USA defeats Canada

After a game like tonight, you don't need a fancy headline. The subtlety says it all.

For only the second time in history Team USA has won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships, a tournament showcasing NHL prospects and draft picks to be. All of the best under-20 year old players in the world were in Saskatoon the last 10 days representing their countries and leaving everything they had on the ice. Many of the games provided some of the finest hockey you'll see anywhere this year. As one broadcaster put it, you may not recognize some of the names now, but you will soon enough.

Team USA was playing for only its sixth gold medal in tourney history. Canada was playing for their sixth straight gold. Team USA's Chris Kreider and Jerry D'amigo - both draft picks of Original Six teams - each scored their sixth goals of the tournament. Taylor Hall of Team Canada, the expected top pick at this year's NHL draft, also scored his sixth goal. Trailing late in the game, Canada's Jordan Eberle made the most of his sixth game at this year's WJC, scoring two goals in the final minutes to tie things up and force overtime.

Team USA was up against Canada late in the game last year and lost. They were on top of them again just a few days ago in the New Year's Eve thriller...only to come from ahead and lose. So when Eberle tied the game tonight you just knew it spelled the end for the Americans.

However, during the 3rd period/OT intermission on the NHL Network they interviewed one of the U.S. assistant coaches - something they had been doing throughout the WJC. When asked if the mood was somber in the locker room after letting Canada back into a game yet again, he said "No, Johnny Carlson is in there right now firing the boys up." At the time, it seemed like an odd name to mention. Not team captain, Derek Stepan. Not assistant captain Jordan Schroeder, playing in his third WJC for Team USA. No, it was John Carlson.

Indeed. Just 4:31 into the extra period he put one past Kings prospect Martin Jones to win it all for Team USA. John Carlson. It was his second goal of the night and probably the biggest of his young career.

Prior to the game, fans and players alike had to be wondering how this game could possibly match the drama and excitement of the previous contest a few days earlier. After all, when these two teams met in the prelims it was a game that ended in a shootout, after already seeing two shorthanded goals, a penalty shot and several lead changes. What could they possibly do for an encore? Well, how often do BOTH starting goaltenders get pulled in the same game? Not very often to say the least.

Credit for this win will rightfully go to the players on the ice. However, enough good things can't be written about U.S. coach Dean Blais. He had the conviction to make tough calls when he needed to throughout the tournament and this game was no exception. Pulling Mike Lee for Jack Campbell about four minutes into the second period took some nerve. Then when Canada followed six minutes into the third - replacing Jake Allen with Jones - some people had to be thinking this is nuts.

One of the most exciting games you'll ever see. That's the second time in less than a week I've written that about a game involving these two teams. Yet, it's true. Each game was entirely different, with one constant - edge of the seat excitement from the moment the puck dropped.

I can hardly wait for next year's tournament in Buffalo.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor


RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Jeremy Roenick - JR previews Canada vs U.S. and talks about his time w/ Team USA

Canada - USA lives up to the hype

WJC Gold Rush, American Style

Interview with Brandon Kozun - Team Canada forward and Kings prospect

Comments from Brayden Schenn - Team Canada forward and Kings prospect


Here are the official game highlights...

WJC Recap: Saturday's Quarterfinals

The best tournament in the world for NHL prospects continued in Saskatchewan on Saturday.

The U.S. will live to play another day and the hoped for rematch with Canada is still alive. However, it will take a strong game from the entire team to beat a loaded Sweden squad on Sunday. Plus, Switzerland is trying to steal the headlines as a possible Cinderella team.

Highlights from the two Quarterfinal games:

United States 6, Finland 2

American goaltender Mike Lee was the player of the game - looks like he is the #1 goalie for the remainder of the tournament. Jordan Schroeder passed Jeremy Roenick with his three assists, giving him the most points all-time for a U.S. born player at the WJC.

A trio of Original Six draft picks - Chris Kreider (NY Rangers), Jerry D'Amigo (Toronto) and Danny Kristo (Montreal Canadiens) - had big games as well. Kristo and Kreider remained uber hot for the USA team, each scoring another goal. They both have five goals overall - just one shy of Slovakia's Richard Panik, who currently leads the WJC this year with six goals. D'Amigo had two goals in the game, his second and third of the tourney.

Switzerland 3, Russia 2
It took overtime to decide this one and somehow the Swiss were able to upset the team many people predicted would be playing for gold on Tuesday. Swiss goaltender Benjamin Conz played lights out in goal, finishing the game with 50 saves. Meanwhile, his teammate Nino Niederreiter had two dramatic goals. First, he tied the game with just 33 seconds left in regulation. Then, about 10 minutes into the OT he scored the game winner. He's expected to be a first round pick at the 2010 NHL Draft and right now his stock is probably rising.

Semi final match-ups for Sunday:

Switzerland vs. Canada - 1pm PST

United States vs. Sweden - 6pm PST

Both games will be shown live on the NHL Network. The winners will meet for the Gold Medal on Tuesday, while the other two teams will play for the Bronze.

The Mayor

www.twitter.com/Mayor119

WJC: Canada-USA lived up to the hype

If you were scripting the perfect hockey game you'd have to add the following ingredients - two undefeated teams, stacked rosters on both sides, an important reward on the line for the victor, a short handed goal, a penalty shot, three periods of hard hitting action, multiple lead changes, wild momentum swings, overtime and a shootout.

Did I leave anything out? Because the Canada-USA game had all that...and more.

Ten players in this game were taken in the first round of the NHL draft - which is quite a bit more than you'll find in most NHL games.

Team Canada had a line-up of nearly all NHL drafted players. The lone hold out, Taylor Hall, is expected to be a high first round pick in June 2010 - perhaps even going first overall.

Team USA also had a roster full of NHL drafted players...and they had a storyline favored by script writers - the old man and the kid. Veteran Jordan Schroeder, playing in his third and final WJC tournament, entered the game still looking for his first victory over Team Canada. In goal, they had the rookie, Jack Campbell - the seventeen year old future of the program, playing in his first WJC.

In a preview of things to come, the two teams traded goals in the opening five minutes. Washington Capitals draft pick Stefan Della Rovere scored for Canada just 2 minutes into the game, followed two minutes later by Philip McRae for the U.S. (a 2nd round pick of the St. Louis Blues in '08).

Jordan Schroeder, aiming for Jeremy Roenick's American points record, gave Team USA the lead 7 minutes into the second...with a short-handed goal nonetheless.

Five minutes later Canada tied things up again when Jordan Eberle scored, showing why the Oilers made him their first round pick in '08. LA Kings prospect Brayden Schenn assisted on the goal.

With the drama seemingly already at an unbelievable high, it escalated with a penalty shot. Chris Kreider of Boston College (and a NY Rangers draft pick) was stopped by Canadian netminder Jake Allen, leaving the game tied.

After several great scoring chances throughout the second period, the Americans were finally able to take the lead with just seconds left in the period. It was Tyler Johnson putting the U.S. up 3-2 after forty minutes.

Then, just one minute into the third, U.S. forward Danny Kristo silenced the sold out Canadian crowd. Using some fancy stick work he beat Allen to give Team USA a two goal lead.

After last year's disappointing come from ahead loss though, fans of Team USA couldn't start celebrating yet. And sure enough, Canada came back and scored two goals in the final ten minutes (including a second goal of the night from Eberle, with a second assist from Schenn) to force overtime.

The nail biting five minute OT didn't include a goal from either side, so it was on to the shootout.

And what a shootout it was.

First shooter, goal. Second shooter, goal. Third and fourth shooters, goal-goal.

So with things tied in the shootout Canada sent out LA Kings prospect Brandon Kuzon. He scored.

Then it happened. Team USA went with experience and desire. It was Jordan Schroeder's turn. Could he score for the U.S. to keep hope alive? Could he tie things up and give the Americans a chance to beat Team Canada for the first time since 2004?

No. He didn't score. Team USA didn't beat Canada. Another heart breaker.

An emotionally draining, classic game. Enjoy some of the highlights in the official WJC video package:


More than twelve hours later I'm still in awe. Rarely when sporting events are hyped for weeks prior do they deliver. From big fights to important football games, the actual events usually have a hard time delivering on the predicted greatness. In this case, Canada and the U.S. over delivered.

Other WJC notes from Thursday, the final day of opening round play:

* In the game to determine the winner of Pool B, Sweden beat Finland 7-1. Oilers first round pick Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson continued his hot play, picking up another goal. That brought his point total to 9, trailing only Eberle of Canada for the overall lead.

* Switzerland beat Slovakia 4-1. Nino Niederreiter, a 2010 draft eligible player, scored twice for the Swiss. Tampa Bay Lightning pick Richard Panik has been one of the few bright spots for the disappointing Slovakian team this year. He scored his fifth goal, tying him for the overall lead in the tourney.

* Russia beat the Czech Republic 5-2. The game was tied with 6 minutes left in the third. Russia then scored three times to win it. Vladimir Tarasenko, the top rated Russian skater eligible for the NHL draft in June, had two goals in the victory.

Friday is an off day for the WJC. Games will resume on Saturday with two quarter-final contests, Russia-Switzerland and USA-Finland.

The winners will face Canada and Sweden in the semis on Sunday. If everything plays out perfectly, Canada and the U.S. could play in a rematch on Tuesday...for the gold!

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor


RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Brandon Kozun

Comments from Brayden Schenn

Jeremy Roenick previews USA-CANADA - a MayorsManor exclusive

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WJC: Jeremy Roenick previews Canada-USA

Make no mistake about it. This is a big game. It's one you circle on the calendar as soon as the schedule is released.

When it comes to hockey, Canada thinks they are the center of the universe. And when it comes to the World Junior Championships, they are. We can at least give them that one. They've won five straight gold medals and many believe they're the odds on favorite for a sixth.

However, they still need to play their arch nemesis - Team USA.

It will be a team filled with bright eyed youngsters hoping to become part of the next group of American superstars.

They're trying to take the reigns from a generation that was without a doubt the most successful group of all time. Sure, there was the gold medal team at the 1960 Winter Olympics. A one off. And there was the 1980 gold medal team. A miracle indeed.

Then came the explosion of elite U.S. players onto the world stage. Beginning in the late 80's at the World Junior Championships and continuing on to the Olympics and World Cups of the next two decades you had guys named Chelios, Guerin, Hull, Leetch, Modano, Tkachuk, Richter and Weight, just to name a few.

One more name from that list was Jeremy Roenick, who just so happens to be the all-time leader for points by an American player at the World Juniors. A record that may fall to this week to one of this year's assistant captains, Jordan Schroeder.

I spoke with JR last night to get his thoughts on the possibility of a new record holder and he shared some memories of his time at the World Juniors too...

MM:  Jordan Schroeder is three points away from tying your record of 25 points...

JR:  Well, at least my record held for twenty years (he laughs). That's good for American hockey though if he does. We need good kids coming up in the game, you know, the next generation of U.S. players.

Well, this is his third tournament...

That makes it OK then. It's going to take him three times and I did it in two, so that makes it OK (he laughs again, a constant whenever you talk to JR). Seriously though, it will be a great accomplishment for him.

Let's talk about some of your experiences at the World Juniors. Your first trip in 1988 was a tough one for the U.S., you guys only won one game...

Yeah, it was a tough one. That was right when the transition was beginning. The U.S. was just starting to get some good talent coming up. You had Modano, Amonte, Leetch and all those guys. We were all coming into our own. Before that, with the exception of maybe the '80 Olympic team, the U.S. was always one of those teams that was never competitive enough to grab a medal. I think that was right at the cusp of us starting to get really good, around '87-88 was when that change started to happen.

How about the experience of traveling to Russia for the tournament that year? It had to be a little overwhelming considering how young you were at the time.

Well, I was a sophomore in High School and it was really my first experience going overseas to play hockey. There was a lot of stuff going on with Russia and Canada at the time, there was a heated rivalry between those two. It was still a communist country back then and I remember everybody was under their rule. When you were standing outside the Lenin Square, everybody was waiting to go in to Lenin's tomb and they wouldn't let you walk in certain places. It was a total control thing. I also remember people were trading all sorts of things. Back then the black market was crazy. Some of us were trading food and clothing for things the Russians had, like those big wool hats - those were really cool. Other guys were trading their sneakers or gum and candy. They just ate it up because they didn't have stuff like that at the time.

You and Modano both had solid numbers that first year, even though the team wasn't doing so well. You finished with 5 goals and 4 assists. He had 4 goals too. Was the friendly rivalry already underway at that point?

We were brewing up a competitive edge before that. Like at the 17 Selects people were talking - I was the guy from Boston and Mo was the guy from Detroit. We were two of the guys everybody talked about and it just kept brewing from there. As we got older I always respected Mike and loved the way he played. Even today, he is probably one of my favorite players that I played with or against. I just don't think we see guys more talented than Mike Modano come along very often.

The following year Team USA was more competitive, going 3-3-1 up in Alaska. You led the tournament with 16 points and Modano was right behind you with 15. Anything stand out from your second trip to the World Juniors?

It was in our home country, but a place I had never been before. We were treated very well up there. The amenities were much better and our team was much better. Like I said earlier, that's really when we started rolling as a national powerhouse. That team was really strong. You can go right down the list from Modano and Amonte to the whole group of amazing players, you can see why we kept building momentum all the way up to the gold medal at the World Cup in '96.

In your first WJC you guys lost to Canada 5-4. At the second one in '89, even though the team was actually playing better in the tournament overall, you guys lost to Canada 5-1.

I remember that game, we were totally outmatched. They came out and played a very, very physical brand of hockey. They really took it to us. That game taught us a lot about what it was going to take internationally to win hockey games. I think that's when we started playing a physical game, more like the Canadians did. That was a big turning point for us, for my generation...and how we needed to play in order to beat them.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

As we were wrapping things up the talk briefly turned to Team USA's announcement of their Olympic roster coming up on Friday. Some of the players expected to make the team played for Team USA when they won the gold medal at the 2004 World Juniors. The Olympics would be the next step up for some of those guys. JR said he was "very curious and very excited" about seeing who makes the team. He wants to know who the new regime is going to be.

For now though, it's all about this tournament. Canada versus the USA, a marquee match-up every year. Both teams come into the game undefeated with the winner getting a bye into the semi-finals on Sunday. The loser gets an extra game on Saturday.

Can Jordan Schroeder pick up three points and tie JR for the all-time American points record? Can the U.S. upset Canada on their home turf?

Tune in at 5pm PST to witness it all live on the NHL Network.

This is one of those games you just don't want to miss.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor


RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Mike Modano

WJC:  Canada-USA Lived Up to the Hype

USA Defeats Canada - gold medal game notes

WJC Gold Rush, American Style

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WJC Recap: Day One

If you're a fan of the LA Kings, you had plenty to cheer about. If you're rooting for Team USA, you had plenty to worry about early on in their game against Slovakia.

Day One recap:

Canada 15, Latvia 0 - It wasn't even close. The host Canadians put 67 shots on goal. That should tell you all you need to know. Hang on...

Sorry, I had to check. Canada might have scored again.

Canada hadn't lost an opening round game in the WJC tournament in 12 years. Make it 13 now. Gabriel Bourque, a Nashville prospect, was the star of the game - setting a new Canadian single-game record with 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists). Kings prospects did well too - Brandon Kuzon 5 points (2g, 3a) and Brayden Schenn 2 assists. To see video highlights of the game click here.

Sweden 1o, Czech Republic 1 - Last year the Czechs opened the tournament with a 8-1 loss to Canada. They outdid themselves this year in another lopsided affair. Edmonton prospect 'MPS' Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson put up 5 points (1g, 4a) for his homeland.

Russia 6, Austria 2 - Team Russia featured Anaheim Ducks prospect Igor Bobkov in net. Offensively, they received three goals from guys hoping to hear their names called at the 2010 NHL Draft in Los Angeles - Yevgeni Kuznetsov (2) and Vladimir Tarasenko (1).

United States 7, Slovakia 3 - The first period was wild. Slovakia was playing big, physical, smash mouth hockey. They had the Americans rattled and were up 2-0 early on. To Team USA's credit, they gathered themselves together and came storming back in the second period to take the lead. USA captain Jordan Stepan stepped on the dreams of any Slovakian upset. His goal put the Americans on top and they never looked back. Six different guys put in goals for the USA, including Jordan Schroeder (who is trying to chase down Jeremy Roenick's tournament record for points by an American...he needs five more to tie).

The tournament continues Sunday with three games, including Team USA taking on Switzerland at 1pm PST. It will be televised on the NHL Network. Check it out.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

WJC: Gold Rush, American Style

Perhaps Jordan Schroeder should change his number from 19 to 49.

You see, even without a pick ax and a pan, he's still searching for gold.

However, the subtle change may not be enough to stop optimistic supporters from saying things like "third time's a charm." An expression that may sound up beat, yet he still remembers his first visit to the World Junior Championships two years ago and the bitter taste of fourth place. Things were even worse last year when his team finished fifth.

Sure, he has two medals from the U-18 tournaments (that's under-18 for the new folks in town). And his silver medal from 2007 and bronze medal in 2008 should have led to bigger and better things for the U.S. hockey program. To date, it hasn't though. So, Schroeder is back for his third and final trip to the World Jrs. Still searching for that elusive medal. Gold preferably. Yet, honestly, wouldn't anything do at this point?

Although it's often said that most individual records aren't as important as team success in organized sports, a quick look at the 20 all-time leading scorers in the history of the WJC is telling. Seeing only one American - Jeremy Roenick - is no surprise, given Team USA's poor history in the tournament.

Things appeared to be changing back in 2004 when the Americans beat Team Canada for their first ever gold medal. That team featured guys like Dustin Brown, Patrick O'Sullivan, Ryan Suter, Ryan Kesler, and Zach Parise. Most of those guys have advanced through the U.S. system and will be wearing red, white and blue jerseys at the upcoming Olympics.

There's probably a little irony in there somewhere, with those games set to be hosted by Vancouver and the hockey portion to be played at GM Palace. The same building and city that Schroeder may call home some day, as he was a first round draft pick of the Canucks back in June.

For now, he's still playing for Team USA; surrounded by a group of largely teenagers. For the next two weeks he'll be trying to provide a little offense to a team built around defense and goaltending. Most importantly though, he's aiming to get the team back to a medal round for only the second time since the big win back in '04 (they finished 3rd in '07).

Individually (and perhaps silently), he may also have his eye on another prize. Last year Schroeder set the all-time record for assists by an American player at the WJC, with 15. This year, he'll take aim at Roenick's all-time points mark for Americans. JR sits #1 with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists = 25 pts in 14 games). Schroeder has 19 points (4, 15 = 19 in 12 games).

Even if he passes JR, coming home without a medal this year will be another devastating blow to him personally and for USA hockey. Any momentum from '04 is long gone. This is about getting things going before the tournament lands back on U.S. soil next year in Buffalo.

Canada is certainly the favorite this time around. They've won the whole thing five years running (or put differently, ever year since the U.S. team won their lone gold in '04). Russia, Sweden and Finland are always tough. But for now, Team USA is focused on one thing. Game one.

It's today at 5pm PST vs. Slovakia...and that team is no joke - last year they finished fourth and featured the guy that was probably the single most exciting player in the entire tournament, forward Tomas Tatar. Like Schroeder, he's back to try and help his home country too.

Getting off to a fast start is always important in such a short tournament. See all the drama and excitement unfold on the NHL Network later this afternoon.

Even if you don't recognize most of the names in today's game, remember that a good portion of the players will be NHL stars in only a few years. Just think, you can tell your friends you saw them back when...

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119