My favourite Boxing Day tradition isn't shopping, it's settling in to watch the Canadian juniors open their World Junior Championship. The 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships take place in Calgary and Edmonton and we play Finland at 3:30pm.
Here's our team this year:
#PlayerHometown/CountryTeam/OrganizationNHL DraftGoaltenders29Mark Visentin *Waterdown, Ont.Niagara (OHL)PHX ’10 (1, 27)30Scott WedgewoodBrampton, Ont.Plymouth (OHL)NJ ’10 (3, 84)Defense2Jamie OleksiakToronto, Ont.Saginaw (OHL)DAL ’11 (1, 14)3Brandon Gormley - AMurray River, P.E.I.Moncton (QMJHL)PHX ’10 (1, 13)4Dougie HamiltonToronto, Ont.Niagara (OHL)BOS ’11 (1, 9)5Mark PysykSherwood Park, Alta.Edmonton (WHL)BUF ’10 (1, 23)6Scott HarringtonKingston, Ont.London (OHL)PIT ’11 (2, 54)27Ryan MurrayWhite City, Sask.Everett (WHL)2012 Dft.28Nathan BeaulieuStrathroy, Ont.Saint John (QMJHL)MTL ’11 (1, 17)Forwards8Jaden Schwartz * - CWilcox, Sask.Colorado College (WCHA)STL ’10 (1, 14)10Michaël BournivalShawinigan-Sud, Que.Shawinigan (QMJHL)MTL/COL ’10 (3, 71)11Jonathan HuberdeauSt-Jérôme, Que.Saint John (QMJHL)FLA ’11 (1, 3)12Brendan GallagherTsawwassen, B.C.Vancouver (WHL)MTL ’10 (5, 147)13Freddie HamiltonToronto, Ont.Niagara (OHL)SJ ’10 (5, 129)14Brett Connolly * - APrince George, B.C.Tampa Bay (NHL)TB ’10 (1, 6)15Tanner PearsonKitchener, Ont.Barrie (OHL)2012 Dft.16Mark StoneWinnipeg, Man.Brandon (WHL)OTT ’10 (6, 178)18Ryan StromeMississauga, Ont.Niagara (OHL)NYI ’11 (1, 5)19Mark ScheifeleKitchener, Ont.Barrie (OHL)WPG ’11 (1, 7)20Boone JennerDorchester, Ont.Oshawa (OHL)CBJ ’11 (2, 37)21Quinton Howden * - AOak Bank, Man.Moose Jaw (WHL)FLA ’10 (1, 25)22Devante Smith-Pelly - AScarborough, Ont.Anaheim (NHL)ANA ’10 (2, 42)
The IIHF World Junior Championship is our March Madness and I love it. Go Canada Go!
Flashback: I live blog the Canada-Russia gold medal game on January 4, 2005.
