Avoiding All The Malls

I've never understood the need to go shopping the day after Christmas. Boxing Day is normally when a lot of stuff, including boxes, makes its way out to the recycle bins and garbage bins, but the idea of going to get more stuff after receiving gifts the day before makes no sense to me. I would hope that there are no sales bigger than Rome considering how large that city is, but there are clearly those who enjoy the rush of getting that deal that my brain just doesn't comprehend. I found it funny when it was suggested that a larger TV might be needed through a Boxing Day sale with all the hockey that will be on this weekend because even that seems ludicrous when it comes the season of giving we just went through. Of course, if you're one of those people who need to engage in Boxing Day shopping, I wish the best, but I'll be at home watching international hockey all day!

The Spegler Cup's opening game between HC Fribourg-Gottéron and HC Sparta Praha was a solid start to the tournament as Fribourg-Gottéron began its title defence with a 5-2 win. Goaltender Rito Berra was sharp while Attilio Biasca was the surprise star of the game with a pair of goals through 38 minutes to stake Fribourg-Gottéron to a 2-0 lead. Biasca has nine goals through 29 games this season, so having him step up is a good sign for the Dragons. It was 4-0 before Praha found a goal with ten minutes to play by Pavel Kousal, but Fribourg-Gottéron earned three points in the 5-2 victory.

The first game at the IIHF World Junior Championship was far more entertaining that I thought it was going to be as Sweden and Slovakia met at the Grand Casino Arena (that's a terrible name, by the way). A scoreless first period where Slovakia started slow and looked better as the period went on led into the second period where Anton Frondell put the Swedes up 1-0 before Victor Eklund made it a 2-0 on the power-play. With five seconds to play in the middle frame, Slovakia would get on the board as Tomas Pobezal scored on the power-play to send it to the third period with Sweden up 2-1!

It seemed like the unlikely may happen when Slovakia tied the game at the 10:55 mark when Tobias Tomik scored, but Sweden would score with 3:57 to play when Ivar Stenberg found twine to make it 3-2 Sweden, and that's how this game would finish. Honestly, Slovakia deserved a better fate than zero points in this game after hanging with the Swedes who, on paper, should have won this game handily, but that's why the games are played. Slovakia showed that teams who are ready for the challenge have a shot in this tournament!

The Spengler Cup version of Team Canada took the ice this afternoon against the US Collegiate Selects, and I don't think anyone knew what to expect from the university-aged kids. I'll fully admit that I was wrong in watching this team because they impressed me despite not scoring enough today. Canada scored three times in 6:41 in the second period to take a 3-0 lead in this game, but everything after the midway point of this game felt like the US Collegiate Selects team was in control of this game as they looked, at times, dominant.

I'll fully admit that I was wrong about this US team not being able to generate enough offence against the professional players because after Jack Musa made it 3-2 with just oer ten minutes to play, it was tense every time the US team came down the ice. Once they settled into the game, their players were flying, attacking with speed and purpose, making good passes and decisions, and defended as tenaciously as any other team in the tournament. Canada would win this game by that 3-2 score, but no one should sleep on this US Collegiate Selects team because they are as deep and talented as the other five teams in the tournament. And they play Davos tomorrow.

Team USA is currently battling Germany at the World Junior Championship and Team Canada has a big challenge ahead of them in Czechia, so I'm going to watch those games. I didn't watch the Finland-Denmark game that Finland won 6-2, but it looked like the Finns were in control in that game. I was invested in Canada's Spengler Cup game at that point, so my allegiance to the flag won out over a Nordic hockey battle. Sorry, Finns and Danes.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, as Andy Williams told us, as hockey is seemingly on TV for more than 12 hours per day! Enjoy the Spengler Cup and the IIHF World Junior Championship, folks!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!