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USA/CAN on the first day! Currently 2-2 as I type this.

Already one upset. The Czechs take down the Russians in Day One.

What a great game to start things out! Canadians win 6-4, Lafreniere with the game-winner.

Also, Sweden beats Finland but Avs prospect Justus Annunen does everything he can to keep the Finns in the game. Nils Hoglander with the Svech goal.

Players of the Game(s):
Lafreniere (CAN)
Pinto (USA)
Hoglander (SWE)
Annunen (FIN)

That was an outstanding game...the deft puck snag in the dying moments by the Canadian coach was pretty awesome too.


The Czech/Russia game was good as well.

USA better not sleep on the Germans...already down 1-0 today.

So on this note...I had no idea they are phasing out Olympic sized rinks.....and the IIHF is using hybrid rink size during this tournament.....i kind of liked the big ice but I guess they need to line up with the North American game.

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Yeah, turns out bigger ice does NOT mean more offense. Teams just find different ways to clog it up and a lot of players are just standing around.

Looking forward to today's matchups. USA goes with a slightly tweaked lineup.

Man I am getting old! Seeing Pivonka's kid out there and Footer....

I signed up for the priority draw next year out of Red Deer.


https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/team- ... ts#reddeer

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Oh! Canada! WTF!?!?

Plus the loss of Lafreniere to a very concerning left knee injury - not good. This loss to Russia represents Canada's worst loss in WJC history.

Depending on the severity of Lafreniere’s injury, not only may Team Canada’s hopes to break an 11-year medal drought in Europe take a significant hit - but so could his title as the consensus No. 1 pick at the NHL Draft next spring.

People were talking about Lafreniere very solemnly yesterday, as if the young man would never recover from this. I'm sure they were just exaggerating, but it was jarring.

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Canada pouring it on against the Czechs... 4-0 on PP goals... Now their starting goalie is out and a 17-year-old from Spokane, WA is playing the part of puck sponge...

Solid 7-2 drubbing over the Czechs should do the trick. Phew.

Canada dispatches Slovakia pretty easily, it would take a pretty shocking turn of events for them not to win the Gold at this point.

USA gets upset by Finland, Avs prospect Justus Annunen outduels his American counterpart, Spencer Knight, with a 30-save shutout. Isles prospect Oliver Wahlstrom decides to vent his frustration by elbowing a Finnish player in the head in the closing seconds.

I'm hearing Bowen Byram has been really good for Team Canada, and really, I care way more about stuff like that than I do USA winning.

Lafreniere pulled a Mick Foley: looked like he suffered a horrific injury, only to come back looking stronger than ever. What amazing puck skills this kid has.

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I still remember the insane recovery by Jason Allison when he wrecked his MCL+ACL. Supposed to be 2-3 months, was back after a month, only to miss the rest of the season with a January hip injury.

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

When you move that slowly you really don't need working knee joints.

USA lays down a tough one against Finland. Swedes get after the hosts and Russian and Canada all advance.

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This can't be viewed as anything but a massive failure by USA Hockey. Wonder what the fallout is.

Of course USA Hockey thought it was perfectly fine to hand the program to a guy who used a racial slur and nearly caused a member of the program and future NHLer to quit hockey, so...

USA is where Canada was at in the late 90s when the Czechs dominated internationally: inbred to the point of futility.

USA Hockey is all about who you are and who your daddy is.

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Yep, it's an Old (White) Boys Club to the bitter end.

I was checking the score at work and was quite annoyed to hear the US lost. Oh well.

How about those US Women though?!?!

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

They did win, that was awesome news. Sadly, one of them was "broadcast" with a single, unmoving fish-eye camera that made it impossible to know what was going on.

Women's hockey appears to have taken a major step back in the last year or so, just when it felt like it was gaining steam. And I think the current fractured state of the women's pro game is affecting the junior level as well, since right now the NWHL clearly does not feature the world's best players.

Anyway...the next few games on the men's side should be fun.