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January 05, 2004
World Junior Championship
Over in Finland, the U.S. and Canada are playing in the finals of the World Junior Champioships. Up in Canada, the WJC is a really big deal, while predictably, it's not really noticed here in the States -- a situation ice hockey fans in my part of North America are quite used to. Nevertheless, my old jingoistic self is rooting hard for Zach Parise (Mike Milbury, you will learn to regret passing on him in the 2003 Entry Draft) and the rest of the Yanks. Check back here for updates. Go to USA Hockey to listen to a live audio feed. In other WJC news, the Fins beat the Czechs for the Bronze Medal. UPDATE: With three unanswered goals in the third period, Team USA has won the WJC 4-3 over Canada. The win marks the first gold medal Team USA has won in the history of the tournament. 
The South Is Rising
Mike Milbury, white courtesy phone: American Zach Parise, a New Jersey Devils first-round draft pick, was named MVP of the tournament. Mike -- next time you have a chance to draft the son of an Islanders hero, one with undeniable talent, you better do it. ANOTHER UPDATE: A few weeks back, Jeff and Alanah at Vancouver Canucks Op Ed unfairly compared comments by Team USA's Ryan Kesler about playing in the tournament to Team Canada's Marc-Andre Fleury. Essentially, neither player was excited about going to the tournament, each preferring to stay in the NHL for the Holidays (Kesler with the Canucks, Fleury with the Penguins). Unfortunately for Kesler, he told the Vancouver press the truth about his intentions, while Fleury was a little more media-savvy and made sure to make all the right noises about playing for his country. Which led Jeff and Alanah to write this: We admire both players for their commitment to their teams and their own futures. But it is Fleury's desire to "beat the Russians" which echoes back through decades of national pride on the ice, and is distinctly oh-so-Canadian. He wouldn't dream of snubbing Team Canada or this tournament, because he knows how important it is in this country. Reading that paragraph, you'd think a kid pulling on a Team USA jersey knows nothing about wanting to beat the Russians. To that contention I say: 1-9-8-0. Perhaps fittingly, Kesler helped key Team USA's comeback with a third period goal. Fleury, never seriously tested as Canada skated through the rest of the tournament field, inadvertantly gave Team USA the win when one of his clearing passes struck a teammate and bounced back into his own net. With the WJC over, we can all go back to being friends now. At least until August 31st when Team USA plays Canada in Montreal. See you there.
Eric
08:07 AM
Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsAh, Eric. We're always friends. But perhaps our comments were misinterpretted in your column. You're dead-right that the differences between Fleury and Kessler's comments were all about media-savvy. All that we meant to point out was that Fleury knew his audience (Canadians) demanded that savvy, and Kessler knew he could express his personal feelings without being attacked in the US sports press. As far as Team USA wanting to beat their opponents in international hockey, we have no doubt that this is true - they showed unbelievable heart and determination in today's game. But, again, it is the audience for the international rivalry in Canada that may be a bit different (a bit more obsessive, really). Team USA does not get endless coverage, 24-7 through this tournament in the US. Team Canada, on the other hand, is hounded for months up here. These 18 year olds are household names in our neighbourhood, whereas Team USA may not get all the recognition they deserve for their efforts. Sorry if we offended American hockey fans. It wasn't our intention. Congratulations on a well-deserved win in the WJC! Posted by: at January 5, 2004 08:25 PM And his daddy played on the Canadian team that beat the Russkies in'72. Posted by: at January 6, 2004 02:05 AM Post a commentThanks for signing in, . (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.) |