Fanshots

Team Kyrgyzstan Has High Hopes

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Making their international hockey debut, the team is a bit of a mystery as to exactly what kind of quality they might possess. They're aiming for first place, despite the fact that the team was only formed a year ago with the opening of the first ice rink in the country, in the capital of Bishkek. I'm definitely interested in the documentary that is about to debut on Kyrgyz Hockey, called 'Our NHL'. And you can't beat those orange and yellow uniforms.

Winter Classic in Mexico

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This is simply amazing. "The Mexican Ice Hockey Federation will start the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division III with a bang. It will host the opening game, Mexico vs. Bulgaria, on Mexico City’s main square and expect no less than 50,000 people to the outdoor game. What seems like an unusual idea will become reality on 9th January. "Mexico City might not be the most usual place to play outdoors. At this time of year the temperature is expected to go up to 23°C during the day and 9°C at night. But that’s exactly what currently happens on the Plaza de la Constitución, also known as Zócalo, which measures 240 by 240 metres, one of the biggest squares in the world. "The Zócalo is the heart of the city, both of the modern city and during the Aztec times as remainders of a former temple show. It is the place of festivities, celebration, concerts and parades. And now, it is a place for ice hockey." Quotes taken from the IIHF article by Martin Merk. The game is being broadcast live on TV across Latin America (from Mexico to Argentina), and the start time is 8:30 PM local time, which is Central Standard Time in USA/Canada, on Sunday January 9th. I will have coverage of the Div. 3 U20s, and now seriously wish I had booked a vacation to go there.

Latvia vs. Belarus live broadcast

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Winner takes all in this game, a spot in the 2012 World Junior Championships in Alberta on the line. Thanks to the folks at International Hockey Forums for providing the link. Link is via Latvian television, so it's 100% legal. Requires a VLC plug-in.

Report: Omsk to host Youth World Cup

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As per the MHL website (which is in Russian), the IIHF has chosen Omsk, Russia, to host the first ever Youth World Cup, which is rumored to happen in late August of 2011. National champions from Russia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany... and Canada and the United States are said to be participating. I have no idea if this means that the Memorial Cup champion will be sent, or if it'll be the RBC Cup Champion (Jr. A) that will go for Canada. It likely means the USHL champion will be there for the USA, though. UPDATE: According to this report from Slovakian website WebHokej24.sk, the Memorial Cup Champion will participate. FINAL UPDATE: The IIHF calls the MHL's report incorrect.

Team Canada U20 Selection Camp Roster Released

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I'll put this up here as a placeholder until I can post a story later tonight. If you follow me on Twitter (see sidebar), you'll know I'm spitting mad about the snub of Stefan Elliott. So I'll try and say a few words in his defense in the piece and comment on the process in general.

I apologize for not having anything up right now... got back late from Regina where I witnessed...

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I apologize for not having anything up right now... got back late from Regina where I witnessed this greatness. There will be recaps up later today of the Karjala, Deutschland, EIHC, Jr. A Challenge, 4 Nations Cup, and other U20, U18, U17, and U16 level tourneys from around the world. Plus more from the First NHL Goals series.

How I spent my Friday night

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I did a piece for Puck Daddy on a surreal night of Saskatoon Blades hockey.

Winter Classic in Riga?

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Dinamo Riga, the most awesome franchise in Europe, is being forced out of their regular home on January 16 due to the 75th Anniversary Concert of Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls. In light of this somewhat late scheduling quirk, the club is considering moving their regular season game against SKA St. Petersburg outdoors, to Skonto Stadium. That's Latvia's national football team's stadium. The Latvian Hockey News Report is a pretty awesome blog, by the way. Be sure to check it out.

Winter hits... why be depressed?

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It snowed in my hometown of Saskatoon yesterday, unofficially marking the start of the 2010-11 winter. The beginning of the season is always a little tough... there's no outdoor hockey to help out. Here's an old article from the NY Times' Slapshot blog that reminds us of the fun that's still to be had. For more images of Kyrgyzstani hockey, visit this Live Journal entry from 2008. If these images don't make you want winter to get going and give us some of the good stuff, then I don't know what will. Kyrgyzstan, BTW, is not an IIHF member, so these are pretty awesome in that light.

Joel Armia, the top Finnish prospect for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, scored his first SM-Liiga goal...

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Joel Armia, the top Finnish prospect for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, scored his first SM-Liiga goal on Oct. 2. His team, Ässät, got blitzed in the game 11-3 by HIFK, but the goal gave his team a glimpse of something great from the 17 year old. I featured him as Finland's "newest star" in my Ivan Hlinka Memorial coverage, and he's living up to the billing: in 6 SM-Liiga games to date, he has 2 goals and 3 assists. He's the youngest player in the league.