WJC 2025 in Ottawa

[Cousin Strawberry]

He actually looks like exactly what we need right now. I can see him joining the Canucks once his college season is over and sticking around permanently.

[Megaterio Llamas]

Sandin-Pellika is super impressive. I really hope the Hronek acquisition doesn’t come back to haunt us.

Yeah a 26 year old all situations defenseman that logs 25 minutes a night locked up for 8 years should be very haunting. Really wasn't Hronek acquired with part of the trade proceeds Allvin got for a slow 28 year old winger disguised as a centre that consistently ran out of gas and bonked out 30 seconds into his shifts?

Have you seen this Pellika fly? He’s a good player, Blob, very good!

He was blastin' guys out there with big hits too Chef. Looks like he could be an all arounder.

I was darned impressed.

Our guy wasn't really noticeable to me.

Not that I would ever want to praise a Skellefteå player, but Sandin-Pellikka is leading the SHL in d-man points. At 19 years of age.
22 points (8+14) in 25 games.

Yeah, that is easy to believe watching him play. The kid is going to be one helluva player.

Btw, even if Willander wasn’t noticeable, he logged 24:43 minutes while no other Swede reached 21.
Tells you the coaches want him on the ice.

Yeah, that gives me a whole new perspective on things. Thanks.

[Tciso]

Btw, even if Willander wasn’t noticeable, he logged 24:43 minutes while no other Swede reached 21.
Tells you the coaches want him on the ice.

24 minutes less per night of Juulsless and the sex giraffe. Dare you dream.

[Cousin Strawberry]

Sex giraffe?

[5thhorseman]

Mëds in his heyday

[donlever]

Mëds in his heyday

[JelloPuddingPop]

Wow. Stunning loss.

[Topper]

Slaying giants like fucking a giraffe

Will Mynio draw in for Schaffer

[Carl Yagro]

[Megaterio Llamas]

I didn't bother watching it because I assumed it was another oner of those 12-0 WJC games.

And now I find out that...we lost. And Schafer, the kid that impressed me the most, got hurt. Ouch.

[Per]

Gotta love the Latvians, the eternal underdogs. A nation of just under 2 million people, but they take their hockey seriously and can rock any nation. They play with a lot of heart and take pride in representing their nation.

Their hockey legacy is centered around Dinamo Riga, which was one of the better teams in the Soviet Union. After being shut down after the collapse of the USSR, the team rose from the ashes in 2008 and joined the KHL. But after the Russians attacked Ukraine in 2022 they withdrew from the league, and are now dormant. Instead all the Latvians have now is the Optibet Hockey League, a league of just seven teams, 4 from Latvia, 2 from Lithuania and one from Estonia. None of the stadiums can seat more than 2500 spectators, three of them take in less than 1000. As a result I have feared that Latvian hockey would lie down and die, but instead their juniors are now heading out into the world, playing in junior leagues elsewhere. Two of the current crop, Osmanis and Sieradzkis, are playing in Björklöven. They have players in the Swedish, Finnish, Swiss, Czech and Danish junior leagues, and of course several are in the North American system. And a handful play at home.

The bronze Arturs Silovs helped Latvia secure at the 2023 World Championships was the first and only time they have ever medalled in an international tournament, but in individual games they’ve beaten all the top nations at times. I especially remember the world championships of 2000 when they beat Russia for the first time, in St Petersburg of all places, and people were dancing in the streets in Riga.

But Latvians like to point out that hockey in Latvia predates hockey in Russia or the Soviet Union. The first game in Latvia was played in 1909, they joined the precursor to the IIHF in 1929 and participated in the European Championship of 1932, the World Championship 1935 and the Olympic tournament 1936. Russia only started playing the game after WW2.

And now the Latvian J20 team, despite all the odds being against them, did it again! They beat mighty Canada! In Canada!

I’m impressed.

TSN panel on the upset: https://youtu.be/pB4mBofZxZg?si=oW3TMrohbHKbBKBp

[Blob Mckenzie]

Not pulling Shaefer but you can't light that team up for a half dozen? Terrible garbage game. I expect at some point the US takes hockey over due to numbers and cost to play the game but that was inexcusable. They waltzed through the entire game. Pacific Blue was licking his lips with his Pilsners and his day old wings from the Bear. Yelling at his peeps that he knew this would happen.

[Cousin Strawberry]

Every year the Canadian kids need to be humbled if they have a hope of winning it. They roll into these tournaments hearing all about how amazing they are.

They're kids that need a reality check to get back to playing the game like a team

[Chef Boi RD]

Blobbee I’m Canadian through and through and passionate about my Canadian hockey culture but the CHL and the old boys club running it need to be shit canned and the whole system turned upside down. We need to drain the fucking swamp. They got fucking lazy thinking ‘we are Canada, we are the best, we don’t need to do sweet fuck all’ while the USA keeps innovating development finding ways to improve at the grass roots level all the time. They’ve caught up because Canada is resting on its laurels and past glories, Simple as that. Has nothing to do with America’s population or how much money they throw at it, the CHL has money but it has become an old limp dick just like the CBC. Canadian hockey academies (although expensive) are doing great innovative development with their programs but the CHL is fucking dying because of those running it the last 30 years. They stopped thinking outside the dead old box

Regarding the team, I saw some bad signs in the game against the Finns that are either the coaches fault or the players they selected. Leaving skilled players like Sennecke, Cristall, Misa, Parekh, Yakemchuk, Wood, Heidt etc., off the roster, for lesser skilled plumbers is typical old school CHL mentality. Apparently the brass wanted a defensive team this year. The CHL selection brass always seem to out think themselves during player selection. Not sure, but not surprised by the Latvian game with what I saw in the first game. Losing Schaefer is gonna hurt, the kid is a beauty but it’s still a team game in the end. The game against Germany will be telling for how this tournament will shape up for this group

Martone is definitely not challenging for the no. 1 overall pick. That race is between Hagens and Schaefer.

One more thing, Oliver Bonk sucks. What’s the love fest for this guy??? He’s a slug and what the fuck is this Pinelli doing on the team over the likes of Cristall or Sennecke? What kind of shit rocket science was that? I’d love to know the thinking.

Beckett Sennecke had 14 points in 3 games since being snubbed by Team Canada for the World Juniors

[Blob Mckenzie]

Yeah I think you're a bit confused about the Finland game. Canada controlled the first two periods and the Finns had an obvious push in the 3rd. Yesterday was a disaster from tip to tale. I agree that Misa and Sennecke should be here but Wood and Yager can't skate at this level yet. They want to play fast and you saw that in the first game. Heavy forecheck and good breakouts with chances off the rush. Enough with the Hockey Canada rhetoric.

And the Americans will eventually be better due to Economics and population.

Bonk is a kid with all the tools. Just like his dad.

I've always liked Heidt's game