As a Canadian, I have no desire to watch Canada destroy Norway, etc.

[Warden of the North]

Me either. It also annoys the hell out of me that some people act likes its some magnificent achievement to a lower tier team, yell and scream for EVERY goal in a game like that.

Good grief. Enough with it already.

 

[Ogopogo*]

You're talking about a country here that has less than 5 million inhabitants, and where hockey is a pretty small sport. But we are improving fast. The lack of rinks is the main issue, young players doesn't get enough ice-time. And hockey is mainly played on in the eastern part of Norway, around Oslo+, so we have a very limited area and amount to pick players from. If you look at all of this it's quite impressive that we are in the elite division for junior.

.

Doesn't it get cold enough in Norway for outdoor rinks? In Edmonton, we have outdoor rinks in most neighbuorhoods from November to February.

 

[Never]

To the people whining about Canada running up the score against Norway, goal differential counts in this tournament.

 

[seanlinden]

It's part of allowing more than 6 teams into the tournament. Every year, there's going to be a couple of bad ones. You really can't fault the Canadians for running up the score, obviously they did step off the gas in the 2nd + 3rd periods, but you also don't want sloppy play to develop, especially when you're facing Sweden in 2 days. That being said, I do think it's dumb for everyone in the crowd to go nuts when Canada scores the 9th goal of the game, or for the players to celebrate excessively.

edit: One thing I do agree with, as suggested by another poster, is that they should have the "division 1" tournament slightly earlier so that they get to play in the big tournament the same year that they qualify for it -- sort of like a play-in tournament instead of relegation/promotion system. While it does give an advantage to those teams by havign more time together, they do need that advantage. Let the Norweigans and Germans? play in this year's Division 1 tournament with Latvia, Denmark, Slovenia, Belarus, Great Britian, Kazakhstan, Italy, etc.... the two winners get to play in the big tournament.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I see some whining about our dominance but how else do you expect countries to grow if they don't even get to play against us to see where they stand?

Like it or not, the tournament structure makes it necessary for us to NEVER take our foot off the peddle. We constantly complain about lack of effort and now we complain about too much effort?

I refuse to call down a group of Canadian teenagers for being too damn good at their chosen profession.

Someone suggested to take away the weaker teams and the result of that is the same 8 teams every year and the Norway's, Germany's, Lativa's, Swiss, etc would never get a shot at the top level.

This format works, we bring up 2 new teams and send down the bottom 2....some years we'll get upsets like we seen in 98 I think when we lost in the Quarter's and finished 7th....and since we're the best we'll get other years where we win 3, 4, or even 5 in a row.

Only in Canada do we **** on our own for being too good. And it's not our fault nobody else cares about the tournament because it's our money making this tournament what it is and by my count a whole lot of Canadian money is about to be fed into the American Hockey system which will make them stronger....just like we see in Europe when we invade their countries for 10 days after Christmas.

If everyone else has so much of an issue with us they can filter all our cash back into our system and let us get even better.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

To the people whining about Canada running up the score against Norway, goal differential counts in this tournament.

This. Players on any team are encouraged to run up the score wherever possible as it could become a tie-break situation. Them's the rules.

It sucks for the team getting blown out, but it's part of sports. It happens. We can't all be tykes and have everyone touch the puck equally. As has been said before; there are plenty of sports on the international stage where Canada gets absolutely destroyed. Hockey is pretty much the one sport where Canada is at or near the top year in and year out. So what if we're the only nation that takes hockey so seriously? Other countries value other sports more than we or other countries do, too.

 

[DG]

Me either. It also annoys the hell out of me that some people act likes its some magnificent achievement to a lower tier team, yell and scream for EVERY goal in a game like that.

Good grief. Enough with it already.

Agreed.

Also, I don't know who Lemieux and Gagne scored 4 against, but I have a hard time calling Schenn's 4 goals the most "dominant performance ever" when the game was against Norway.

I realize this is just the TSN hype-machine, but still.

 

[flames12]

I don't care if you don't like it don't watch the game and gtfo I watched the game for the lolz.

 

[AwesomePanthers]

Doesn't it get cold enough in Norway for outdoor rinks? In Edmonton, we have outdoor rinks in most neighborhoods.

Yeah, it's cold enough, but not enough interest and areas to make them I guess. But we have some fields, but they're mostly in use by bandy teams. I guess it's no culture, space and noone willing to make them. I really don't know

 

[Winnipeg Jets]

I see the Canadians in Buffalo going crazy as Canada easily beats Norway but I have no interest in watching.

Why is that?

First, I know that Canada is the only nation that cares about the Junior tournament. It is kind of crazy when you are the only person cheering like a maniac about something nobody else cares about.

Secondly, I don't like to discourage nations like Norway when they get their butts kicked.

There are way too few nations that are serious about hockey. We need countries like Norway to develop their hockey program.

Thirdly, I like to watch competitive sporting contests. 7 to 2 is boring.

When Canada plays the USA or Sweden in the final, I will start to pay attention.

Seconded.

How do people find the time to whine so much?

 

[BobDobolina]

There's some kind of big strawman in the room right now. Maybe my eyesight isn't what is used to be but I haven't seen anyone here complaining about Canada running up the score or playing too hard or whatever. What the OP said is he doesn't get a kick out of these games like some people seem to.

We all like this tournament, some for different reasons but you have to admit that the competition level isn't very good right now.

 

[AwesomePanthers]

Agreed.

Also, I don't know who Lemieux and Gagne scored 4 against, but I have a hard time calling Schenn's 4 goals the most "dominant performance ever" when the game was against Norway.

I realize this is just the TSN hype-machine, but still.

Lemieux against Norway too. And Gagne against Kazakhstan (not sure if I spelled it right).

 

[DG]

Lemieux against Norway too. And Gagne against Kazakhstan (not sure if I spelled it right).

Fair enough.

Regardless, despite the number of goals, I think Tavares, Eberle and Hall probably had better games in the last couple of years against teams like the USA and Sweden. I just don't buy that the best performance of all time can be against Norway (no offense to Norway).

 

[Isles72]

I was busy watching the islanders beat the pens

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

Secondly, I don't like to discourage nations like Norway when they get their butts kicked.

To be honest with you Droid, I think the Norway kids loved it.

As I said elsewhere, the look on the faces of the Norway kids as they came out and had (almost a) full house screaming...

The look on their faces when Canadian fans did the wave.

A once in a life time experience!!!

Look at it from their perspective... if you were a Canadian kid who played cricket and you had a chance to go to Pakistan and, even if you were going to lose 100 - 2, you had the chance to play infront of a full house with thousands and thousands of crazy fans, how would you feel.

Wouldn't you jump at it? Well, it's the same thing...

Anyway, my guess, they would not trade this experience for anything.

 

[sepHF]

I'm the same way, not really interested in blow outs.

 

[v-man]

edit: One thing I do agree with, as suggested by another poster, is that they should have the "division 1" tournament slightly earlier so that they get to play in the big tournament the same year that they qualify for it -- sort of like a play-in tournament instead of relegation/promotion system. While it does give an advantage to those teams by havign more time together, they do need that advantage. Let the Norweigans and Germans? play in this year's Division 1 tournament with Latvia, Denmark, Slovenia, Belarus, Great Britian, Kazakhstan, Italy, etc.... the two winners get to play in the big tournament.

That's a ridiculously stupid idea. It would mean that whatever league these guys are playing in would have to release them for weeks at a time twice in one year. Do you think the CHL would draft imports from these countries? Would it be fair to ask certain teams to play twice as many games as others? A blowout or two is hardly worth all the pointless trouble. I don't see anyone raising a stink about the Czechs doing almost as poorly against Canada as the Norwegians did. Latvia blew out two teams in Ottawa and beat the Russians a few days prior to being blown out by Canada, yet the media and many here only point out the one side of it to support their idiotic and misinformed rants. There is nothing wrong with the way the tournament is now. The promoted countries earned their way up, and in the past three years two of the promoted countries have managed to stay up. If you take away any more teams, it makes the entire tournament pointless, since it's then not a true Championship, but an invitational tournament that truly no one outside of Canada will care about.

 

[Shootmaster_44]

I enjoy these games. I frankly would prefer if Canada blew everyone out at these tournaments. Besides, there are always going to be these games.

Seems to me in the 1992 tournament, Canada was the one who was getting blown out. Yes, that was an anomoly, but it does happen to us too. We finished 7th that year, one more loss and Canada would have been relegated.

Last year, Latvia wouldn't have become the fan favorites if they hadn't been blown out by Canada on Boxing Day. I was at the Slovakia/Latvia game and the 10,000 in attendance were cheering for the Latvians. When the Latvians scored, you'd have thought Canada was playing, the crowd went nuts. Sometimes being the loveable loser is the best thing that could happen for these lower level countries. The Latvians will remember what it was like to play in front of 10,000 screaming fans and having the game broadcast back to Latvia with that in the background could only help development. I anticipate that Norway could become this year's Latvia. Granted, 10,000 fans won't be at their next games since they are at the Dwyer Arena.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

all these team Canada "fans" that like to cry about seeing Canada blow teams out should really consider moving to another country.

As for me? 10-1 wasn't enough for me to get 6 gals in the first and then scre only 4 more times through the next 2 periods not good enough, yu should look to score as many as you can and I think Canada let their foot ff the gass a little bit.

Real Canadians want t see Canada DOMINATE

 

[wings5]

You're talking about a country here that has less than 5 million inhabitants, and where hockey is a pretty small sport. But we are improving fast. The lack of rinks is the main issue, young players doesn't get enough ice-time. And hockey is mainly played on in the eastern part of Norway, around Oslo+, so we have a very limited area and amount to pick players from. If you look at all of this it's quite impressive that we are in the elite division for junior.

And about last nights game. We could have scored a few more goals, but Visentin made som big saves. And Canada was very effective in the first period, before we started playing some defense and Volden became comfortable in goal. 10-1 doesn't reflect the game at all, we played hard. IMO 8-3 would reflect the game more, but that's hockey. The big and better countries make the smaller countries pay when they abuse their opportunities.

Norway is one of the teams that are between the elite level and division 1, it will be a roller-coaster ride like that for a while. And btw, we lost our main three point producers from last years team.

Yeah Volden says Norway is making good steps to improving in his post game interview.

http://hockeysfuture.craveonline.com/default/video/2011-world-junior-championships-lars-volden-norway-234433

 

[mooseOAK*]

People who paid money for tickets and traveled to Buffalo to watch their country play can have a good time if they want to.

I have absolutely no interest in watching those types of games.

 

[MXD]

That game had absolutely no entertainement value.

But they have to occur. Look at Switzerland now. They're IMO 6th worldwide, and haven't get that way by beating on Poland and South Korea.

 

[CanadianPantherFan]

Me either. It also annoys the hell out of me that some people act likes its some magnificent achievement to a lower tier team, yell and scream for EVERY goal in a game like that.

Good grief. Enough with it already.

If you are men "act like you've been there before". Kind of like Guds goal celebrations.

If you are boys " that would be looked at as classless".

I'm talking about the fans reactions more than anything. You don't think if you were in a minor hockey rink across this country that your parents would be classified as "classless and crude" for cheering an 8th or 9th goal in a blowout. They would.

Paying for tickets does not mean you can do whatever you want. Have class.

 

[seanlinden]

That's a ridiculously stupid idea. It would mean that whatever league these guys are playing in would have to release them for weeks at a time twice in one year. Do you think the CHL would draft imports from these countries? Would it be fair to ask certain teams to play twice as many games as others? A blowout or two is hardly worth all the pointless trouble. I don't see anyone raising a stink about the Czechs doing almost as poorly against Canada as the Norwegians did. Latvia blew out two teams in Ottawa and beat the Russians a few days prior to being blown out by Canada, yet the media and many here only point out the one side of it to support their idiotic and misinformed rants. There is nothing wrong with the way the tournament is now. The promoted countries earned their way up, and in the past three years two of the promoted countries have managed to stay up. If you take away any more teams, it makes the entire tournament pointless, since it's then not a true Championship, but an invitational tournament that truly no one outside of Canada will care about.

So run the tournament in the fall, before the season starts for all these junoor players. Having blowouts does not look good for what it supposed to be a premier tournmaent. I'm not talking about taking away teams, I'm talking about making the final 2 spots belong to the best teams this year, not the best teams last year.

 

[Hab-a-maniac]

No one in here really is whining about Canada "running up the score" or being unclassy. The kids are doing fine and playing as they should. What's being bemoaned is the lack of competition. From a Canadian standpoint, the WJC is awesome but from a neutral hockey standpoint it ain't much to write home about until the elimination round. You might say the same holds true for the Olympics but in qualifying games we saw major upsets and exciting hockey in 2010. In the World Juniors- and it's not just Canada and USA but mostly them- we get a lot of blowouts that are just Canada flexing its muscles. To me, that's not great or exciting hockey, just talent on display. But I get interested when the games have something on the line. Plus when Canada has won the Gold facing adversity, it was more nerve-wracking but didn't the obstacles make it much sweeter when winning? (WJC- 2006 shootout, 2007 OT winner, 2008 great comebacks in QF and SF, Olympics- 2002 and 2010 with the early losses and shaky play capped off with OT winner, troubles but ultimately pulling it out in 2004 World Cup and 1987 Canada Cup too).