World Junior Hockey

[hitmansb]

I'm gonna go way out on a limb and predict Canada takes the gold, in spite of not having many returning players. It's too bad that our best 19-year-olds are playing in the NHL (Jonathan Toews, Jordan Staal, James Sheppard, Milan Lucic, Sam Gagner, David Perron) , or else we could have rolled out the sickest team ever and crushed everybody. But the team we're sending should be good enough to pull it off...the Americans look like the biggest obstacle.

[Bouncer]

what is hockey? :P

America rules!

[hitmansb]

Lack of scoring and some real bonehead mistakes cost Team Canada...they lost to Sweden yesterday :( First time Team Canada has lost a World Junior game in over two years.

[hitmansb]

Canada is in tough with the Swedes in overtime.

Team USA failed to get a medal, they lost to Russia in the bronze medal game.

[hitmansb]

Update: Canada wins in overtime....gold for the fourth straight year!!!

[NYCmitch25]

i dont think they air'd the games over here

[hitmansb]

i dont think they air'd the games over here

Which is sad...the Team USA program has come a long way over the past 10 years.

[Shibby]

Until most of the warm weather teams like the Stars and the Sharks get consistently good again I don't think hockey will pick back up in most of the states. I know the Lightning did well a few years back and the Stars and Sharks are doing well now, but it's not consistent enough.

[hitmansb]

Until most of the warm weather teams like the Stars and the Sharks get consistently good again I don't think hockey will pick back up in most of the states. I know the Lightning did well a few years back and the Stars and Sharks are doing well now, but it's not consistent enough.

With a salary cap in place, it's going to be tough for ANY team to be good consistently. You're going to see a lot of parity, and teams will be very good cyclically if managed well.

[Shibby]

What do you think will get it back to the status it use to have before the strike?

[hitmansb]

What do you think will get it back to the status it use to have before the strike?

Attendance is up league-wide, the teams that need new buildings have plans in place, and the owners who are looking to sell have big offers on the table...so things are looking good.

[hitmansb]

Oh, meant to ask you....do you have any plans to go to a Penguins game Shibby? I've seen Sidney Crosby play live twice, but both times, the home team shut him down very effectively (Montreal and Ottawa).

[Shibby]

It's tuff to get tickets and since I'm not following it I don't want to pay the price.

[Shibby]

Attendance is up league-wide, the teams that need new buildings have plans in place, and the owners who are looking to sell have big offers on the table...so things are looking good.

So pretty much with time it will just keep growing.