2021 IIHF World Junior Championships

[bapo!]

edit: Dylan Cozens already 5th all-time in WJC points for Canada

I just looked up the list. Lindros is #1, with 31 points. Eberle is #2, which isn't surprising because he's a legendary name from this tournament. (Also played 9 fewer games than Lindros.) Ryan Ellis (love him!) is #4, which is shocking. I was not expecting a defenseman to be that high. (He has 10 more points than the next highest defenseman, Alex Pietrangelo, who I also fell in love with as a junior.)

I wanted to see if Gretzky was anywhere near the top. Yep, tied for 13th, despite only playing one year when he was 16. Anything you say about Gretzky isn't enough. He was unreal.

Anyhoodles, let's hope for a better second game.

[mister d]

Always had a thing for American Turcottes*.



* I believe no relation.

[bapo!]

Watching '90s concert clips of James during intermission. Remember James? Remember concerts? Remember leaving your home? Wasn't that fun?

[There's a woman in my neighborhood who looks like Tim Booth of James. (The '90s version, not the current version with the shaved head.) She always looked uncomfortable and unhappy. I called her Sad Girl in my head because I didn't know her name. The last time I saw her, a couple of years ago, I made her smile, and it felt like a major accomplishment. I recently learned that she's actually Sad Boy. I love him. I hope he's happier now and more comfortable in his skin.]

This intermission update has been brought to you by a few IPAs.

[MaxWebster]

i enjoyed this intermission report very much.

i just went upstairs to set up the coffee machine and turn off the xmas tree, and turned on the guitar amp down here. trying to stand while watching (rather than sitting on my ass like i do all freaking day) so i figured mindless playing guitar while watching is a good way to do it.

Finland came to play eh

Watching '90s concert clips of James during intermission. Remember James? Remember concerts? Remember leaving your home? Wasn't that fun?

[There's a woman in my neighborhood who looks like Tim Booth of James. (The '90s version, not the current version with the shaved head.) She always looked uncomfortable and unhappy. I called her Sad Girl in my head because I didn't know her name. The last time I saw her, a couple of years ago, I made her smile, and it felt like a major accomplishment. I recently learned that she's actually Sad Boy. I love him. I hope he's happier now and more comfortable in his skin.]

This intermission update has been brought to you by a few IPAs.

[bapo!]

Finland came to play eh

Haven't paid enough attention yet. Listening to James and thinking about L----.

That ends now! Time for hockey.

turn off the xmas tree

Talked to my mother today. She said that she was sad because she was about to take down her Christmas lights. I made up some rule about being able to keep them up until Groundhog's Day. She sounded really optimistic about it. I actually improved her life today.

And I see my guitars every day and think about picking them up. Maybe tomorrow, I tell myself.

[MaxWebster]

before this weekend i hadn't picked up a guitar in maybe 7 months. it's been a weird year - maybe there's a tie-in to me insisting today that we are keeping the tree/lights up for another two weeks :)

(i'm the furthest thing from religious but something about the tree and lights etc are still magical to me - sucker, i know)

OK HOCKEY

[bapo!]

(i'm the furthest thing from religious but something about the tree and lights etc are still magical to me - sucker, i know)

I think I mentioned that I've been going thru a Garry Shandling phase. It's been enough to make me dig out my Buddhism books from the closet. Haven't actually read them. Probably won't.

I've been reading Adam Gopnik's 'Winter,' which deals partly with depictions of winter in art/literature thru-out history. It's enough to make me, like, feel things. It makes me uneasy. I try not to feel things. But there's a stirring there.

But yes, I truly love this time of the year.

[sancarlos]

I’ve always been irrationally irritated that Matt Nathanson’s cover of James’s Laid is just a note-for-note exact copy. I mean, if you do a cover, somehow make it your own.

Now, back to hockey...

(Ps: that also pissed me off about Clapton’s cover of J.J. Cale’s Cocaine.)

[bapo!]

I’ve always been irrationally irritated that Matt Nathanson’s cover of James’s Laid is just a note-for-note exact copy. I mean, if you do a cover, somehow make it your own.

Not even going to dignify Matt Nathanson by Binging him.

I heard that song in a thrift store in Apollo, PA, last year. I guess it's played on classic-rock stations. I had no idea. Some of the lyrics had to be changed, of course. 'She only sings when she's on top.'

I agree with what you said about covers, sancarlos, and it deserves further investigation, but I really need to pay attention to this game.

HOCKEY.

[MaxWebster]

man, i keep wanting the USA to get 3 quick ones so i can go to bed - come on guys, it's a Monday night already!!!

(seriously, props to Finland here)

[MaxWebster]

hot damn. what a shot by Kaliyev - puck was literally on its side. glad i stayed up for this one.

[bapo!]

hot damn. what a shot by Kaliyev - puck was literally on its side. glad i stayed up for this one.

Okay, you can go to bed now. Not sure if USA deserved this game, especially after the way Finland played the last 30 minutes or so.

Good for Kaliyev. Give him a wallet!

Feel bad for Finland. But I'm a Lundell and Heinola fan now. And I can't wait to see Lambert next year.

USA/Canada tomorrow night. I'll see you here, right?

[MaxWebster]

yeah i think i would agree that objectively it was a fun match but Finland probably deserved it by the end.

I thought i'd feel like total hell this morning but so far so good - see you at [checks schedule] 9:30ET.... oof.

(i'm sure a lot has to do with the most loathsome person i've ever had to work with in a software group is off for the rest of the week so our daily morning meetings will be bearable...amazing how waking up is so much easier...)

[rass]

but yes, an excellent doubleheader today. Perfect to celebrate bapo!'s birthday. :)

Yes, there is that. This reminded me of the Gladwellian anecdote about hockey players and January birthdays. I just looked at the Canadian and American rosters to see if that still holds true. Sure enough, 12 of the 50 players on those teams are Januarys.

Also, have you ever Bing'd birthdays on a particular date? The sites that are listed are pretty much useless. Just about every 'famous' person is somebody from YouTube or TikTok or Instagram.

According to the rankings, Sir Isaac Newton (Physicist) is the 9th most famous person born on this day, one spot ahead of HBomb94 (YouTube Star). Have to go to #27 to find the next recognizable name, Derrick Henry of the Titans. He's the best running back in the NFL! How is ranked so low?!

Since the timing seems too good:

[wlu_lax6]

Chance for USA Hockey to break out this guy with one more win.
https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck ... 0%E2%80%A6

[bapo!]

see you at [checks schedule] 9:30ET.... oof.

It's a sacrifice, but your country needs you. (I'll let you decide which country that is.)

I'm expecting Canada to win, but USA has a puncher's chance. They have talent, and the fact that so many of those guys (Knight, Zegras, Turcotte, Boldy, Caufield, York) played together for years in the USNTDP accounts for something, right?

Both goalies are Florida Panthers prospects. First time two prospects from the same team have met in the final. (I was just reading about the 2006 tournament, when Justin Pogge and Tuuka Rask of the Leafs met in the semis. That was hyped at the time.)

Knight is the #1 pick. Levi is the #7 pick, unknown until a couple of weeks ago. I'm getting Heath Shuler/Gus Frerotte vibes.

[MaxWebster]

Knight and Levi could/should be facing each other in some local/conference NCAA battles over the next year or two, which is also a pretty interesting sidebar.

yeah not sure who i root for tonight - i usually root for the laundry, and in this case those dark blue usa jerseys are trash. plus i'd like to see Dylan Cozens take over the game one more time. hm so maybe i am sure.

[bapo!]

yeah not sure who i root for tonight - i usually root for the laundry, and in this case those dark blue usa jerseys are trash. plus i'd like to see Dylan Cozens take over the game one more time. hm so maybe i am sure.

I usually end up rooting for Canada over USA in these situations, but that's only because I know/care about more Canadian players. I've grown attached to Cozens, Byram, and Drysdale, and I want a happy ending. But Zegras and Knight winning would also be a happy ending.

I've liked Dylan Holloway in this tournament. Edmonton's first-round pick last year, plays at Wisconsin. Everything I've read about him looks true in this tournament: can do everything but score. He's looked great on Cozens' line, so he obviously knows how to play with talent. Maybe the Oilers will find some bottom-6 wingers to play with him by the time he's their third-line center.

[mister d]

No love for Schneider who hasn't thrown a predatory headshot in 4 of the 5 games he's played in?

[govmentchedda]

The 9:30 start really doesn't agree with my get healthier, go to bed earlier, New Year's plans.

[bapo!]

No love for Schneider who hasn't thrown a predatory headshot in 4 of the 5 games he's played in?

I still hold out hope that, one day, we won't have to talk about this stuff anymore. There's a lot less of it than there used to be, at least.

[mister d]

I imagine you'd either have to ban open ice hitting or make the defender responsible for any contact, even if the offensive player ducks into it.

[degenerasian]

What a stupid starting time. Why not make is an hour earlier at 8:30 ET. I blame Edmonton. Play the bronze an hour earlier too.

[MaxWebster]

full points for getting a jump on the Battle of Alberta. The Scotia division is gonna be fun this year.

What a stupid starting time. Why not make is an hour earlier at 8:30 ET. I blame Edmonton. Play the bronze an hour earlier too.

[degenerasian]

So that I'm not talking out of my ass, when the tournament was held in Calgary in 2012, all games were at 7:00 local but the final was moved up 6:00. The way it should always be. The final has to be primetime.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Worl ... mpionships

[bapo!]

I don't like the late start, either, even if it doesn't affect me personally. Hockey Canada and the IIHF have tried to make this a major-league tournament, playing in NHL arenas instead of towns like Saskatoon. Then they make sure that casual fans in the east won't stay up to watch the final game. It's bad planning. (Not to mention the European audience, which is never a concern.)

full points for getting a jump on the Battle of Alberta. The Scotia division is gonna be fun this year.

Getting a jump? I think it started decades ago, and it's never let up. Degen has been in midseason form thru-out the thread.

Props for 'Scotia Division.'

Anybody watching the bronze-medal game? I should be, but I'm skipping it. Started watching Roberto Duran fights a while ago, and I decided to continue on with that. And now I'm watching an ABC fight called by Howard Cosell, so it feels like the right decision. And there's something satisfying about watching Edwin Viruet get pummeled again. Let me know how Lundell and Heinola look.

[degenerasian]

I don't like the late start, either, even if it doesn't affect me personally. Hockey Canada and the IIHF have tried to make this a major-league tournament, playing in NHL arenas instead of towns like Saskatoon. Then they make sure that casual fans in the east won't stay up to watch the final game. It's bad planning. (Not to mention the European audience, which is never a concern.)

full points for getting a jump on the Battle of Alberta. The Scotia division is gonna be fun this year.

Getting a jump? I think it started decades ago, and it's never let up. Degen has been in midseason form thru-out the thread.

Props for 'Scotia Division.'

Anybody watching the bronze-medal game? I should be, but I'm skipping it. Started watching Roberto Duran fights a while ago, and I decided to continue on with that. And now I'm watching an ABC fight called by Howard Cosell, so it feels like the right decision. And there's something satisfying about watching Edwin Viruet get pummeled again. Let me know how Lundell and Heinola look.

Side note. When you watch Leonard-Duran in Montreal, the ring announcer was the Montreal Canadiens PA announcer. They didn't have anyone else.

[bapo!]

Side note. When you watch Leonard-Duran in Montreal, the ring announcer was the Montreal Canadiens PA announcer. They didn't have anyone else.

Nice. I've watched that fight before, but I'll watch it again once it comes up in my playlist. (I'm in 1977 now, when Duran was still a lightweight. He was incredible. I'm kind of surprised at how much of a fan I've become this year.)

I would mark out if Roger Doucet sang the anthem before the Montreal fight. I watched a couple of dozen '70s Canadiens games this year, and Doucet became a highlight. And it was cool to learn that he slightly changed the way that the anthem was sung. And because the Habs were on tv every week, that became the accepted way to sing it. That's some real power.

Speaking of ring announcers, I watched the 1981 Larry Holmes/Renaldo Snipes fight in Pittsburgh, and the ring announcer was Myron Cope, the Steelers broadcaster. This will mean something to yinzers.

[degenerasian]

Side note. When you watch Leonard-Duran in Montreal, the ring announcer was the Montreal Canadiens PA announcer. They didn't have anyone else.

Nice. I've watched that fight before, but I'll watch it again once it comes up in my playlist. (I'm in 1977 now, when Duran was still a lightweight. He was incredible. I'm kind of surprised at how much of a fan I've become this year.)

I would mark out if Roger Doucet sang the anthem before the Montreal fight. I watched a couple of dozen '70s Canadiens games this year, and Doucet became a highlight. And it was cool to learn that he slightly changed the way that the anthem was sung. And because the Habs were on tv every week, that became the accepted way to sing it. That's some real power.

Speaking of ring announcers, I watched the 1981 Larry Holmes/Renaldo Snipes fight in Pittsburgh, and the ring announcer was Myron Cope, the Steelers broadcaster. This will mean something to yinzers.

Funnily, i don't think there were anthems in Montreal that night. Were anthems a thing in boxing back then?

[bapo!]

Side note. When you watch Leonard-Duran in Montreal, the ring announcer was the Montreal Canadiens PA announcer. They didn't have anyone else.

Nice. I've watched that fight before, but I'll watch it again once it comes up in my playlist. (I'm in 1977 now, when Duran was still a lightweight. He was incredible. I'm kind of surprised at how much of a fan I've become this year.)

I would mark out if Roger Doucet sang the anthem before the Montreal fight. I watched a couple of dozen '70s Canadiens games this year, and Doucet became a highlight. And it was cool to learn that he slightly changed the way that the anthem was sung. And because the Habs were on tv every week, that became the accepted way to sing it. That's some real power.

Speaking of ring announcers, I watched the 1981 Larry Holmes/Renaldo Snipes fight in Pittsburgh, and the ring announcer was Myron Cope, the Steelers broadcaster. This will mean something to yinzers.

Funnily, i don't think there were anthems in Montreal that night. Were anthems a thing in boxing back then?

I would assume they were in the United States, but maybe not everywhere else. I'll check my notes later.

I've also been watching the '90s/'00s heavyweights, and there were some bad American anthems then. If you're going to be horrible, at least try to keep it under 2 minutes.

[degenerasian]

If I were to bash more Oilers, Holloway's been crap.

[Nonlinear FC]

LFG

Watching on a YouTube feed of TSN.

[GoodKarma]

I bet on Canada so that should all but ensure a team USA W

[bapo!]

Amazing pace to the game. USA looks equal to Canada so far. And Canada just gave up its first 5-on-5 goal of the tournament. Okay, this is officially interesting.

[Nonlinear FC]

Having not been able to watch until tonight (my daughter figured out the feed), I'm wondering if USA has the horses to run like this for another 2 periods.

That pace, as mentioned above, is INSANE.

[bapo!]

I'm wondering if USA has the horses to run like this for another 2 periods.

More than any other team in the tournament, yes. Then again, if Canada were to score 4 goals in the second period, that wouldn't surprise me, either.

This is the first period I've seen Canada not dominate.

[MaxWebster]

kinda felt like Canada needed to break through at the end of the 2nd there - such a cliche to say the first few shifts next period can determine the fate of this game but. The first few shifts of the 3rd could really determine the fate of this game.

[brian]

I took a shot on the US getting 1.5 goals at +120.

[mister d]

WE ARE THE KINGS OF ICE HOCKEY BABY WOOOOOOO!!!

[Nonlinear FC]

What a gutsy performance.

CAN just seemed like they put out that effort at the second half of the 2nd period, it didn't pay off, and they kind of got in their heads.

That Bynam kid is a fucking beast.