These are great days for Russian Junior Hockey.
And as I see it, that means great days for Junior Hockey and for hockey in general.
In Calgary tonight, the defending World Junior Hockey Champions from Russia will face Sweden for the title
This game comes almost 24 hours after the Russian Under 17 entry defeated the United States 7-4 in the Gold Medal Game at Windsor.
First at the World Junior, there is discontent that Canada is not in the final tonight, snapping a string of 10 consecutive years in which the Canadian entry appeared in the Gold Medal game at this event.
I understand that lament, but Canada’s perpetual domination, appearances, and mostly Gold Medal victories, turned me away from the World Junior Tournament, one that I started following in the late 70’s when it was hosted in Montreal
No real sports fan wants to watch an event where the outcome is almost a given, and from my standpoint, the more viable contenders in the field the better your event.
Similarly, at the Under 17 Championship, the Russia-USA game last night was the first time since 1988 that a Canadian entry, be it Ontario, Pacific, West, whatever, didn’t play for the Championship
In 1988, the Russians with Pavel Bure and Slava Kozlov, beat Mats Sundin and Sweden 4-3.
So again, an international tournament with a balanced field of competitors is far better than a walk over
Furthermore, if the calibre of player coming out of the Under 17 is comparable to Bure or Sundin, then I view that as good for hockey, no matter where you live.
I’m Fred Wallace