IIHF World Junior Championship 2018

Slovakia with a big 3-2 upset over the US.

Canada with a win in the outdoor game tomorrow, even if it's in OT or shootout will clinch 1st in the group.

Actually I’ve heard them mention the lousy crowds a couple of times during games I’ve watched. James Duthie referred to the crowds the first two days being ‘very disappointing’ in the opening of Canada’s game against Slovakia the other day. And during the game Gord Miller referred to the disappointing small crowds becoming a major talking point and said something like - We’ll see how the crowd is at the outdoor game’.

Outdoor game weather update. Snowing right now at New Era Field with temp of -9C. On and off flurries expected all afternoon.

No question, few expected that but with excellent goaltending anything can happen. And check out that Bucek goal, wow!:

Should be interesting this aft with the conditions outdoors, we’ll see. Hopefully few and very light flurries. :-\

Apparently it was quite the challenge to get to New Era Field today. Just east of Hamilton the QEW had a truck fire that had the highway closed - so anybody heading towards Buffalo from the GTA would have run into a MASSIVE traffic jam for hours. Plus reports of up 90 minute delays getting across the border at the Peace Bridge from Fort Erie to Buffalo.

Maybe it will fill in - but right now it almost looks like that crowd would have been able to fit into the Key Bank Arena.

They may still have to play the 3rd period indoors. The snow in Buffalo is really massing up - visibility also a problem but snow really building up on the ice!

I played house league hockey in London way back on outdoor rinks, losing team had to shovel the ice for the next game, in those days only 2 indoor rinks plus the London Gardens and only all-star, maybe now known as rep teams, played in the indoor arenas but once in a while us lowly house leaguers did get to play at at indoor arena.

So yes, it's neat watching this today, this is what I played in for my house league and church games back in the early and middle '60's.

That being said, I'm not sure about this game, glad I didn't pay money and my time to watch this in a football stadium and a real reduction in quality of the play. Football makes more sense in this weather than hockey, the puck travelling through the snow, doesn't work. But at least it's cold so the snow is fluffy and the puck is moving better than if it was around 0 degrees where it can really stick and no flow. Rink and especially corners look small, is this a regulation sized rink or is it just the camera angles from a football stadium making the ice surface look small? Don't know.

But fun to watch on TV and even with a worse camera angle than a regular arena.

Bottom line, cash grab, no thanks, this game should have been played indoors. But Americans just tied it, it's a crap shoot out there. Hey a win is a win is a win, Stanley Cup with 6 teams, Stanley Cup champs, still champs etc. bottom line is there is a winner in whatever sport, whatever conditions etc. all that matters as Vince Lombadi says is

Too funny with the stick skewered agains't the boards.

Doing the BS 3 on 3. Very sad.

"First good news for attendance for the tournament". What he said Ray Ferraro. I'm sure there aren't too many little kids with their fathers at this one. A booze affair for the spectators. :wink: If I was there, I'd be totally loaded by now and if I had kids, wouldn't want them near me. :slight_smile:

Now the totally beyond stupid shootout, time to turn the game off, I hate this sh.....t to determine a winner. Brutal. Ruins a game especially a big game. Not my thing. I'll watch but only bring into it what Vince Lombardi says, winning is the only thing. And that's fair enough. It's all about winning, well 99.9 percent, sorry Vince can't give you :wink: 100 percent on this one.

Hate the shootout but is what it is, CANADA SUCKED on the shootout, totally SUCKED.

Bad taste on my mouth with this game in so many ways except it reminded me of my youth hockey house league days and the game was a good game no question. Other than that, no thanks. Too soccerish this shootout thing, no likey.

It was kind of cool to watch. It was a lot like watching the Bills - Colts game 3 weeks ago in the same stadium or the Grey Cup game in Ottawa. You just can't turn away because of the great visuals the snow creates. I think it was Gord Miller who said some might be critical of it - but 'what a spectacular sight'.

James Duthie said the snow made the Grey Cup game somewhat 'not real football' and the snow had a similar impact in this game.

I give both teams credit and the snow shovelers a ton of credit too because they must have shovelled literally a ton of snow. Huge props to the 44,000+ fans too - some of whom did not make it to the game until the second period because of all the issues getting to the game. It filled in really well as the game went on. And kudos to the TSN camera people who did a great job in very challenging conditions.

My guess as the snow got heavier and the game dragged on into the early evening hours in the east - that the ratings on TSN likely just kept building and building.

Canada needs to work on their shootouts. They now have not scored on the last 9 shots they've taken going back to last year's Gold Medal game.

Pat, you giving credit to TSN? WOW! There is hope for you yet! :wink:

More World Juniors tomorrow, thank goodness.

Not a very good crowd with the US and Russia playing tonight in the q finals, I thought with the US playing a much better crowd would have happened.

US back on top!

USA got themselves exterminated by the mighty Swede-O's

Looks like Outhouse Arena in Buffalo is perhaps 1/3 full with Czechs taking on the Sticks to Sawdust Gang from Canada!!!

Czechs with early 1 goal lead - which means Canada will frantically grip their sticks to the point of sawdusting them . . . . .

Canada the better team - but with weight of the world (and 5,000 fans) they could easily blow it . . . . . AGAIN!

Don't ya just love how Hockey Canada (and Rogers/Sportsnet) appease the small to medium sized Canadian towns and cities by giving them Rogers Hometown Hockey - but unwilling to book major junior international hockey in those same areas.

Just send Ron McLean and that scatterbrained female sidekick and the fans will go crazy!

But the reality is the small and medium sized cities are the heart 'n soul of Canadian hockey. Places like Saskatoon, North Battleford, Brandon, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Red Deer, Kamploops, London, Sudbury, Halifax, St. Johns, etc. Add Winnipeg, Regina, Ottawa and Calgary to the mix and that's where hosting in Canada should occur.

That's the home - AND THE HEART OF CANADIAN HOCKEY!

Get it right next time, NIMRODS!

True enough Lyle, agree. I hope the Canadian hockey people and media do some thinking after this tournament and respect where, as you say, the heart of Canadian junior hockey resides.

Canada looked wonky early but came back nicely in latter half of the first. They realize they aren't playing the Swiss, finally.

We are up 2-1.

I am disappointed at the lack of Canadian support/fans. Having said that, it is FREEZING in Buffalo right now and there may be a snow storm.

Well the lack of people at the game might be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Canadian hockey people to figure things out. But yes, it's friggin cold out there tonight, that's for sure!

I'm beginning to wonder what the TV ratings have been like for TSN on these World Junior games. Are they as disappointing as the attendance numbers in Key Bank Arena?

Not one press release - as far as I can tell about the ratings for the games thus far - including even the outdoor game - which I assumed would have had viewership numbers that Bell Media would want to brag about. But nothing from their PR department so far.

We'll see if that changes after the final.

I have to admit - I watched the outdoor game but only tiny snippets of every other game. Last night I was watching the Leafs - not the Juniors. That would not have been the case the last few years or when the final was in Toronto - a game I went to - one of the best live sporting events I've been too.

Here a video I took of the dying seconds.
-The final faceoff. And CANADA WINS! - YouTube

I watched last night's game until the score was 5-1 and then I knew the game was over. I didn't even know the Leafs were playing last night to tell you the truth but then I wasn't looking.

But what I think many feel like yourself Pat is that empty seats makes the games "seem" or have the "appearance" of not important and this creates a lack of excitement in some. This doesn't apply to me in sports for the most part, I couldn't care less, I watch something because I want to see the on field, on ice etc play but I think it does factor in for many people.

I just know the kids are so excited and trying their hearts out, no one could be at the games and yet the excitement is there for myself, well as excited as I would get regardless for such a hockey event.

The Leafs had a packed house so I know this turns on the average sports viewer more than a game where there are so many empty seats, all things considered. All things considered for myself, the junior game with a championship on the line, a world championship that is with the best juniors in the world for the most part, was way more important to me than the Leafs game or any NHL game mid season sort of thing, a semi-final in juniors with Canada playing, no comparison for me even if no one was in the house watching and the NHL games was packed to the brim. But that's just me.

Where did they dig up that ref? In some ditch in the middle of nowhere? Bruuutal.

Both goaltenders are sharp, very sharp, especially that Sweedish goalie. Although Sweedes outshout Canada 16-9 so both goalies excellent for sure.

Beauty headmanning the puck textbook! 1-0 Canada!!! Pace of this game is out of this world!

Not too much separates these two great youthful teams. Sweden a bit more flow in 5 man units they train together but Canada has all that spunk & guile when things don't go according to hoyle.

I'll say one thing with absolute certainty - Gordie Miller is the pre-eminent hockey broadcaster of our time!

Hard to even fathom who's 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Perhaps Al Michaels, the American announcer!

I'll say one thing with absolute certainty - Gordie Miller is the pre-eminent hockey broadcaster of our time!
Bingo Lyle. This guy lives, breathes and eats hockey especially junior hockey.

Hart is focused, going to be tough for the Sweedes to beat him in this one. Looks like he has 4 eyes out there on the puck.

Ok, spoke too fast but that was not Hart’s fault.

To the third…