World Juniors

Now, I promised some World Juniors thoughts so here they are. No Islanders talk today. Ricky's hurt and they play today at 2PM against the Panthers.

First off, you have to feel badly for Kazakhstan.

I'm sitting watching those kids play Canada and you know what kind of game you're getting when James Duthie and Bob McKenzie are speaking in hushed tones at the beginning of the broadcast. Then they throw it to Pierre Maguire and Gord Miller, who are discussing the scoring records in the tournament and how Canada is going to need to pull back the reigns a little bit so that they don't show up their opponents.

Then we get introduced to the Kazakh goalie: all 5-8 and 128 lbs of him. Not just that, but there is also a kid on the top Kazakh line who is generously listed at 5-4.

Well, what did you expect: Canada 15 and Kazakhstan 0. Canadian goalie Chet Pickard faces 11 "shots"...mostly dump-ins.

What does this mean? Well, for starters, either that there are too many teams in the tournament or that it's time to invite some other countries to Buffalo next Christmas.

And here's a shocker: the US team pasted the Kazakhs too. This one was 12-0. Add in the 9-0 hoofing from Germany, and that means that the Kazakhs scored a total of zero goals and gave up a whopping 36 in three tournament games.

Tonight is the game we have all been waiting for. No, it isn't the yearly "Who the hell would watch Carson Daly host a New Year's show?" It's the 3-0 Americans against the 3-0 Canadians.

Neither team has been really tested yet. Canada and America are in Pool A in this preliminary round. In Pool B, Russia and Sweden will also play for first place in their pool today as well. None of the Pool B games have been on the NHLN to the best of my knowledge, but who cares? Tonight the North American rivalry is reborn.

Canada sports three players who have really shined so far: captain Zach Boychuk, defensemen PK Subban, and John Tavares.

By now you've all seen Tavares pre-tournament goal when he smacks it out of the air from behind the net to himself and then hits it again baseball-style in for a goal. Freakish. We also know that he is a top candidate to go #1 overall in this June's entry draft. Him we know.

Subban is a defenseman who plays a very large game. Also, by his quotes pulled after the waxing of Kazakhstan--where he warned his teammates not to let the 15 goals go to their collective heads--he's a smart and realistic leader. He knew that there would be tough games ahead (like the US) and he wanted to make sure that the team was pulling in the same direction.

Boychuk is a heck of a heart-and-soul player. Actually, saying that he's a "heart-and-soul player" almost makes it seem like he doesn't have skill. We aren't selling him short here. He's been outplaying everyone who has lined up across from him even though he has a sore wrist that is going to require surgery. Otherwise, he'd be spending the rest of winter and the spring playing in Carolina with the Hurricanes. He's an impressive kid.

That is what is so great with the World Juniors: you literally do get to see tomorrow's stars today. Add the crazy emotion of the Canadians (and Americans next year in Buffalo) and you have the best tournament anywhere in the world outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Olympics. A Christmas present every year!

2009 World Junior Championship Schedule

The 2009 WJC will be shown on the NHL Network. What a great after-Christmas present for all of us! The US and Canada games will air at the following times. NHLN will also show all games of the medal round.

2009 World Juniors Schedule
December
DATE	MATCHUP	VENUE	TIME (ET)
Friday, Dec. 26	Latvia-Russia	Ottawa Civic Centre	2:30pm
	Germany-USA	Scotiabank Place	3:30pm
	Finland-Sweden	Ottawa Civic Centre	6:30pm
	Canada-Czech Rep.	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
Saturday, Dec. 27	Slovakia-Latvia	Ottawa Civic Centre	6:30pm
	Kazakhstan-Germany	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
Sunday, Dec. 28	Russia-Finland	Ottawa Civic Centre	2:30pm
	Kazakhstan-Canada	Scotiabank Place	3:30pm
	Sweden-Slovakia	Ottawa Civic Centre	6:30pm
	USA-Czech Rep.	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
Monday, Dec. 29	Latvia-Sweden	Ottawa Civic Centre	2:30pm
	Germany-Canada	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
Tuesday, Dec. 30	Russia-Slovakia	Ottawa Civic Centre	2:30pm
	Czech Rep.-Germany	Scotiabank Place	3:30pm
	Finland-Latvia	Ottawa Civic Centre	6:30pm
	USA-Kazakhstan	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
Wednesday, Dec. 31	Sweden-Russia	Ottawa Civic Centre	2:30pm
	Czech Rep.-Kazakhstan	Scotiabank Place	3:30pm
	Slovakia-Finland	Ottawa Civic Centre	6:30pm
	Canada-USA	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
January
DATE	MATCHUP	VENUE	TIME (ET)
Friday, Jan. 2	Quarterfinal 1	Scotiabank Place	3:30pm
	Relegation Match	Ottawa Civic Centre	6:30pm
	Quarterfinal 2	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
Saturday, Jan. 3	Semifinal 1	Scotiabank Place	3:30pm
	Relegation Match	Ottawa Civic Centre	6:30pm
	Semifinal 2	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
Sunday, Jan. 4	Relegation Match	Ottawa Civic Centre	2:30pm
	Relegation Match	Ottawa Civic Centre	6:30pm
	5th Place: LQF1-LQF2	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm
Monday, Jan. 5	Bronze Medal Game	Scotiabank Place	3:30pm
	Gold Medal Game	Scotiabank Place	7:30pm

ROBIN FIGREN SIGNS ON WITH ISLANDERS

courtesy newyorkislanders.com

Robin Figren

The New York Islanders have signed Swedish left wing prospect Robin Figren (pronounced FEE-grehn) to a three-year entry level contract. As the team’s third round selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the 20-year old Figren has spent the last two seasons in the Western Hockey League and represented his native Sweden at the 2008 World Junior Championships. Figren will spend the 2008-09 season with Djurgardens of the Swedish Elite League before returning to North American to complete the last two years of the contract.

“We’ve seen Robin grow and develop into one of our top prospects over the past two seasons,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. “He’ll spend a season in the Swedish Elite League, which is one of the top hockey leagues in the world, and as an organization we’re very comfortable with that. His development will only grow while playing with Djurgardens.”

Figren made a big impact on the hockey community this past winter while participating in the World Junior Championships. In six games, he scored five goals and added two assists for seven points for Sweden and scored one of the tournament’s most memorable goals in some time. (Click here to watch) With his strong effort, Figren helped Sweden capture the silver medal.

“Robin has played some of his best hockey at the most important times of games and seasons,” said Islanders Assistant General Manager and Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Jankowski. "Two years ago he scored some key goals and helped Calgary make a very good run in the WHL playoffs. This past year at the World Juniors, he once again scored some key goals for Sweden and his play helped them win with their first medal in a few years.”

The 5-11, 176 pound native of Stockholm split his WHL junior career with the Calgary Hitmen and expansion Edmonton Oil Kings. Last season with Edmonton, Figren scored 18 goals with 13 assists for 31 points in 35 games. He missed time with a wrist injury at the beginning of the season. In 97 career WHL games, Figren scored 28 goals with 20 assists for 48 points and compiled 100 penalty minutes.

Figren also represented Sweden at the 2006 Under-18 World Junior Championships and scored three goals with two assists for five points in six games. Prior to coming to North America to further his hockey development, Figren was a prospect with Swedish Hockey League’s Vastra Frolunda, who was a perennial favorite at the time. Over the past two seasons, Figren has attended both Islanders summer rookie camps and training camps.

Game night: Avalanche; WJC Update

The NHL checked DiPietro's pads and it looks like he is not going to be suspended, according to many reports.

Tonight the boys are in Colorado to take on the Avalanche. As previously posted, the 'lanche will be without Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth.

Interesting bit on Chris Botta's blog regarding Smyth and the way he left the Islanders this past summer. You really should check it out and you can find it here: http://nyipointblank.blogspot.com/

Team Canada will be the four-time defending world junior champions next year when the WJC is held in in Ottawa. Forward Brad Marchand led the way with a goal and an assist and Matt Halischuk scored at 3:36 in overtime as Canada beat Sweden 3-2 in the gold medal game of the world junior hockey championship today in the Czech Republic.

WJC: End of first period, Tied at 0

Line of the day, from Gord Miller: "We'd like to wish a speedy recovery to the thousands of Canadians who called in sick to work today"...the pace of the first period has been hectic and crazy. These kids are really, really busting it right now...too many scoring chances to count and both goalies have been outstanding...Steve Mason for Canada weathered a quick start by the US with both Kyle Okposo and Rhett Rakshani making quite an impression...my four year old niece is actually watching and she never sits still for anything!

More to come if I can. Great game so far.

Live Blog Update on the WJC...and more!

Robin Figren has just scored for Sweden to tie up the game between the Tre Kronor and Russia. Figren has 5 goals in the tournament and has been getting talked up big by the TSN crew of Pierre Maguire and Gord Miller. Pierre even called him a steal for the Islanders in the third round. Seriously, he is one of those players who literally pop when you're watching them play. I like his hockey sense and wow id he good with the puck on his stick. The goal he just scored showed that he has excellent patience as he waited for the Russian goalie to go down before calmly taking a few extra strides before roofing it to tie the game.

Isles got out of the game last night with a point against the Panthers even though they lost in OT. Gotta admit that I missed the game. Demon flu still has got me by the shorties. Thank goodness for paid time-off and teenagers playing hockey in the middle of the day!

Bad news coming out of the game is that Ricky is facing a possible two-game suspension for using new goalie pads that had not been poked and prodded by the NHL suits. Sounds like a legit mistake as Rick figured the league had checked them before he even got them but of course, NHL Dean of Boys Colin Campbell will have to rule on it...but c'mon, we know it is gonna be two games. That's the rule.

Noon WJC update: The game is going to OT. Ten minutes of OT and then a shootout if necessary.

Mike Sillinger scored 3 points in his return from a bit of a lay-off. Silly got 5 full days off and that is a good move by Teddy to give some of the older dudes a rest when they can. Plus, you know, the hip flexor injury is kind of painful.

Speaking of injuries, former Islander Ryan Smyth has a broken ankle so he'll be missing the game tomorrow night when the Isles invade Colorado.

12:16: Pierre is in love with Figren's game. It's a full-on man crush.

12:19: Mikael Backlund scores in OT for Sweden. The Swedes are guaranteed their first WJC medal since 1996. Thanks Gord. Darryl Sutter has invented a new face for being excited. Picture the regular face any of the Sutters would make if you stole food off their dinner plate. Yep, that's the one. Backlund is Calgary property, by the way.

Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the NHL asked Rick DiPietro to change his pads during the first intermission of last night's 4-3 overtime loss to the Panthers at the Coliseum. DiPietro, as we know, played the first period in new white leg pads, then returned for the second period wearing his old orange and blue pads.

More to come if I feel like it!!

Canada-USA Tomorrow on the NHL Network!

Americans low-key ahead of semifinal
The Canadian Press
1/3/2008 2:40:20 PM

PARDUBICE, Czech Republic - The U.S. junior hockey team toed the company line Thursday.

Friday's semifinal against Canada at the world junior hockey championship was just another opponent, another step in oft-uttered word "process" and no, the Americans weren't thinking of last year's semifinal loss to the Canadians in a shootout in this tournament.

"It's Canada, yeah, and its obviously a big rivalry for us, but we're not looking at it that way," said forward Blake Geoffrion. "It's another team, another opponent that we've got to beat."

The Americans were not about to make inflammatory statements in public and just to make sure, captain Brian Strait and his assistants were the only players made available after Thursday's practice to give neutral answers to the media.

"As a team, we've decided our leadership corps, our captains, will be the ones that address the media," head coach John Hynes said.

But the verbal sparring for Friday's game (TSN, 1:30 p.m. ET) apparently began weeks ago in the University of Wisconsin's dressing room between Canada's Kyle Turris and Geoffrion and U.S. defenceman Jamie McBain.

"The two guys on my team have been saying they're going to take us this year and kill us," Turris said. "There was a bit more arrogance to it. They're going to be in for a war because we're not going to give up."

Turris says Geoffrion, who is the grandson of Hockey Hall of Famer Boom-Boom Geoffrion, has been sending him taunting e-mails during the tournament.

"There was a lot of trash-talking and it's still going on," Turris said. "I'm sure we'll still be friends, but tomorrow, I'm not a big fan of those guys."

When asked about Turris earlier, Geoffrion just said: "Good guy, good player."

Sweden and Russia meet in Friday's earlier semifinal (TSN, 10 a.m. ET).

The semifinal winners advance to Saturday's championship game (TSN, 2 p.m. ET), while the losers play for bronze (TSN, 10 a.m. ET).

The U.S. has a good thing going at 4-0 and they want to protect it, so it's not surprising they've closed ranks.

They had a day off to rest Wednesday because they earned the bye to the semifinal, while the 4-1 Canadians needed to beat Finland 4-2 in a quarter-final.

Canadian head coach Craig Hartsburg made the controversial decision to stay with Steve Mason as his starting goaltender instead of activating Jonathan Bernier, despite Mason's nervous performance in the quarter-final.

"At this point of the tournament, we don't think it's time to be flip-flopping back and forth," Hartsburg said. "We feel Steve will get the job done for us. We trust him. He knows he didn't play his best game last night and he won."

The U.S. has six returning players from the team that lost in that semifinal shootout and settled for the bronze medal a year ago.

The Americans have 20 NHL draft picks in their lineup and six of them are first-rounders, compared to Canada which has 17 and seven respectively.

The U.S. boasts the top-scoring line of the tournament that includes twin towers James vanRiemsdyk and Colin Wilson, plus speedster Jordan Schroeder.

VanRiemsdyk, the No. 2 pick in the NHL draft this year by the Philadelphia Flyers, leads the tournament with four goals and six assists.

So Canada's checking line centred by Brandon Sutter, with Colton Gillies and Stefan Legein on the wings, will have its hands full.

"Ten points in four games is pretty impressive, so we're going to have to try and shut him down," Legein said. "He's a good player, but we're good at what we do too, so it should be a good matchup."

Stutter and company will join forces with the defensive pairing of Karl Alzner and Drew Doughty, or Thomas Hickey and Luke Schenn, to try and shut the Americans' top trio down.

"We don't want to lose to these guys so we're going to be on a mission," said captain Alzner.

Canada needs Turris and linemates Brad Marchand and Claude Giroux to bury some chances to keep the Americans' attention away from 17-year-olds John Tavares and Steve Stamkos, whose contributions have been key.

Geographic proximity, the fact that a few from both sides play in the same leagues and the similar playing styles of the North American countries will produce enough familiarity to breed contempt Friday.

"Tomorrow is a game where, it's kind of like looking in the mirror," Hartsburg said. "It's a team that plays the same systems we play.

"Some of the European teams catch you by surprise with the stretching and the motion. This is a game we should be very familiar with."

Canada's shootout win over the U.S. in the 2007 semifinal was a game for the ages as the Americans led 1-0 until the final 10 minutes of the game, outshot and outplayed the Canadians, yet lost in a seven-round shootout.

Alzner and Marchand, Canada's lone returning players remember it vividly, but it's not so clear for Geoffrion, who was on the U.S. bench.

"I couldn't take it. I put my head down," Geoffrion said. "If we scored I knew, because of the cheers. If we didn't score, you could tell by the emotion on the bench. I watched the highlights afterwards."

Notes: The referees assigned to Friday's game are Jyri Ronn (Finland) and Christer Larking (Sweden) . . . Canadian Hockey League players on the U.S. roster are goaltender Jeremy Smith (Plymouth) and defencemen Jonathon Blum (Vancouver), Bobby Sanguinetti (Brampton) and Kevin Montgomery (London) . . . The U.S. won its lone world junior title in 2004 with a come-from-behind win over Canada in the final . . . Canada has not lost a semifinal game at the world junior championship since 2001 in Moscow.

Isles' prospect Robin Figren at the WJC

US, Canada open World Junior Hockey Championships with wins

December 26, 2007

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (AP) -- Kyle Okposo, the former Minnesota player set to sign with the New York Islanders, had a goal and an assist to help the United States open the World Junior Hockey Championships with a 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Okposo, selected seventh overall in the NHL 2006 draft, left the Golden Gophers last week, and has begun negotiations with the Islanders on an entry-level contract.

Denver's Tyler Ruegsegger and New Hampshire's James vanRiemsdyk also each had a goal and assist, and Boston University's Colin Wilson and Minnesota's Mike Carman added goals. Jeremy Smith, who plays for Plymouth in the Ontario Hockey League, made 17 saves, allowing only Alexander Kurshuk's game-opening goal.

In the other Group B game, Russia beat Finland 7-4. In Group A play in Pardubice, John Tavares scored twice in three-time defending champion Canada's 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic, and Sweden beat Slovakia 4-3.

Matthew Halischuk also scored for Canada, Steve Stamkos had three assists, and Jonathan Bernier made 44 saves for the shutout.

NHL Network to televise 2008 World Junior Championships

NHL Network to televise 2008 World Junior Championships
COURTESY of NHL .com Dec 19, 2007, 5:13 PM EST

New York, NY -- NHL Network, the first national network dedicated entirely to hockey, today announced it has secured the exclusive U.S. rights to the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Pardubice and Liberec, Czech Republic, Dec. 26, 2007 – Jan. 5, 2008. The upcoming tournament marks the first time the World Junior Championship will be telecast live on NHL Network in the United States.

NHL Network in the U.S. will televise live coverage of the entire medal round of the 2008 World Junior Championship, including both quarterfinal games, both semifinal contests, the bronze-medal game and the gold-medal game. All games will be televised in HD and will receive at least one primetime re-air on the network.

Coverage on NHL Network in the U.S. gets underway on Wednesday, January 2nd with LIVE telecasts of the two quarterfinal games at 10:00 am ET/7:00 am PT and 2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT. For the 2008 tournament, the second- and third-place teams from each of the two groups after the round-robin portion will play in the quarterfinals. The winners of each group after the round-robin games advance to the semifinals. The final four teams square off LIVE on NHL Network at 10:00 am ET/7:00 am PT and 2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT on Friday, January 4th. The bronze medal game will be on the network LIVE at 10:00 am ET/7:00 am PT Saturday, January 5th, followed shortly by the Gold Medal game LIVE on NHL Network in the U.S. at 2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT.

The World Junior Hockey Championship is an annual IIHF event featuring the best hockey players in the world under the age of 20. The tournament traditionally serves as a proving ground for tomorrow’s NHL stars. Tune in to see who will be this year’s break-out star. For complete information on the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship, visit usahockey.com.

2008 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Coverage on NHL Network US

Wednesday, January 2nd
10:00 am ET/7:00 am PT – Quarterfinal game #1 (LIVE)
2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT – Quarterfinal game #2 (LIVE)
7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT – Quarterfinal game #1 (re-air)

Thursday, January 3rd
3:00 am ET/12:00 am PT – Quarterfinal game #1 (re-air)
12:00 pm ET/9:00 am PT – Quarterfinal game #2 (re-air)
7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT – Quarterfinal game #2 (re-air)

Friday, January 4th
10:00 am ET/7:00 am PT – Semifinal game #1 (LIVE)
2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT – Semifinal game #2 (LIVE)
5:30 pm ET/2:30 pm PT – Semifinal game #1 (re-air)
10:00 pm ET/7:00 pm PT – Semifinal game #2 (re-air)

Saturday, January 5th
10:00 am ET/7:00 am PT – Bronze Medal game (LIVE)
2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT – Gold Medal game (LIVE)

Sunday, January 6th
3:00 am ET/12:00 am PT – Gold Medal game (re-air)
5:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT – Bronze Medal game (re-air)
7:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT – Gold Medal game (re-air)

*NHL Network reserves the right to change the schedule

After launching in the U.S. in October, NHL Network is already accessible to 80 million homes based on previously-announced carriage arrangements with Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, Charter, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Time Warner Cable and others.