World Junior Hockey Championships

[lmanchur.]

It all begins tomorrow!... The best young hockey players from around the world will compete versus each other in the annual World Junior Hockey Championship, this year, in Russia.

Anyone follow it close enough to have any predictions?

I will have to say Canada for sure this year. They haven't won it for four years... it's the first time in the tournament's history that there have been four different winners in four consecutive years (because Canada use to win it all the time).

Besides the fact that I always cheer for Canada, I do have actual reasoning behind it. Canada has eight returning players this year... the last time they had that many returning, they won gold. Not to mention that one of their returning players is a goaltender, so that will defintely help.

Jason Spezza is returning this years... he looks to be a very possible #1 draft choice in 2002... he didn't do much last year because he was only 16 and only saw power play time... he should be a big offensive threat.

Plus, Team Canada won both exhibition games versus Sweden... one was a blow-out and the second one was pretty tight.

Does anyone have any insight into the other teams that will be attending?... or any predicitions?

[lmanchur.]

No one has insight into this?

Here's some intersteing results so far:

Canada 9 Belarus 0
USA 9 Khasakstan 1
Russia 3 Switzerland 3

...that 3-3 tie between RUS & SWT has got to feel like a loss for Russia because they are TEN TIMES better than the Swiss... that tie will come back to haunt Russia if it comes down to a tiebreaker to see who goes into the playoffs, and Russia will loose it because it goes by the Goals For/Goals Against differential.

[meshie]

Originally posted by SC-Lee
No one has insight into this?

Here's some intersteing results so far:

Canada 9 Belarus 0
USA 9 Khasakstan 1
Russia 3 Switzerland 3

...that 3-3 tie between RUS & SWT has got to feel like a loss for Russia because they are TEN TIMES better than the Swiss... that tie will come back to haunt Russia if it comes down to a tiebreaker to see who goes into the playoffs, and Russia will loose it because it goes by the Goals For/Goals Against differential.

Yup.. that's really odd for Russia to tie Switzerland like that. Did you see the highlights of that game? Did they really look that bad? That's gotta be devastating mentally for them. Canada is looking good, but hell, it's Belarus. Next game is against Finland which should be another blowout for Team Canada.

Least it starts at 10:00am instead of freaking 7am. :D GO CANADA!

[lmanchur.]

9 AM for me (Central Standard Time), and I'll be watching for sure!!!

[Colin M.]

Uh-oh. Canada tied Finland 2-2. Fortunately it's only round robin. Hopefully they can pick it up against Russia.

[lmanchur.]

Yeah... I watched that game. It was only the fourth of year for me 'cuz it takes me a while to make the change from MLB playoffs to hockey (the other 3 games I watched was Mario's return, Canada's 1st game in the tourney, and a NYR game earlier in the year... but I always watch bits and pieces of games every saturday nite)

Anyways, Canada fought hard, and the goals they let in were because of defensive errors -- Oulette did everything he could. Canada doesn't have anything to be ashamed of... just that they have to tighten up a bit defensively because Oulette can't be as good as he was today every day.

Offensively, though, I think Canada is the best team.