Double Dose Of Red And White

Team Canada got off to a great start in both tournaments as the U-20 team scored a solid 6-3 victory over Russia on Sunday, while the Spengler Cup Canadians thumped Dominik Hasek and Spartak Moscow, another Russian squad, by a 6-1 score. Rarely do you see Dominik Hasek give up six goals in a game, but the 73 year-old looked fallible against Canada as six different Canadian players scored on Hasek. Thumbs-up, Dominik. Well done.

We move on to today where Teams Canada are back in action. We'll start with the junior men as they have a battle against Hasek's countrymen in the Czech Republic at 4:00 ET today in Buffalo.

The Czech Republic opened their 2011 World Junior Championship with a 2-0 victory over Norway. It was thought that the Czechs might have scored a few more goals against the plucky Norwegians, but the 2-0 shutout victory was more than enough to get the Czechs off on the right foot.

Goals by Antonin Honejsek and Tomas Rachunek, both undrafted players, put the Czechs up by the two goals as goaltender Marek Mazanec stopped all 21 shots he faced. The Czechs didn't look particularly interested in this game, to be honest, as they seemed to go through the motions at times, but their 38 shots say that they can generate offence when needed.

Canada will need to play in the same fashion that they did against the Russians in order to put the Czechs away early. There is absolutely no reason to go easy on the Czech Republic, and Canada needs to keep its foot on the gas as they prepare for a showdown against Sweden for top spot in the pool on New Year's Eve. Hit hard, aggressively forecheck, close off the blueline, and stay disciplined - the mantra for this Canadian team will be the difference as Canada should skate to another win.

As for the men playing in Switzerland, there is a considerable challenge standing before them as Team Canada plays the hosts in HC Davos today. Davos beat Spartak Moscow on Sunday by a 4-2 score, and they boast former NHL players Petr Sykora, Reto Van Arx, Josef Marha, Peter Sejna and Jaroslav Bednar in their lineup. History says that Canada should have the advantage against their hosts after having gone 22-8 all-time against Davos, but this Davos team is second-place in the Swiss Elite League and they always tough against Canada.

I took a quick look through the HC Davos roster, and I noticed a few irregularities on their roster. Now, I'm not saying they're cheating in any way as they clearly are doing well in the Swiss Elite League, but it seems that their rookies might be a little young, doesn't it? Of course, I jest as Kutlak was born in 1980, Von Arx was born in 1976, and Wieser was born in 1989 (two years after brother and teammate Marc), but the errors found on the Hockey Canada roster page are pretty funny when you consider how dramatically the birth years could affect a player if listed as "official".

The game today between Davos and Canada will determine the winner of the Cattini Pool with a 2-0 record, and give that team an automatic berth in the semi-finals on Thursday. A day off during a tournament is always a luxury, and there will probably be talk of it before the game in each dressing room. That should make for a spirited battle between these two teams! The game can be seen live on TSN2 at 5:00 ET!

Both Canadian teams need to bring that gritty, hard-nosed effort seen in their opening games to their respective games tonight. If they continue down that path, the road to victory should open for them once again. I'll be watching the World Junior Championship this evening, but I'll be switching over to the Spengler Cup game during breaks and intermissions. GO CANADA GO!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Across The Pond

The second international hockey tournament of this holiday season actually started yesterday, but Team Canada doesn't hit the ice until later today at the 2010 Spengler Cup. Each year, HC Davos of the Swiss Elite League hosts five other teams as the invitational tournament showcases some of the best teams in the world from Europe's most prestigious leagues. Last season saw the KHL emerge victorious from the tournament as HC Dinamo Minsk captured the 2009 Spengler Cup as they defeated the hosts in HC Davos in the final.

Canada started sending a team to the Spengler Cup in 1984 made up of players playing in Europe who were not playing for any of the invited teams. They also get some help from AHL clubs and free agents who want to play, but the vast majority of the roster is made up of Canadians plying their hockey trade overseas. Often there are a number of former NHL players who suit up for Canada at the Spengler Cup, so it's nice to see how these players have fared once they left the spotlight in North America. This year's squad is no exception as they have six to eight players that should be recognizable by name alone.

The Canadian nets will be guarded by Tyler Moss and Jeff Deslauriers. Deslauriers, as you may remember, played with the Edmonton Oilers for two seasons since 2008. He's currently playing second fiddle to Martin Gerber in Oklahoma City as the Oilers sent him to the AHL. Moss, on the other hand, is playing for Swiss team Langnau. Moss has literally bounced around North America during his playing career, stopping in places like Saint John, New Brunswick with the AHL Flames, Kansas City with the IHL BLades, and had a cup of coffee with Carolina for the NHL's Hurricanes. Most recently, Moss has been a KHL player as he has suited up for Spartak Moscow and Khabarovsk Amur before jumping to the Swiss League's Langnau. And those two men will be the Canadian goaltenders for this year's squad. I fully expect Moss to be the starter, but Deslauriers could surprise people.

The defencemen that Canada has enlisted for this year's tournament all play in the Swiss Elite League, and all have dabbled in the NHL and AHL during their careers. Marc Popovic (Lugano), Joel Kwiatkowski and Travis Roche (Bern), Duvie Westcott and Cory Murphy (ZSC Zurich Lions), Micki Dupont (Kloten), Brendan Bell (Biel), and Curtis Murphy (Langnau) make up the blueline for Canada, and there's some continuity for this team. The majority of these men played for Canada last year at the tournament, so there should be some familiarity with each other in terms of playing together. Having four of the players play together during their respective Swiss League seasons also helps immensely. This familiarity should be a strength for Canada in the long run as this tournament progresses.

Up front, Canada looks to be a "lunch pail" gang as they have decent speed and a solid work ethic. Again, all of the players come from the Swiss Elite League, but there are certainly recognizable NHL names on this squad. Dominic Pittis (ZSC Zurich Lions), Serge Aubin (Gotteron), Brett McLean (Bern), Josh Holden and Glen Metropolit (Zug), Mark Bell (Kloten), and Curtis Brown (Biel) are your former NHL players with some name caché, but none of them were known for their scoring exploits in the NHL. And that's fine. The large ice surface requires hustle, determination, and a doggedness that most don't give enough credit to, but these men bring that attitude to the ice. Rounding out the forwards are Pascal Pelletier, Mike Iggulden, and Brendan Brooks (Langnau), Eric Landry, Yanick Lehoux, and Martin Kariya (Ambri-Piotta), JP Vigier (Bern), and Blaine Down (ZSC Zurich Lions).

Canada's coaching staff is quite interesting. Former NHL coach Craig MacTavish guided the team to a 2-2 record at last year's tournament, but failed to reach the final as they finished in fourth-place. MacTavish opted not to return, so the search was on for a new head coach. Doug Shedden returns behind the bench, but he'll be serving as an assistant coach to one of the most intimidating men on the planet as he will guide the Canadian team through the Spengler Cup: Mark Messier.

Messier's coaching career is limited to just four international games at the Swiss Challenge and Deutschland Cup last month, and his record is 2-2 as a coach. The 49 year-old former NHL star has stated that he has a better appreciation for how difficult the job of coaching is.

"I always had a lot of respect for the coaches who do it well and I have a better appreciation now," Messier said Saturday to Shi Davidi of The Globe & Mail. “It's exciting coaching, there's a lot going on, there are decisions that have to be made and monitored continuously."

With that, Messier expressed that his team will work hard and will not tolerate cheap, dumb penalties. It sounds to me like Messier is bring his style of play to his coaching style.

"I expect the team to play with a lot of heart. I like an aggressive game, a puck-pursuit game, but I also like a very disciplined game and players who play to win.

"When you combine those things, we want a puck-control game, we want to have some systems in place where we can defend as a team and then hopefully let our talent work its way into the offence."

Serge Aubin has been chosen to captain the Canadian team with Josh Holden and JP Vigier serving as alternate captains. As for the goaltending duties, it appears the job will be split, but Messier gave no indication of who would start against Spartak Moscow in today's game.

That being said, you can watch all of the action on TSN today as the broadcaster will carry the first game of the Spengler Cup on the national carrier. TSN2 will take over after the first game and have the rest of the coverage. You can find the broadcast schedule here for more information.

Canada last captured the Spengler Cup in 2007, and are looking to improve on the fourth-place finish from last year. It all starts today, and I'm looking forward to another excellent international tournament!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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The Tradition Continues

With the Christmas season, there's another tradition, at least in my house, that we partake in on an annual basis. The 2011 World Junior Championships start today with four games, and we'll get to see both of last year's finalists play today. There are a lot of reasons to watch this tournament, but there's no doubt that the number one reason to watch is for that one player or that moment that will simply go down in hockey history. There are a number of them that have happened so far, and there's a pretty good chance that we'll see one again in this year's tournament in Buffalo, New York. The Americans are the reigning champions so you know the people in Buffalo will be pushing the American boys hard, but the Canadians want supremacy back and the Canadian fans aren't afraid to make the trek south for one of the longest traditions in Canadian hockey history. Let's take a look at some of the greatest moments in Canadian international junior hockey history.

Best Canadian World Junior Goals

Gretzky wearing Canadian blue? Canada in Cooperalls? It happened!

2007 World Junior Shooutout - Canada vs. USA
Jonathan Toews becomes a household name in both countries.

Jordan Eberle's goal against Russia in 2009

Canada wins this game in the shootout. Spectacular goal!

John Carlson's gold medal goal in 2010

And the rivalry becomes even more intense between these two countries.

The tournament starts today with Germany against Switzerland, Canada plays Russia in the afternoon game, Sweden battles Norway in a Scandinavian evening matchup, and Team USA takes the ice in the primetime game tonight against the Finns. I am excited for these games, and I'm looking forward to another magical World Junior Tournament this year!

Just as an aside, the Spengler Cup - a third tradition in this house - starts today as well, but Canada doesn't have their first game until tomorrow. Canada battles the KHL's Spartak Moscow and the Swiss Elite League's HC Davos in their pool. We'll have more on the Spengler Cup tomorrow as Canada looks to capture another title during the holiday season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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My Two Cents

If someone offered me a penny for my thoughts today, I'd come away with two cents. I only want to touch on two things, and then I'm off the grid today as I have a million and one things I want to accomplish before I return to the old salt mine tomorrow. Needless to say, there are some things happening today in the world of hockey, and I'll point those out at the end of this scribe. Let's get to my two ideas worth a total of two pennies, though.

First, HBIC is running its World Junior Championship Contest right now. All you have to do is predict the top scorer in the tournament, the two teams in the final, and the gold medal game final score. It's easy, and there are three awesome prizes to win!

Get your entries in ASAP!

The second thing that happened yesterday that caught me off-guard was a strange, fluky goal in Calgary. The game between the Canucks and Flames was a hard-fought, Northwestern battle as always, but things seemed to go off the tracks for the Flames after Miikka Kiprusoff was victimized by a Mason Raymond goal. Check it out:

Oops. Raymond's second goal of the night was certainly one that Kipper would like to have back in a big way. Raymond capped off his natural hat trick later in the game, but Calgary was simply a different team after this goal.

And one last thing that totally caught my attention was the announcement of the Swedish Olympic team yesterday. Ok, that didn't catch my attention as much as the omissions did. Johan Franzen? Not included. Stefan Bergsfor? Not on the list. Mikael Samuelsson? Not there either. And Samuelsson was not happy about it.

"Probably going to get in trouble for this, but they can go (expletive deleted) themselves," Samuelsson said to CTV's John Marchesan after the Calgary-Vancouver game.

Wow. With all the injured players on the list that head coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, I suppose that Samuelssson has a right to be angry. You just never hear it put so eloquently.

Lots of hockey action on today if you're looking for some hockey on TV. 3:30 EST has Canada taking on Switzerland at the World Junior Championships on TSN, 2:00 EST has Team Canada playing HC Davos at the Spengler Cup on Rogers Sportsnet (tape delayed in for west of Ontario), and the NHL has a whole bunch of games on tonight. Check out some hockey action!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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The European Canadian Team

There's another Team Canada that is celebrating the holiday season by defeating teams from all across the planet. The Spengler Cup is being played in Davos, Switzerland, and Canada is looking to better their second-place finish from last season's tournament. You'll probably recognize the majority of the names on this team as they are former NHL and AHL stars, but this collection of Canadians are currently playing in Europe for a variety of teams.

Canada is led by former Islander Wade Dubielewicz and former Coyote David Leneveu in net. Dublielewicz is currently playing for the AHL's Houston Aeros, and sports a 7-7 record with a 2.21 GAA for the AHL club. Leneveu is playing with EC Red Bull Salzburg, and most recently welcomed his second daughter, Hannah, to the family. David and his wife, April, and his two daughters, Ashlynn and Hannah, are with Salzburg on a one-year deal.

On the blueline, the Canadians are led by former St. Louis Blues defenseman Jamie Rivers, former Maple Leaf Ric Jackman, and former Thrasher Yannick Tremblay. Rounding out the seven defensemen are a few former AHL stars: Micki DuPont, formerly of the Peoria Rivermen; Mike Siklenka, formerly of the Philadelphia Phantoms; Curtis Murphy, formerly of the Houston Aeros; Shawn Heins, formerly of the Chicago Wolves; and, Travis Roche, formerly of the San Antonio Rampage.

Up front, the collection of forwards include a former first overall NHL draft pick, a former Stanley Cup winner, and a number of recognizable former NHL players. The first overall NHL draft pick is none other than Alexandre Daigle, who is currently starring for SC Langnau Tigers in the Swiss Elite League. The former Stanley Cup winner is Boyd Devereaux, who is currently playing for Lugano in the Swiss Elite League.

Other notable names include former Shark and Sabre Curtis Brown, former Penguin and Lightning Michel Ouellet, former Blue Jacket and Thrasher Serge Aubin, former Avalanche and Panther Brett McLean, former Shark and Maple Leaf Mark Bell, former Thrasher JP Vigier, and former NHL nomad Randy Robitaille. Rounding out the forwards are former AHLers such as Cory Pecker, Kurtis McLean, Dale McTavish, Brendan Brooks, Blaine Down, and Jean-Guy Trudel.

While the lack of apparent star power that this team has, don't be fooled by the lack of success these players had in North America. Brendan Brooks, for example, leads the SC Langnau Tigers in scoring with 17 goals and nine assists in 34 games this season. Serge Aubin leads Fribourg-Gottéron with 12 goals and 17 assists in 32 games while Shawn Heins sits third on the team in scoring with eight goals and 15 assists in 33 games. The players selected for the Spengler Cup team have had a lot of success in their respective European leagues.

Leading the team behind the bench is former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish. He is joined by last year's Spengler Cup head coach Sean Simpson and former NHL forward Doug Shedden. Simpson is the head coach for Zurich in the Swiss Elite League, while Shedden is the head coach for Zug of the Swiss Elite League.

Yesterday was the opening game for Canada as they squared off against HC Energie Karlovy Vary from the Czech Republic. While Canada had only been together since Christmas Eve, they faced Karlovy Vary who has been struggling in the Czech Extraliga. Currently, they sit 12th out of fourteen teams in the Extraliga.

Both teams were a little shaky with lots of turnovers. Michal Dobron opened the scoring for EKV with three minutes to play in the opening period, but Mike Siklenka responded for Canada with one minute to go. Both teams took a 1-1 draw into the first intermission.

Jaroslav Kristek scored his first of two on the day just six minutes in. Consecutive goals by Shawn Heins and Travis Roche put Canada up 3-2. Kristek evened the score just a few minutes later with his second goal. Kurtis McLean put the Canadians back up by one, but the Czech squad responded with two goals before the end of the period. Former NHLer Dmitry Zyuzin and Lukas Pech gave EVK a 5-4 lead after 40 minutes.

The third period saw both teams doing all they can to try and steal a victory. Mark Bell notched a goal in the opening seconds of the period to even the game at 5-5. Alexandre Daigle gave Canada the lead just before the halfway mark of the third period, but EVK responded with a goal from Jan Kostal just three minutes later. Both teams battled to the final buzzer, and overtime solved nothing as neither team gave an inch.

In the shootout, Dubielewicz stopped former NHLer Zigmund Palffy, Lukas Pech, and Jaroslav Kristek. Serge Aubin scored on Canada's second shot, and the Canadians earned a hard-fought but sloppy 7-6 shootout win.

Canada will be in action again tomorrow as they play the host HC Davos club from Switzerland. Davos defeated HC Dynamo Minsk from the KHL last night by a 3-2 score, and defeated EVK today by a 5-3 score. Canada will need to play better in their own end to keep pace with the speedy Davos players. Former Blackhawk Reto Von Arx leads Davos in points with four (2-2) and former Panther Juraj Kolnik leads Davos in goals with three.

With the World Junior Championships and the Spengler Cup happening at the same time, this is the best time of year to be a Canadian hockey fan!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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