Tavares on the cover of THN's Draft Issue

The headline really says it all. I just got the digital edition of The Hockey News' Draft Issue and wouldn't you know, John Tavares is the cover boy. With all of the speculation going around regarding Matt Duchene and Victor Hedman, I am betting the overwhelming majority of fans are still pinning their hopes on the explosive Tavares.

One thing that tends the bug the heck out of me--actually, there are a lot--is when you get a highly-touted and skilled young player who has been on the radar for a while that eventually people and scouts tun on them and start making a big deal about what they CAN'T do versus what the CAN do. So now there are whispers (probably coming out from the Canadian media) regarding Tavares and all of his "shortcomings" of being perhaps one-dimensional while the other guys, Duchene and Hedman are being built up for what the best parts of their own games are.

I call shenanigans--or at least, over-familiarity. Tavares has been talked up since he was a kid who challenged the rules to get himself into juniors as an underager to play with older, more skilled players. We've sort of been tracking the kid for years as the next great Canadian player to come out and now, that familiarity has become breed some discontent. Lots of kids come out of juniors and it takes them time to learn the defensive game. And so what if he isn't a "creator" of offense. Either is Eric Staal and the last time I checked, he was scoring goals and his Hurricanes had the best team in the leage during the regular season on the ropes and down 3-1.
******

Not going to get into the Lighthouse crap. I am sick of reading it and I am sick of worrying about it. You know where to go for updates and stuff. I will say that Kate Murray appears to be a leetle bit crooked when the company doing the feasibility studies are delaying their reports AND they also have contributed to her election campaigns in the past. Oh, yeah. And they're from out of county. Again, it doesn't take a truffle pig to smell shenanigans.
******

Check out the latest issue of Islanders Illustrated if you can. It's a beautiful Year in Pictures Review and I want to thank Linzi for ordering the magazine for me this past season.

The Isles also are having a contest to fly 8 fans to Montreal for the draft for a meet-and-greet with whomever the Isles pick in the first round. Two winners are being named each week. Seems like a good deal if you win and Montreal is always nice any time of the year.
******

I hope you've had a chance to follow the IIHF World Championships this spring in Switzerland. Kyle Okposo has played pretty well for the US, scoring two goals and he was also named the Player of the Game in a 3-2 loss to Russia after tying the game at 2 in the second period of the semifinal matchup.

The US goes for bronze tomorrow at 10AM Eastern on Universal Sports. They'll be playing Sweden while later in the day, Canada and Russia will face-off in a rematch from last's years final that Russia won. I know I'll be asking my mother to watch the games with me...she'll probably say no, but I will ask!

You can find more pictures of Okposo at the WC on the Islanders Facebook page. That's where this one came from.

World Championships on Universal Sports

We promised the programming schedule as soon as we got it, so here it is. All games are on the Universal Sports channel (249 in the Hartford area on Comcast; 'check your local listings' as they say for the channel number in your area.)

You can also watch the games online at universalsports.com.

Sean Bergenheim is out for Finland and the Isles have ruled Frans Nielsen unfit to play from Denmark.


WEDNESDAY, MAY 6
4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S QUARTERFINAL 1 (same day)

6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S QUARTERFINAL 2 (same day)


THURSDAY, MAY 7
4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S QUARTERFINAL 3 (same day)

6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S QUARTERFINAL 4 (same day)


FRIDAY, MAY 8
4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S SEMI FINAL 1 (same day)

6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S SEMI FINAL 2 (same day)


SUNDAY, MAY 10
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S BRONZE MEDAL (same day)

2: 30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S GOLD MEDAL (live)

Canada Beats Russia in epic shootout to move to the WJC Gold Medal Game

I was going to write something myself about the game but I then I read this article from the Canadian Press and it is better than anything I could do. It was one hell of an exciting game.

--Bill


Canada fights its way into final
By Donna Spencer, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA - The drive for five is still alive.

Canada's junior hockey team is one victory away from their country's fifth straight gold medal at the world junior hockey championship.

Canada reached the final for an eighth consecutive year with a thrilling 6-5 shootout win over Russia in Saturday's semifinal.

Sweden, a 5-3 winner over Slovakia in an earlier semifinal, will be Canada's opponent for gold Monday (TSN and NHLN, 7:30 p.m. ET).

It's a rematch of last year's world junior final in Pardubice, Czech Republic, where Canada beat the Swedes 3-2 in overtime for the country's fourth straight gold.

The hosts are attempting to tie the country's record of five set between 1993 and 1997.

"There's nothing else we want," forward John Tavares said. "There's nothing else we came here for."

But the country's run of gold looked to be on life support Saturday when Dmitri Klopov scored with just two minutes 20 seconds remaining in regulation.

With 19,327 at Scotiabank Place on their feet and urging Canada on, Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats came to the rescue.

Goaltender Dustin Tokarski was pulled for an extra attacker and the first-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers tied it with just five seconds left to keep his country's dream of another gold alive.

Russian defenceman Dmitri Kulikov was on his knees in front of the net trying to freeze the puck, but Eberle stole it and beat Russian goalie Vadim Zhelobynyuk with a backhand.

"I didn't ever give up and I think that's the biggest thing for Team Canada," Eberle said. "We didn't give up all throughout the game.

"We obviously realize the pressure on us, but pressure is one of those things you just push aside and you apply it, rather than feel it."

After a scoreless 10-minute overtime, it went to a shootout. Eberle scored on Zhelobynyuk, Dmitri Kurgryshev hit the post, Tavares scored and then Tokarski stopped Pavel Chernov for the victory.

"We knew what the goalie's tendency was and he has a tendency to go down," Eberle said. "Me and Johnny kind of did the same move, opposite hands."

The Russians tied the game four times and were so close to advancing to the gold-medal game with their best game of this tournament.

"I don't believe it," said disconsolate Russian defenceman Maxim Goncharov. "It's very hard."

Eberle scored a pair of goals in regulation in addition to his shootout effort.

Brett Sonne of the Calgary Hitmen, Patrice Cormier of the Rimouski Oceanic and Angelo Esposito of the Montreal Junior also scored during regulation. Evander Kane of the Vancouver Giants had two assists. Tokarski stopped 23 of 28 shots in regulation.

Klopov scored twice for the Russians, who also got goals from Goncharov, Evgeni Grachev and Sergei Andronov. Evgeni Dadonov had two assists. Zhelobnyuk made 36 saves during regulation time.

It's the third time in as many years where Canada had to win a medal-round game in either overtime or a shootout. Two years ago in Leksand, Sweden, the Canadians beat the U.S. in a semifinal shootout.

These Canadian players watched that game on television and four of them - Tavares, P.K. Subban, Zach Boychuk and Thomas Hickey - were part of the overtime victory over Sweden last year.

The heroics of their predecessors gave this edition of Canada's junior hockey team the belief they could still win despite trailing a goal with just over two minutes left.

"That's the great thing about Canadians," Tavares said. "We don't quit and we fight right until the end, no matter what, and that little extra effort right at the end made the difference for us to tie the game and into a shootout."

Canada has won its four straight gold medals on the strength of its defence, but this team has given up nine goals in their last two games.

Quinn wasn't committing to going with Tokarski again in the final. He felt some of the goals scored on Tokarski were questionable, but liked his goalie's performance in the shootout.

Russia had done its homework on the Canadians power play that was running 60 per cent heading into this game. The Russians pushed the Canadians towards the boards, pressured the quarterbacks and quickly covered off the open man.

Canada was held to one goal on nine chances a man up. Eberle scored his first of the game at the end of a 5-on-3 at 16:40 of the second period.

Esposito scored a short-handed goal on a breakaway at 5:44 of the third period to give his team a brief 4-3 lead, but Andronov tied it up with power-play goal less than a minute later.

Kelowna Rockets defenceman Tyler Myers knelt to block a shot by Maxim Chudinov early in the second period and it rocketed off his knee. Myers went immediately to the dressing room, but returned for the third period.

Boychuk of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who has a sprained ankle, played sparingly after the first period, which gave a lot of playing time to 17-year-old Kane.

"It's a great opportunity to be a part of history," Kane said. "Sweden is going to be a tough team and we're really going to have to bring our 'A' game on Monday."

He and Patrice Cormier and Stefan Della Rovere were the most dynamic forward line in the opening 20 minutes as they created scoring chances and forechecked the Russians hard.

Notes: The 2009 world junior tournament in Ottawa set the attendance record of 377,834 after Saturday's semifinal to beat the previous mark of 374,353 from Vancouver in 2006 . . . Canadian defenceman Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires celebrated his 18th birthday Saturday. . . . Canada is 9-6-1 all-time in the world junior tournament versus Russia since 1993 and, before that, 5-10-1 versus the Soviet Union.

Update from the Worlds; courtesy Yahoo sports

I had held out hop that the World Championships would be on the NHL Network but they aren't. Apparently there is a PPV outlet online where you can check out the games if you're inclined. With little news coming out of Long Island right now, we here at nyiforlife.com will do our best to keep everyone up to date on what is happening at the Worlds.

--Bill


Kane, Thomas lead US past Latvia world opener

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP)—Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists and Tim Thomas made 24 saves to help the United States beat Latvia 4-0 on Friday night in the Americans’ opening preliminary round game in the world championship.

Kane, the 19-year-old star who had 72 points in 82 games for Chicago this season, assisted on Dustin Brown’s first-period goal, then added a goal midway through the second. Kane took the puck near Latvia’s blue line, skated in and fired a snap shot past goalie Edgars Masalskis. Kane also set up Zach Parise’s third-period goal.

“He’s an unbelievably skilled hockey player,” Thomas said about Kane. “He has a heck of future in front of him.”

The United States, wearing throwback jerseys from its 1960 Olympic victory at Squaw Valley, scored all four goals on power plays.

“The power play was cooking tonight. We scored four goals. It was good to get that going,” Kane said. “It’s just nice to start off with a win, especially against a team that we probably should beat.”

Patrick O’Sullivan also scored, and Paul Martin had three assists.

American forward Lee Stempniak was awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down on a breakaway shortly after Kane’s goal. Stempniak couldn’t beat Masalskis, who closed his pads to stop a shot. Masalskis made 45 saves.

“I have not been involved in too many international tournaments,” U.S. coach John Tortorella said. “But the two games I have been involved in, Latvia has been a tough opponent. And tonight was not exception.”

The Americans will return to action Sunday night against Slovenia.

In the other Group B opener in Halifax, Dany Heatley had three goals and an assist in defending champion Canada’s 5-1 victory over Slovenia.

Heatley has 23 goals in the world championships, the most by a Canadian player. The Ottawa Senators star broke the mark of 21 set by Marcel Dionne.

Dan Hamhuis and Martin St. Louis also scored for Canada. Cam Ward made 21 saves, allowing only Anze Kopitar’s goal on a 5-on-3 power play.

The Canadians had a 65-22 shots advantage.

In Group D play in Quebec City, the Czech Republic beat Denmark 5-2, and Russia routed Italy 7-1.

The tournament is being played in Canada for the first time.

Photo courtesy USAHOCKEY.com