Up 2-0 in the third, I wasn't just thinking about our 21st win in a row, I was thinking about an unprecedented 3rd shutout in a row, and perhaps going the entire tournament without surrendering a goal. That's when Team Canada turned into the Toronto Maple Leafs.

That Tobias Forsberg goal was a heart breaker. It figures a kid named Forsberg would score the winner that ends our winning streak. We're not, it seems, invincible. I'm glad we discovered this unfortunate fact in round one.

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The Canadian juniors won their 20th in a row in this tournament with another shutout, this time posted by Steve Mason. Kyle Turris, a Phoenix Coyotes prospect playing with the Wisconsin Badgers in the WCHA, scored both goals.

Next up is Sweden on Saturday.

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Make that 19 straight wins in this tournament. That's an incredible streak and probably under appreciated at this point. John "The Next One" Tavares led the charge with two goals.

I watched this game and thought it was awfully close. If not for some solid goaltending from Jonathan Bernier, we easily could have been down early. The Canadians face Slovakia on Thursday.

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My favourite Boxing Day tradition is settling in to watch the Canadian juniors open their World Junior Championship. The World Junior Championships 2008 takes place in the Czech Republic and we play the host team in about 130 minutes.

The Star has a nice summary of players representing the GTA. They are:

STEVE MASON G
Oakville
(London OHL)
Columbus draft pick in '06 (third round) was OHL's goaltender of the year last season, set CHL record for assists by a goalie (13).

P.K. SUBBAN D
Toronto
(Belleville OHL)
Montreal draftee ('07, second round) can get physical but can also score from the point on the PP.

STEFAN LEGEIN F
Oakville
(Niagara OHL)
Columbus draftee ('07, second round), can play any kind of game, led OHL in short-handed goals last season with nine.

STEVEN STAMKOS F
Unionville
(Sarnia OHL)
Draft-eligible in '08, Markham minor hockey product has great wheels and plays well at both ends.

JOHN TAVARES F
Oakville
(Oshawa OHL)
Draft-eligible in '09, the Marlboros minor hockey product won OHL and CHL player-of-the-year honours last season.

SHAWN MATTHIAS F
Mississauga
(Belleville OHL)
Taken by Detroit ('07, second round) then traded to Florida for Todd Bertuzzi last February, is big and skates well.

MATT HALISCHUK F
Mississauga
(Kitchener OHL)
New Jersey draftee ('06, fourth round) makes his international debut; is an excellent two-way player and penalty killer.

WAYNE SIMMONDS F
Pickering
(Soo, OHL)
Los Angeles draftee ('07, second round) isn't the prettiest of skaters but has good hands and a nose for the net.

We're on quite the role having won the past three championships. We've also won 18 games in a row in this tournament, and we almost swept that Summit Series redux thing against Russia in September.

Go Canada Go!

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Last night's game five is the first piece of Super Series action I've taken in. We were dominant, beating Russia 8-1. It was pretty awesome, and those jerseys looked as sharp as ever.

We've clinched the eight-game junior hockey showdown with three games remaining, but that's no longer enough for me. I want to sweep this thing. I want to win 8 games to none.

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We're already up 2-0 in the Super Series and I've yet to blog about this tournament. This 8 game series commemorates the 1972 Summit Series we all know and love, only this time, it's our juniors against their juniors.

I'm not really into this series yet. It just doesn't feel as important as the Junior Championships each December. I'm not sure if I care, but I know I want to win.

Go Canada Go! Destroy those Ruskies 8-0!

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I caught my first game of this tournament this afternoon, and we looked great. We beat Finland 4-2 to win our third gold at the event in the past five years.

With Finland clawing back with a couple of goals in the third, Rick Nash scored a fantastic goal on a partial breakaway that sealed the deal. Nash was named the tournament's most valuable player and earned a spot on its all-star team.

This victory was particularly sweet in light of the political bullshit stirred up at home. Shane Doan helped us run the table and we won our ninth straight. O Canada!

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Admittedly, I don't see a lot of Calgary Flames games, so I don't know a whole lot about Matthew Lombardi. His profile tells me he was born in 1982, plays center and he scored 20 goals in 81 games this season.

Although I haven't seen a game yet, I follow the world hockey championships in Russia fairly closely. I keep reading about Matthew Lombardi and wondering why I know so little about him. He scored two goals in our 5-1 win over Switzerland today in the quarter-finals giving him five goals in his last six games. He leads all Team Canada players in scoring and this team includes Rick Nash, Eric Staal and some guy named Shane Doan.

This is Matthew Lombardi's coming out party.

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I'm not going to write about the whole Shane Doan controversy that has erupted in our esteemed House of Commons. A parliamentary committee has summoned Hockey Canada officials to explain their choice of Shane Doan as captain of the national team at the World Hockey Championship. At issue is an alleged derogatory remark by Doan toward a French-Canadian referee during a game in 2005.

Although I have a great deal to say about this, I've decided not to waste my time acknowledging this overreaction because apparently I don't have the time our members of parliament have. I'm not going to share the personal embarrassment I feel over this. I'm just going to let this one go...

Here's hoping Canada wins gold in Russia and Doan leads the charge. Maybe I'll write about that when it happens, but I'm not writing about this.

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Canada won its third straight gold medal at the world junior championship with a 4-2 win over Russia on Friday in Leksand, Sweden. Canada got goals from Andrew Cogliano, Bryan Little, Jonathan Toews and Brad Marchand to overcome the Russians.

Not only is this our third gold in a row, but it's the third time in a row we beat Russia in the finals. It's also our eighteenth win in a row over all. We rule!

See also...

• Canada 5, Russia 0 for Gold in 2006
• Canada 6, Russia 1 for Gold in 2005

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