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Junkie
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Who's watching the World Junior Hockey Championship tonight?
The World juniors are tonight. A very very good US Team faces a very good and very lucky Canadian team for the gold medal. I got to say I like the chances of Team USA in this one. The last game Canada defeated the US in a shoot out. Look at these kids! don't they look great? What an event this was:
Cox: Team USA an unconventional success story - thestar.com
Cox: Team USA an unconventional success story
By Damien Cox
Sports Columnist Published On Tue Jan 5 2010
Team Canada on roll
With five successive world junior gold medals already around its neck, Canada has joined a number of historic consecutive title-winning teams, among them:
The 1959-60 Montreal Canadiens, winners of a fifth straight Stanley Cup
The Edmonton Eskimos of 1982, who won Grey Cup No. 5
The New York Yankees, World Series winners from 1949 to '53
But six in a row? Perhaps they all start to weigh heavy, or tighten the collar. Those Habs, Esks and Yankees got no further. On two occasions, Spain's fabled Real Madrid won five La Liga titles in a row (1986-90, and 1961 to '65) but in each case Los Blancos couldn't complete the six-pack. If Canada can beat the U.S., they will have No. 6, and with it a chance to move on in the pursuit of excellence:
7 in a row: University of Victoria, Canadian men's basketball champions (1980 to '86); UCLA, U.S. men's NCAA basketball champions (1967 to 1973); U.S. men's Olympic basketball champions (1936 to 1968); United States, Ryder Cup golf champions (1971-'83)
8 in a row: Canada, women's world hockey champions (1990 to 2004); Boston Celtics, NBA champions (1958 to 1966)
9 in a row: Soviet Union, world hockey champions (1963 to 1971)
25 in a row: United States' America's Cup challenges (1851 to 1980)
SASKATOON, SASK.
It's become fashionable for Canadians to suggest hockey has failed as a sport in the southern United States.
The pathetic plight of the Phoenix Coyotes, on top of the troubles experienced by teams in Florida, Atlanta and Nashville, have made it easy to make that argument.
Problem is, it's only partially correct. The sport itself, you see, has deeper roots in those regions than ever.
When Canada takes on the U.S. in Tuesday night's much anticipated gold medal game at the 2010 world junior hockey championship, there will be evidence on both teams that areas once regarded as non-hockey territories are now producing world-class players.
You'll be witnessing, to some degree, the Gretzky Effect.
Team Canada winger Brandon Kozun, for example, was born in L.A. two years after Wayne Gretzky was traded from Edmonton to the Kings and spawned new levels of participation in the sport that had been played professionally in southern California since the 1950s.
"I notice every year in the WHL more guys coming in from places like Arizona, California and Texas that aren't exactly known for hockey," said Kozun, who spent his youth learning the game in L.A. before moving to Canada.
"It's growing down there and I think it's going to continue to grow."
Kozun plays in the Western Hockey League, where many teams boast players from California. Team Canada head coach Willie Desjardins, for example, coaches the Medicine Hat Tigers and has two California-born players in his lineup.
Whereas Bobby Orr once moved from Parry Sound to Oshawa to find better competition, young Americans are going from the desert to the beach and doing the same.
U.S. national team winger Jason Zucker, for example, grew up learning the game in Las Vegas before moving away from his family to Los Angeles at the age of 10 to further his interest in hockey.
"When I moved to L.A., there were a lot more players trying out for every team," he said.
"Coaches were more involved. I got better development with better players."
A quick scan of Team USA's lineup shows a remarkable variety of hometowns, particularly considering Minnesota, Michigan and New England once produced almost all American players.
On this junior team, there are players from Washington, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Nevada and Missouri.
"We've grown in the right way," USA Hockey assistant executive director Jim Johansson, also GM of the U.S. junior team at this tournament, told the Winnipeg Free Press.
"There's everything from AAA hockey to recreational hockey out there. It's not like a kid has to be a superstar player to play in the California system.
"But if he's a really good player, there's programs at that level."
Canadian-born NHLers that have lived in U.S. cities now find it much easier to find competitive programs for their children. U.S. national junior team defenceman John Ramage, son of former Leaf captain Rob Ramage, was born in St. Louis and played all his minor hockey there.
Last winter, a team from St. Louis coached by former NHL star Al MacInnis won the prestigious Quebec City peewee tournament.
These new streams of development have created some interesting family dynamics, even for Tuesday night's U.S.-Canada game.
"My dad did wear the (red) maple leaf for years," said U.S. winger Ryan Bourque, son of Ray Bourque, who played in the '98 Olympics for Canada.
"Those moments are precious to him. But I think family might come first in this situation.
"He's Canadian at heart, but when his two sons are playing, he likes to cheer for us."
The gospel of hockey has indeed spread throughout the United States.
They may not be buying tickets, necessarily, but they're playing the game in greater numbers in places where, before Gretzky, it wasn't played much at all.
__________________
You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey
And I never saw someone say that before
You held my hand and we walked home the long way
You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr
http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I
Last edited by Leto; 01-05-2010 at 01:21 PM..
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