How about a little Gold......medal that is.

[Bigprairie1]

Wow
....yet another World Junior Hockey close one....Canada vs. the Russkies...all the way down to overtime then a shoot-out with Canada victorious at 2-0 in the shootout. This game was a semi-final with the winner going to the gold medal game and the loser going to the bronze medal game.
Now Canada has won this tournament 4 years running now and have only lost 1 game in those 4 years....to Sweden last year....but things always change and things get tougher, which makes it time to step up.
Back to the game, Canada got sloppy and got off their game there for about a period or so....I don't like that. I mean giving up a goal to trail with what 3 minutes remaining in the game only to tie it up with 6 seconds on the clock.....my heart be frikkin' still.
That said, for the sloppy work they did in the third they made up for in overtime and easily outplayed the Russians in that lop sided 10 minute period.
Now, they have to pull it together tighter for the Gold Medal game against a very talented Sweden on Monday afternoon.
Wish us Luck guys.....its going to be tight and tough.
BP

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

Yes that was another nail bitter. Russia should have won that one on the empty netter that was missed. I agree that Canada was definitely not as perky as thay have been.

The Sweden team played sloppy also today but pulled it out in the end.

I think were headed for a interesting game on Monday.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

My older son loves hockey. Goes to the ranger games with my sister. Canada wonderful country, great people, and the very best neighbor.

Wish the whole world got along as we do with our northern neighbor. No more wars, oh well thats for another thread.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

My older son loves hockey. Goes to the ranger games with my sister. Canada wonderful country, great people, and the very best neighbor.

Wish the whole world got along as we do with our northern neighbor. No more wars, oh well thats for another thread.

You nailed a great point their Chief, and I fully agree and reciprocate on all those sentiments. It is a very peaceful, neighbourly relationship worthy of pride on both sides of the border and continues to serve as THE international example...all good.

...we do try to keep the drive alive however at least in the hockey department come international tournament time!!
It's not uncommon for the U.S and Canadian players to support one another if either is eliminated from the tournament early. A lot of those players are team/roommates through the regular hockey season. Several of the Canadian players are playing their Junior in the U.S (ie: Spokane Chiefs, etc) and ditto that for the U.S kids up on the Canadian Side (OHL, etc).
BP

 

[chiefalen]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

Well i never said a little competition is a bad thing, may the best team win.

I'm more a baseball kinda guy, but sport at it's finest, can be appreciated by the common man, even if one is not a fan of the sport.

So if Canada wants to bring it, i'm sure we have young people willing to take it.

Ha.

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

You nailed a great point their Chief, and I fully agree and reciprocate on all those sentiments. It is a very peaceful, neighbourly relationship worthy of pride on both sides of the border and continues to serve as THE international example...all good.

Can I get some of those glasses you use???

We didn't deserve the win against Russia and, except for one greedy Russian player trying to score an empty netter, we would have lost. But that is hockey and we played a good OT and won the shootout.

But a huge amount of penalties for Russia that Canada failed to score on. We won't get that chance against the Swedes.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

Can I get some of those glasses you use???

We didn't deserve the win against Russia and, except for one greedy Russian player trying to score an empty netter, we would have lost. But that is hockey and we played a good OT and won the shootout.

But a huge amount of penalties for Russia that Canada failed to score on. We won't get that chance against the Swedes.

I can't agree that we didn't deserve that win....we did, but not by much. Canada did not distance themselves, or distinguish themselves, against the Russians in a lot of that game. We led most of it, albeit by one goal. Even Pat Quinn says there were almost no 'artful', tic/tac/toe goals on either side...including the Russians. The Russian go ahead goal was a bit of a wink, wink, nudge, nudge trickler...hardly stellar. If that was a Canadian goal everyone would think themselves lucky to have gotten it, as did the Russians. So up to that point it was a pretty even match.
That said, I too always expect the Canadians to be distinctly better, which they were not during that game. They seemed to play in fits and spurts. At least...until the overtime period. Then they stepped up and clearly out played the Russians and had things gone 20 minutes instead of 10 Canada would have probably ended it. Then with things going into the ol' Euro-shoot out deal a lot of people thought this is where the Russians will shine....not. Canada shut them down in both ends.
We came to the table way too late in that game....way too late. However Canada showed up and stepped up and won. I would have liked to have seen things happen a little earlier tho'. It was no fluke, Canada made mistakes that cost them a marginal crease/trickle/bounce goal that put us behind...ok. Then the Russians made mistakes, and importantly, one more than they should have...and that cost them their lead....ok. Then with everything even, it was time to man up and play and the result was there both in the overtime period and the shoot-out.
That Russian player making that long shot/icing play was a Russian mistake and he will feel it for a long time. As Canada found out about 3 minutes earlier...you can't make mistakes late in the game and think you aren't going to pay for them. Hopefully, his coach and team mates weren't too hard on him.
You are dead right about the Swedes, they will be working hard on the Canadians so we are in for a very good game. In the exhibition games we beat the Swedes and then of course, later the Swedes beat Russia.
So...its going to be a good one this afternoon. This will probably come down to keeping this kids focused which is going to be Pat Quinn's challenge.
The Swedes, who are talent heavy, have to keep the 'team' thing in mind and not try to win it on individual hero plays. I think this is the element where Canada try to stay focused....I hope.
....whoooo, I can feel the ol' adrenaline start to go already
All Very Good!!!
BP

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

Well we won the gold and we played like a team. I think we had way to many penalties and i thought the game was going to end up in a brawl.

The Swedes just looked like thay were not on there game. There goalie should have gotten an academy award for the dives he was doing but that all played out in the end

For you out there the score was 5-1 for Canada with two empty netters in the end.

Way to go Canada we did it again.

 

[oops!]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

sorry i been away from this site and my friends for so long.


congratulations to team canada.....the swedes, russions, slovackians......and the team from the usa.
it was a tournament that will go down in history. all the players deserve medals.


tackelwasher.........you should have been at prospera place when the canadians scored with 5 seconds left.......my ears are still ringing !

the can-usa game was called the best jounior game ever played.....
the can-russia game was the best nail biter ive seen in the jr's ever.
(tackelwasher has a point.....we were getting killed in the third....the canadians looked like they were out of gas)

the gold game was what it was.........and our city is partying !

i dont know how any one could have watched even a minit of any of the three games and not be glued to the tv screen.

............tyler myers ...#3, and jamie benn....# 24 ......wre playing on the jr team......they are from our local team.........the kelowna rockets were playing in the local arena on the same night canada was playing the russians.

the local arena holds 6800 people........at the drop of the puck.....the canadians and russians were still in the late third period...........about 2000 were seated in the stands......the rest were piled around the tv monitors in the main area (concourse) and the attached resturant/lounge.
when the canadians scored with 5 secs left.....the cheer was so loud it disturbed the play on the ice..

when we won against the russians in the shoot out.......after the screams and the high fives....all remaining 4900 ish people took their seats......the arena went from disasterly empty to full in seconds......wow......hockey night in canada.

i know there is a market for hockey in the states......i just wish they could see it to get to know it.

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

Great on the guys for winning but were we getting frequent flyer points from being in the penalty box???? Are penalty kill was awesome. Good thing too or we would have been toast.

And what's with the two different times a Swede head-punched a Canadian and no penalty?

Had to watch the game late on the PVR as I curl Mondays, but it was a good game to watch, even knowing the outcome.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

....5-1, love it!!! See ya' Swedes.
Ok, first a quick rant on the Swedes and the penalty stuff:
Those Canadian penalties were largely tied to the highly disappointing play and display of that childish Swedish goaltender...aka. 'the fish', as in flopping around. Like the announcer said, he had never seen a helmet come off that easily or often before and I fully agree.
He should have gotten at least one diving penalty in the 3-4 that he drew against the Canadians.
I didn't find the Canadians playing a malicious game at all, despite a couple of those marginal calls....buts that all beside the point.
I was seriously disappointed in the Swedes conduct all around and as a result they didn't deserve and definitely did not earn a gold.
Canada outplayed them...period after period. The game is about pulling your talent together and acting like a team as previously mentioned. Canada did that, the Swedes didn't.
Ok...that was my tough love rant, now:
Great game, and Oops I fully agree with you on that Canada/U.S game...definitely one of the best every played. (I had to laugh at your comments about the crowd watching the World juniors on the monitor during the local junior game...if that isn't hockey in Canada, what is eh?)The Russian game was a nail biter. The gold medal game was great with a great result.
Apart from the Swedes behaviour all of those kids are winners and this tournament continues to shine and grow. This tournament is now starting to compete with the play-offs in popularity and that will be very clear next year in Saskatchewan...where sports is very well supported.
All in all I am fairly proud of the Canadian record in this over the last 5 years...with 5 golds and having only lost one game in the tournament in 5 years. However, next year is a new year and a new crop of international talent....you never know?
All Very Good, congrats to all of those kids and thanks for the premium hockey entertainment.
BP

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

I think I'm gonna watch the Can/US game again. It's still on the PVR and was the best game of the series (IMHO)

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: How about a little Gold......medal that is.

I think I'm gonna watch the Can/US game again. It's still on the PVR and was the best game of the series (IMHO)

Ya it was the best game. End to end hockey with full of energy.