Ek's Note: MEET UP TODAY IN TORONTO! If you’re in Toronto come meet me, Kevin Allen, Michael Augello, and Jillian Fisher today in the official Fan Village around 1:30 PM. I will have some prizes to give hockeybuzz readers and Jillian claims to be better than most at bubble hockey, so I think we need to get a tournament together. Look for us near the bubble hockey Games, Follow me on Twitter (@eklund) and I will tweet out exactly where we arrive in the village and where we are hanging. See you there!
Team Canada took care of business as expected in game one last night...well maybe even more powerfully than expected. It was impressive to say least.
The bottom line here is the Czech Republic ran into a Buzzsaw of emotion and skill at the Air Canada Centre and I am not sure any team could've handled it. The Czechs came out strong and when Michal Neuvirth stoned Sidney Crosby on a breakaway early on there was a sense that an upset could be in the making. But then Sidney Crosby did what Sidney Crosby does better than anyone else.
I have always said what makes Crosby a superstar is he is the best grinder to ever play the game. He’s not afraid to score ugly goals and he recognizes how when you are facing a goalie who is on his game, like Neuvirth appeared to be, throw everything at him. There is no such thing as a bad shot or a bad angle. It almost always works. How many times did we see Dominic Hasek scored on from weird angles after he made some unbelievable, other-worldly save?
After Crosby broke through Canada just took over with a confidence they were drawing from the crowd and the energy of playing, finally playing, this tournament in front of their home countrymen and women.
And that’s what I want to talk about this morning:
The amazing energy of a game like this played in Canada.
There’s always a lot of craziness when you travel. I have the best job in the world, no question about it, but when you leave your wife and two kids for two weeks there is still a lot of energy and chaos that goes into the preparation for the trip. Stress can take some of the excitement and joy out of it...But hearing the Air Canada Centre sing…Oh Canada… last night made all of that craziness worth it. Chills on top of chills. Insane. Every hockey fan should get a chance to feel that.
I have always loved coming to Canada ever since I was a kid. I would make my parents go to Canada every summer in fact. I love this country because I love the people, and I love the way they love the sport I love. Growing up in America in the 70s and 80s and 90s hockey was gaining momentum, but in Canada it was already a runaway train.
The pride and love this country has for this sport runs so incredibly deep. I saw it in Vancouver when I covered the Olympics in 2010, when it was so powerful then to hear people on the bus, and walking the streets, singing the anthem. Groups would walk towards other strangers who joined in. It was awesome to this American, so I can’t imagine how powerful it is to you Canadians, but over the last six years I forgot just how powerful it can be.
As a hockey reporter who attends a ton of games during the NHL season I am no stranger to the Canadian national anthem. Ever since I was a kid I thought it was the most beautiful anthem. (Side note: America the Beautiful would give it a run for its money, and be a little less “war based,… but that’s another conversation) As beautiful as the Canadian national anthem is, it really shines when the sung by crowd.
The other thing I was really blown away by last night, was the love building in Toronto gave to the goalie from Montréal.. I know the way that these two cities feel about each other when he comes to hockey. It’s good to know that love of country comes first.
Today...
Today we get two interesting games.
Sweden versus Russia will be a barnburner of massive proportions. All you have to say is look at the Russian offense and look at the Swedish defense.
Then, in the nightcap, we get the crazy unorthodox creativity of North America versus the structured always consistent Finland. It will be really interesting to see how do North America as they continue to step up to higher and higher competition.
more to come..