I’m only half joking when I say I like visiting my mom because she gets the NHL Network. While I was visiting her, I watched a truly staggering amount of hockey, including the IIHF World Junior Championships. I pretty much filled our Twitter account with my spontaneous reactions to the matches I watched. Spoiler alert: congratulations, Team Sweden!
My favorite match, no question, was Russia vs Czech Republic (see video highlights) because it was a goaltending bonanza. The teams combined for about 80 shots so there was plenty of offense… but both goaltenders turned in mind-blowing performances and the match went to overtime, tied 1-1. It was one of those games in which it was a shame anyone had to lose.
It was a bit of a stunner that Team USA didn’t advance to the medal round, but I don’t watch this type of tournament just for nationalistic interest. Seeing the top players from around the world in a given competition level is the draw for me. In this case, it’s the players aged under 20 so another part of the fun is trying to spot those who might become professionals. I’m rooting for Jake Trouba (USA), Petr Mrazek (Czech) and Jonas Brodin (Sweden).
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.