difficulty factor, do this after having performed numbers 4 and 5)
2. Watch the highlights from the Russia/Sweden bronze medal game.
1. Think up a "Top 10" list to post on your blog.
Got suggestions for more? Post a comment!
9. Put in the 2005 World Cup DVD and watch that instead.
8. Put in the 2002 Olympic Hockey Gold Medal DVD and watch that instead.
7. Try using the Force to help Canada score a goal (if it doesn't work, it's only because they're too far away. Honest.)
6. Check on the score of the Jays game.
5. Drink a shot every time Pierre McGuire begins to yell during his commentary (caution: you will get drunk)
4. Drink a shot every time a pass misses its target by more than three feet (caution: you will get even drunker)
3. For more of a mental challenge: given the teams represented by the players in that game, and assuming there was currently an NHL season, which teams would still be in the playoffs? (To raise the difficulty factor, do this after having performed numbers 4 and 5)
2. Watch the highlights from the Russia/Sweden bronze medal game.
1. Think up a "Top 10" list to post on your blog.
Got suggestions for more? Post a comment!
Martin Brodeur certainly showed up to play for the last two games of the IIHF World Championship.
He should have invited some of his friends.
Brodeur bailed out his side in a 4-3 semifinal win over Russia, stopping 39 of 42 shots, with around 30 of those coming in the last two periods. Canada sat on a 4-0 lead, and while the Russians battled hard, the Canadians resumed their defensive strategy of panicked puck-chasing, leaving men open for tap-ins. But as captain Ryan Smyth said before today's final against the Czech Republic, "You can't critique a win."
Maybe they should have. Sloppy all-around play was the story of the game for Canada. They kept their composure until the third period, when stupid penalties started to pile up, but right from the get-go their efforts were marred by piss-poor passing and defence that, to quote Bart Simpson, folded "faster than Superman on laundry day." On the first goal, Vaclav Prospal was left wide open by Canadian defenders, and potted an easy rebound that Brodeur just couldn't corral. The second score was an absolute rocket off the stick of Martin Rucinsky, during a 1-on-2 where he was given way too much respect by the Canuck defence. At the other end, meanwhile, the Czechs sat on their lead right after the first goal, collapsing back to the blueline and implementing an aggressive trap, swarming any Canadian who attempted to carry the puck over the line. Tomas Vokoun was stellar in goal as well for his side, but didn't need to make as many spectacular saves as Marty Brodeur, who kept his team alive.
A scrum with ten seconds remaining - sparked when Vokoun began shoving Smyth, who was chopping away at Jiri Fischer's skates in front of the Czech net - allowed the Canadians to finally vent their frustrations. International referees are quick to call roughing penalties after the whistle, but largely ignore the hooks, holds and wild stickwork that the Czechs in particular are known for; ref Thomas Andersson didn't even call a penalty when Ales Hemsky grabbed the puck and threw it into the stands - it should have been an easy two for Delay of Game, but instead, Andersen just shook his head and smirked when Canada's bench became understandably incensed. (Not according to the IIHF website, however; Andersson did a "masterful job." No surprise that they didn't repremand their own referee, but "masterful"?) At any rate, Canada's emotional physical outburst said loud and clear that they won't forget this painful defeat...though that probably seems like small consolation for all those Canadian players who imagined being able to sink their teeth into gold medals right now. It just isn't the same with silver...although there may be a few dentists north of the 49th who are hoping they'll try it anyway.
He should have invited some of his friends.
Brodeur bailed out his side in a 4-3 semifinal win over Russia, stopping 39 of 42 shots, with around 30 of those coming in the last two periods. Canada sat on a 4-0 lead, and while the Russians battled hard, the Canadians resumed their defensive strategy of panicked puck-chasing, leaving men open for tap-ins. But as captain Ryan Smyth said before today's final against the Czech Republic, "You can't critique a win."
Maybe they should have. Sloppy all-around play was the story of the game for Canada. They kept their composure until the third period, when stupid penalties started to pile up, but right from the get-go their efforts were marred by piss-poor passing and defence that, to quote Bart Simpson, folded "faster than Superman on laundry day." On the first goal, Vaclav Prospal was left wide open by Canadian defenders, and potted an easy rebound that Brodeur just couldn't corral. The second score was an absolute rocket off the stick of Martin Rucinsky, during a 1-on-2 where he was given way too much respect by the Canuck defence. At the other end, meanwhile, the Czechs sat on their lead right after the first goal, collapsing back to the blueline and implementing an aggressive trap, swarming any Canadian who attempted to carry the puck over the line. Tomas Vokoun was stellar in goal as well for his side, but didn't need to make as many spectacular saves as Marty Brodeur, who kept his team alive.
A scrum with ten seconds remaining - sparked when Vokoun began shoving Smyth, who was chopping away at Jiri Fischer's skates in front of the Czech net - allowed the Canadians to finally vent their frustrations. International referees are quick to call roughing penalties after the whistle, but largely ignore the hooks, holds and wild stickwork that the Czechs in particular are known for; ref Thomas Andersson didn't even call a penalty when Ales Hemsky grabbed the puck and threw it into the stands - it should have been an easy two for Delay of Game, but instead, Andersen just shook his head and smirked when Canada's bench became understandably incensed. (Not according to the IIHF website, however; Andersson did a "masterful job." No surprise that they didn't repremand their own referee, but "masterful"?) At any rate, Canada's emotional physical outburst said loud and clear that they won't forget this painful defeat...though that probably seems like small consolation for all those Canadian players who imagined being able to sink their teeth into gold medals right now. It just isn't the same with silver...although there may be a few dentists north of the 49th who are hoping they'll try it anyway.
2005-05-14
Al Strachan's Toronto Sun column of Friday bore the headline "Brodeur saviour again." I find it mildly disappointing that I'm going to write a post about the inaccuracy of the headline and not the article itself (much as I often disagree with Strachan's point of view, he still managed to stay away from saying anything revelatory, as he largely recapped Ziggy Palffy's penalty shot in Canada's 5-4 defeat of the Slovaks).
As I've stated previously, neither Brodeur nor Luongo has been at anywhere near his best. Both are still great goalies, but hockey fans are used to seeing something several steps above "great" from them...such as "sensational," "spectacular," and "scintillating," to name a few adjectives. But to paint Brodeur as a saviour in this game is well beyond misleading. Yes, he made an amazing save on that penalty shot. But he wasn't chalking it up to his usual upper-echelon skills; he knew that was a product of the horseshoes that he's got tucked away somewhere. "I was just hoping," he said. "I threw my arm back and I was able to get the puck with it....I didn't know."
Make no mistake, Brodeur will have to have improved some more in the last two days if Canada is to beat the Russians Saturday. Strachan's point about that big save building confidence for the Canadians is well-taken, but they're going to need a much better all-around performance this time, and bloated kudos from "newspapers" aren't going to help. (Yes, I added quotation marks there. Referring to a publication that needs to include pictures of scantily-clad men and women to ring up decent sales figures as a Newspaper hurts my head a little bit.)
As I've stated previously, neither Brodeur nor Luongo has been at anywhere near his best. Both are still great goalies, but hockey fans are used to seeing something several steps above "great" from them...such as "sensational," "spectacular," and "scintillating," to name a few adjectives. But to paint Brodeur as a saviour in this game is well beyond misleading. Yes, he made an amazing save on that penalty shot. But he wasn't chalking it up to his usual upper-echelon skills; he knew that was a product of the horseshoes that he's got tucked away somewhere. "I was just hoping," he said. "I threw my arm back and I was able to get the puck with it....I didn't know."
Make no mistake, Brodeur will have to have improved some more in the last two days if Canada is to beat the Russians Saturday. Strachan's point about that big save building confidence for the Canadians is well-taken, but they're going to need a much better all-around performance this time, and bloated kudos from "newspapers" aren't going to help. (Yes, I added quotation marks there. Referring to a publication that needs to include pictures of scantily-clad men and women to ring up decent sales figures as a Newspaper hurts my head a little bit.)
2005-05-09
To serve and protect...when he gets around to it
In case you haven't noticed, the spot on Team Canada's roster that was left open for Todd Bertuzzi was filled by Scott Walker of the Nashville Predators a couple weeks ago. This, of course, is due to good ol' GB dragging his feet over making up his mind on that suspension. Personally, although I agree that Bettman should start thinking about making a decision on this, I really couldn't care less about what that decision is.
At this point, Bertuzzi has effectively been suspended from hockey for over a year. His detractors might exclaim, "but there was no NHL for him to miss!" Well, no there wasn't, but that's not his fault. (No more than it was the fault of the other NHLPA members, anyway.) He was prevented from playing hockey in Europe at the same time, so one could argue that he's been missing out.
Let's analogize, shall we?
Billy loves eating at McDonald's. But being a bit of a rebel, he also loves throwing twisted-up ketchup packets around the inside of the restaurant so they splatter on the windows. He's kicked out of McDick's for a 365-day period. Now, about four months after that suspension begins, the restaurant is closed for the next 8 months due to oh, say, a lockout of the employees. Billy has been suspended from walking into all McDonald'seses, not just this one; however, this particular joint is the one he frequented. After his suspension is scheduled to end, should it be elongated another 8 months? Of course not. Ketchup on the windows didn't close it down; the lockout did.
Admittedly, the main problem with this metaphor is that it appears to assume that Bertuzzi's suspension was only to be a year long; yet I am merely suggesting that he shouldn't be punished extra because the NHL suspended operations. (You also may be offended that I light-heartedly likened Steve Moore's injury to the misuse of condiments. If that's the case, lighten up, because I also compared the National Hockey League to a poorly-run fast food joint...although that, I suppose, isn't far off the mark.) This analogy is aimed purely at those who are looking at T-Bert's suspension in the context of the current professional hockey landscape in North America.
As far as what the total length of Todd's exile should be, I have no idea. There are some who believe he should only be allowed back if and when Steve Moore returns to the NHL; of course, at the moment it's up in the air whether Moore will play again - let's face it, he didn't knock anybody's socks off with his skill, and he now has a major roadblock to deal with. Thus, these people basically believe that Bertuzzi should never play again. I call this the "Capital Punishment" school of thought, an eye for an eye. But many people - myself included - believe that the goal of a criminal justice system should be to rehabilitate one to the point where they can function as a productive member of society, and accept responsibility and feel remorse for their crimes. Well, Bertuzzi was remorseful from the get-go, and has certainly accepted responsibility for what he did...at this point, you need to ask yourself if it's really such a good thing for the game to keep one of its premier players out of the rink.
This being said, I also don't think that Bertuzzi's suspension should be over just yet, purely because of the catch-22 inherent in my earlier analogy. Though it would be unfair to punish Todd more severely due to the NHL lockout, his sentence still has to act as a deterrent for other potential thugs on the ice. If it doesn't appear to them that Bertuzzi lost any ice time, then they won't see his suspension as particularly serious, and might not think twice about continuing the trend of senseless violence that has escalated since the appearance of the instigator penalty. A two- or three-year debarment might be in order; assuming that the NHL resumes play next year, perhaps the last year of the sentence (in either case) could be slackened so that the power forward could play in any league but the NHL and its immediate affiliates (the AHL, par exemple).
All told, I will at least agree with everyone else that Gary Bettman needs to make a decision, and soon, just because it's one more story I'm tired of hearing about; the sooner the NHL can put this one behind them, the better. I don't know if that many people are even that concerned about just what GB's decision is, as long as he makes one. I'd hate to be in line behind him at McDonald's when he's deciding what he wants for lunch.
At this point, Bertuzzi has effectively been suspended from hockey for over a year. His detractors might exclaim, "but there was no NHL for him to miss!" Well, no there wasn't, but that's not his fault. (No more than it was the fault of the other NHLPA members, anyway.) He was prevented from playing hockey in Europe at the same time, so one could argue that he's been missing out.
Let's analogize, shall we?
Billy loves eating at McDonald's. But being a bit of a rebel, he also loves throwing twisted-up ketchup packets around the inside of the restaurant so they splatter on the windows. He's kicked out of McDick's for a 365-day period. Now, about four months after that suspension begins, the restaurant is closed for the next 8 months due to oh, say, a lockout of the employees. Billy has been suspended from walking into all McDonald'seses, not just this one; however, this particular joint is the one he frequented. After his suspension is scheduled to end, should it be elongated another 8 months? Of course not. Ketchup on the windows didn't close it down; the lockout did.
Admittedly, the main problem with this metaphor is that it appears to assume that Bertuzzi's suspension was only to be a year long; yet I am merely suggesting that he shouldn't be punished extra because the NHL suspended operations. (You also may be offended that I light-heartedly likened Steve Moore's injury to the misuse of condiments. If that's the case, lighten up, because I also compared the National Hockey League to a poorly-run fast food joint...although that, I suppose, isn't far off the mark.) This analogy is aimed purely at those who are looking at T-Bert's suspension in the context of the current professional hockey landscape in North America.
As far as what the total length of Todd's exile should be, I have no idea. There are some who believe he should only be allowed back if and when Steve Moore returns to the NHL; of course, at the moment it's up in the air whether Moore will play again - let's face it, he didn't knock anybody's socks off with his skill, and he now has a major roadblock to deal with. Thus, these people basically believe that Bertuzzi should never play again. I call this the "Capital Punishment" school of thought, an eye for an eye. But many people - myself included - believe that the goal of a criminal justice system should be to rehabilitate one to the point where they can function as a productive member of society, and accept responsibility and feel remorse for their crimes. Well, Bertuzzi was remorseful from the get-go, and has certainly accepted responsibility for what he did...at this point, you need to ask yourself if it's really such a good thing for the game to keep one of its premier players out of the rink.
This being said, I also don't think that Bertuzzi's suspension should be over just yet, purely because of the catch-22 inherent in my earlier analogy. Though it would be unfair to punish Todd more severely due to the NHL lockout, his sentence still has to act as a deterrent for other potential thugs on the ice. If it doesn't appear to them that Bertuzzi lost any ice time, then they won't see his suspension as particularly serious, and might not think twice about continuing the trend of senseless violence that has escalated since the appearance of the instigator penalty. A two- or three-year debarment might be in order; assuming that the NHL resumes play next year, perhaps the last year of the sentence (in either case) could be slackened so that the power forward could play in any league but the NHL and its immediate affiliates (the AHL, par exemple).
All told, I will at least agree with everyone else that Gary Bettman needs to make a decision, and soon, just because it's one more story I'm tired of hearing about; the sooner the NHL can put this one behind them, the better. I don't know if that many people are even that concerned about just what GB's decision is, as long as he makes one. I'd hate to be in line behind him at McDonald's when he's deciding what he wants for lunch.
2005-05-08
Giving 'er in Innsbruck
This post marks my return from a relatively lengthy - and unintended - hiatus. Having survived incredibly death-defying trials and tribulations (five exams, a skateboarding injury, strep throat, and a haircut), I'm ready to get back to the hockey-talk, and it should be a busy few days.
To start off, I'll deal with the World Hockey Championships, namely to discuss Canada's disappointing performance so far. A tie against Finland today, coupled with a 5-4 loss to the Swedes less than 24 hours beforehand, gives one some cause for concern. Defensive breakdowns have embarassed the squad constantly, and neither Brodeur or Luongo is playing at his usual (read: superhuman) level. This is undoubtedly a result of not having been on the ice much this year, but I don't think anyone is interested in excuses, least of all those two goalies. They might appreciate a little more help from their skaters, though; it hasn't been uncommon to see three Canadian defenders chasing the puck along the boards in their own end, only to watch an opposition player scoop it up and begin to cycle it around a suddenly-spacious offensive zone.
Though the defence has struggled, Canada's scoring has been decent, thanks to the high-octane Nash-Thornton-Gagne line. Thornton and Nash are currently tied for the tournament lead with 10 points, and the latter is no.1 with 8 goals so far. Rick Nash's production is a very bright spot for Hockey Canada, and the line's play takes some of the sting away from the playmaking attempts of the other 15 skaters on the bench, which gets fairly awkward and ugly at times. The defence seems to have trouble advancing the puck to the forwards, and in today's game, Chris Phillips was forced to take it into the zone by himself a number of times. In the offensive zone, at least, missed passes can be made up for by tenacious puck pursuit, which has been displayed best by the Grind Line of Ryan Smyth, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby.
Don't think that I'm turning into the anti-homer, à la Damien Cox; on the contrary, I - along with any other fan of Canadian hockey - expect a lot out of this team, and one would be hard-pressed to convince me that they're operating at 100% right now. They were out-hustled by a Swedish team that is missing its four biggest guns, including regular captain Mats Sundin, a player who some consider to be the world's best when he's healthy, Peter Forsberg, and Nicklas Lidstrom, who is easily one of the world's five best active defencemen. And of course the Canadians were tired for the match against the Finns, but it was also an effort marred by a lack of disciplined play, though the squad showed some great determination for a few minutes in the third period to overcome their two-goal deficit and tie things up at 3.
For many other hockey-playing nations, this would have been a satisfactory performance thus far, but not for the team who entered this tournament as the clear favourite. It's time for these guys to start playing the way they can play - ferocious forechecking, conscientious defence, simple-yet-elegant passing, blistering quickness, thunderous contact, and shooting reminiscient of a firing squad. It's a tough task to achieve the usual lofty goals when many of these guys came into the tournament cold, compared to many of the European players who have been suited up for teams in their home countries, but these 23 guys are among the world's elite, so if anyone can accomplish that task, it may well be these men that do it.
Go Canada.
To start off, I'll deal with the World Hockey Championships, namely to discuss Canada's disappointing performance so far. A tie against Finland today, coupled with a 5-4 loss to the Swedes less than 24 hours beforehand, gives one some cause for concern. Defensive breakdowns have embarassed the squad constantly, and neither Brodeur or Luongo is playing at his usual (read: superhuman) level. This is undoubtedly a result of not having been on the ice much this year, but I don't think anyone is interested in excuses, least of all those two goalies. They might appreciate a little more help from their skaters, though; it hasn't been uncommon to see three Canadian defenders chasing the puck along the boards in their own end, only to watch an opposition player scoop it up and begin to cycle it around a suddenly-spacious offensive zone.
Though the defence has struggled, Canada's scoring has been decent, thanks to the high-octane Nash-Thornton-Gagne line. Thornton and Nash are currently tied for the tournament lead with 10 points, and the latter is no.1 with 8 goals so far. Rick Nash's production is a very bright spot for Hockey Canada, and the line's play takes some of the sting away from the playmaking attempts of the other 15 skaters on the bench, which gets fairly awkward and ugly at times. The defence seems to have trouble advancing the puck to the forwards, and in today's game, Chris Phillips was forced to take it into the zone by himself a number of times. In the offensive zone, at least, missed passes can be made up for by tenacious puck pursuit, which has been displayed best by the Grind Line of Ryan Smyth, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby.
Don't think that I'm turning into the anti-homer, à la Damien Cox; on the contrary, I - along with any other fan of Canadian hockey - expect a lot out of this team, and one would be hard-pressed to convince me that they're operating at 100% right now. They were out-hustled by a Swedish team that is missing its four biggest guns, including regular captain Mats Sundin, a player who some consider to be the world's best when he's healthy, Peter Forsberg, and Nicklas Lidstrom, who is easily one of the world's five best active defencemen. And of course the Canadians were tired for the match against the Finns, but it was also an effort marred by a lack of disciplined play, though the squad showed some great determination for a few minutes in the third period to overcome their two-goal deficit and tie things up at 3.
For many other hockey-playing nations, this would have been a satisfactory performance thus far, but not for the team who entered this tournament as the clear favourite. It's time for these guys to start playing the way they can play - ferocious forechecking, conscientious defence, simple-yet-elegant passing, blistering quickness, thunderous contact, and shooting reminiscient of a firing squad. It's a tough task to achieve the usual lofty goals when many of these guys came into the tournament cold, compared to many of the European players who have been suited up for teams in their home countries, but these 23 guys are among the world's elite, so if anyone can accomplish that task, it may well be these men that do it.
Go Canada.
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