World Hockey Championships

THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS SEASON ENDED WEEKS AGO…
YOUR HOCKEY POOL IS IN THE TOILET…
THE ENTRY DRAFT IS NOT UNTIL JUNE 20TH…AND FREE AGENCY DOES NOT ARRIVE FOR MORE THAN 2 MONTHS…
RIGHT NOW IT’S TOUGH FOR MOST HOCKEY FANS IN THIS CITY TO GET EXCITED ABOUT ANYTHING…
THAT’S ABOUT TO CHANGE…
ON FRIDAY THE WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP GETS UNDERWAY IN BOTH QUEBEC CITY AND HALIFAX…
IT’S THE FIRST TIME THE TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN PLAYED ON CANADIAN SOIL…
AND CANADA COMES IN AS THE DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPIONS…
BUT IT’S WHO’S PLAYING IN THIS TOURNAMENT…THAT SHOULD JACK UP YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE…
UP FRONT TEAM CANADA HAS A ROSTER WHICH INCLUDES…
ERIC STAAL…MARTIN ST. LOUIS…RICK NASH…DANY HEATLEY…JASON SPEZZA…RYAN GETZLAF AND JONATHAN TOEWS…
THE DEFENCE HAS ED JOVANOVSKI…BRENT BURNS…MIKE GREEN AND JAY BOUMEESTER…
AND IN GOAL THERE’S CAM WARD AND PASCAL LECLAIR…
GENERAL MANAGER STEVE YZERMAN HAS NOT MADE ANY ATTEMPT TO HIDE HIS ENTHUSIASM…
QUOTE…”I REALLY LIKE OUR CHANCES”…
THIS EVENT WILL HAVE LOTS OF STAR POWER…
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN…ILA KOVALCHUK AND SERGIE FEDEROV WILL PLAY FOR RUSSIA…
THE CZECHS WILL BRING PATRICK ELIAS…AND TOMAS KABERLE…
TEAM FINLAND WILL INCLUDE OLI JOKINEN…
THE SWEDES WILL HAVE NICKLAS BACKSTROM…
AND TEAM USA WILL HAVE DUSTIN BROWN…PATRICK KANE…PHIL KESSEL…PETER MUELLER AND ZACH PARISE…
ON PAPER…IT WOULD APPEAR THE AMERICANS POSE THE GREATEST THREAT…
HOWEVER THE BIGGEST CONCERN VANCOUVER FANS SHOULD HAVE…IS THE LACK OF CANUCKS IN THIS TOURNAMENT…
ALEX EDLER ON TEAM SWEDEN IS THE ONLY ONE YOU’LL SEE…
THAT’S NOT TO SAY TEAM CANADA WAS NOT AFTER ROBERTO LUONGO…OR TEAM SWEDEN WOULD NOT HAVE MADE ROOM FOR THE SEDINS…
BUT IT DOES SUPPORT THE BELIEF OF NEW GENERAL MANAGER MIKE GILLIS…THAT THIS TEAM…IS…”NOT CLOSE”…
IN THE MEANTIME…THE WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS COULD ALLOW FANS ON THE WEST COAST THE OPPORTUNITY TO SALVAGE SOMETHING OUT OF THIS SEASON…
TIME TO GET EXCITED…