Welcome to Puck Worlds!
by Bruce Peter on May 4, 2010 2:00 AM EDT
49 comments
Hi, puckheads! Allow me to introduce this blog, and myself, to you. My name is Bruce Peter, and I'm commonly known around SB Nation under the username saskhab. I'm a fan of the game first, and blogging is something I've had a casual relationship with in the past. After working the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championship in Saskatoon for Yahoo!'s Puck Daddy, I definitely developed a bit of a bug for the international game. I've always loved the best on bests, and have followed closely the higher profile tournaments in the past, but seeing a wide range of young players excited for the opportunity to star for their country, no matter how long the odds, gave me a real desire to explore the game beyond what I was familiar with.
So what exactly will this blog be covering? To start with, the 2010 IIHF World Men's Championship in Germany will be the launching point of this site. There are sixteen nations ready to try and get some bragging rights, and every one of them has something to play for. For the elite nations, it's a chance to end the hockey season with a medal, preferably gold. For the middle tier of nations, it's the chance to pull of an upset of one of the top nations, and continue to build their international legacy. For the teams outside the top 10 or 12, it's simply for the right to continue to play with this group. Austria and Slovenia have already earned promotion for next year's tournament in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the bottom two teams at this tournament won't be back next year.
But the IIHF World's are not all that is happening outside the NHL this month. In Canada, the CHL's Memorial Cup takes place in Brandon, Manitoba, from May 14th to the 23rd. Each of the three Canadian Major Junior leagues are in their league finals, and the winners of those will join the host Brandon Wheat Kings for the chance to play for what has been called the most difficult hockey club championship to win.
In short, Puck Worlds is going to cover high level hockey, wherever it's being played. SB Nation has the NHL covered, with 33 blogs dedicated to following every game that is played, every player transaction, and every player's performance. Here, we're going to follow the game from Moose Jaw to Timbuktu... or at least Turku. For every major international tournament, this will hopefully become one of your go to sites.
There will be some tinkering going on with the website in it's infancy... I'll have a full compliment of links to other relevant websites and blogs up shortly. In the meantime, feel free to join up and make suggestions on what you'd like to see covered on this site.
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Welcome aboard Bruce
having an International element as part of the hockey community here at SB Nation is a necessity …
"Seen Cincuenta" -- 04.10.10 -- Raw Charge.
Welcome Bruce!
International hockey is my favorite variety of the sport, so I’m glad to see we have a blog for it now just in time for Worlds.
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by Chris Dobbertean on May 7, 2010 1:34 PM EDT reply actions
What a great addition to the team – welcome!
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Welcome, Bruce. We’re glad to have you.
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Broad Street Hockey - SBN's Philadelphia Flyers blog. Got goaltending? Searching since 1987.
Welcome! So what languages do you read/speak? Just out of idle curiosity…. ;o)
There's nothing quite like the sound of a frozen puck hitting the glass. It makes me happy.
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by Cassie McClellan on May 7, 2010 1:50 PM EDT reply actions
Welcome.
Good to see a blog like this.
We do some coverage of international hockey from time to time at Fear the Fin, but will be good to have a dedicated blog to it.
Fear the Fin - all Evgeni, all the time.
Cool
I’m looking forward to this. I can’t wait to read your coverage of the World Championships!
In the Name of the Holy Truculence
Welcome!
Great to have this site on SBNation. Bruce, I loved your coverage of the WJC for Puck Daddy and I’m sure you’ll run a great site here. I look forward to talking some international hockey here!
Contributor to Nucks Misconduct
Blog: 'Nucks and Pucks
Twitter: @nucksandpucks
Welcome!
Welcome aboard. Can’t wait to read your work!
Rule #17: You may not impersonate representatives of Hockey Wilderness and handout NHL themed wrist bands.
welcome!
it’ll be great to have a lot more of the international championship coverage here.
Nucks Misconduct contributor.
Also on Twitter.
Excellent!
Join me on the Hockey Blog Adventure! (or Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on May 7, 2010 3:18 PM EDT reply actions
All I have to say is… YESSSSSS!!! Glad your here. Really been looking forward to a blog like this.
Cheers.
The concept of the blog is great, and it’s going to be great having someone who can track players (and prospects of teams) that aren’t in the NHL but overseas. The blog also does junior hockey as well I assume?
Cheers, Complaints, homerism and bashing of mediocre pop musicians in 140 Characters
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by Kevin Sellathamby on May 7, 2010 4:18 PM EDT reply actions
Yep. If anyone here follows a junior team, feel free to contribute news items/video clips via fanposts and the like. The more help, the better!
Puck Worlds: Chasing Pucks from here to Turku.
Awesome. This blog will be big for following prospects in the European Leagues
Cheers, Complaints, homerism and bashing of mediocre pop musicians in 140 Characters
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on May 7, 2010 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m in. I’ve got a metric buttload of pictures and a six-minute video from the Hitmen game last night.
SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there). Link now 100% less broken.
I’m glad this is now around!
I do hope you’ll also cover the lower tiers of the IIHF tournaments for future seasons, as well! I find them just as interesting as the Championship level.
I will, but obviously not in great detail. Can’t actually watch any of those games! Check out the first fanpost I put up from Theory of Ice on the “so low it’s not even worth any rankings points” Challenge Cup of Asia tournament if you haven’t already seen it. Macau vs. United Arab Emirates!
Puck Worlds: Chasing Pucks from here to Turku.
Awesome
A welcome addition to SBN. We cover the international game some at the Copper & Blue, but it will be good to have a dedicated blog. I’ll br dropping in from time to time.
One thing though, do you mind if I call you SaskHab? :)
Writer for The Copper & Blue and primary shareholder of Zorg Industries
"Never be ashamed of who you are" -- Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
Heavens no! I’m just lowly flesh and blood. “Zorg” is an honorific reserved for deities like Gary Oldman and Zack Stortini.
Besides, I’m the one who’s been going by “Bruce” on the ’sphere since the day I signed up. >:(
Writer for The Copper & Blue and primary shareholder of Zorg Industries
"Never be ashamed of who you are" -- Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
by Bruce McCurdy on May 7, 2010 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I've got a variety of German, Lithuanian, French, Swedish, and Icelandic stuff
If we want an international music flavour to go with the write ups
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
- Sir Winston Churchill
I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.
There was a nice reference to Rammstein in that live blog that was linked from this site.
Writer for The Copper & Blue and primary shareholder of Zorg Industries
"Never be ashamed of who you are" -- Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
by Bruce McCurdy on May 7, 2010 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Looking forward to the postings Bruce
I follow the international stuff quite closely also, but more with an eye on prospects for my team of interest (the Leafs).
I’ve got to be honest about my bias, but I’d be interested to see your take on the game internationally.
Do you plan on exploring the issues surrounding the KHL/Euro Super League eventually? I think that’s a story that’s escaped notice for the most part in North America, and I think the resulting influx of Russian/European talent back to the NHL ranks may have a depressing effect on the salaries of some pretty decent talent.
Will be interesting to see how it shakes out, but I really do think the stability of the economies of Europe will take a bit of a beating with the unrest in recent months, and I’ll be following it all closely.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
- Sir Winston Churchill
I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.
When covering European hockey, the KHL is the big show for sure, and their bold WHA style tactics definitely should make for some interesting fodder, especially during the offseason. For the first while, I’ll be looking more at hockey, but a big part of the reason I wanted to do this was to explore the growth of the game worldwide (grassroots and professional), and the KHL/Pan-Euro league is a huge story with regards to that.
Puck Worlds: Chasing Pucks from here to Turku.
Very exciting
I’m looking forward to using this blog as a tool in the future.
D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere
Congrats on the new blog, Bruce! Thank you very much for providing this exceptional forum for all people who are fans of the game…
and on the 93rd postseason of the National Hockey League, the Slovakian-hockeygod Zeus commanded from high atop Mount Figueroa..."RELEASE THE MEAT TRAIN!" And it was good.
Great Idea
Looking forward to revisiting!
"There's been four different Cup winners the last four years, and I got one of them (Anaheim) and it was a fighting team. We're playing it that way regardless." - B. Burke, Toronto Maple Leafs GM
Cool, looking forward coming back for more!
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Founder of the Eric Fehr Fan Club.
nice
it’s a really nice forum. i am happy to be a part of puckworlds.
by paintball sniper on May 9, 2010 5:27 PM EDT reply actions
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