Team Canada

Without a doubt, the biggest news from the 2008 Ford Women's World Curling Championships was the play of Bingyu Wang and her Chinese team.

During the week in Vernon, British Columbia they beat the host Canadian team, led by Jennifer Jones, two out of three times.  China ended up losing the final, after beating Canada in the round robin, and the one versus two page playoff game.

Canadian fans found themselves asking "Who are these Chinese kids?"  Truth is, they are kids.  The average age of both women's and men's teams are less than 24.

Curling is a sport where experience is like gold.  Take Canada's Brad Gushue as an example.  When preparing for the Olympics, a fifth man is needed.  Gushue's team picked the legend Russ Howard.  This choice proved pivotal as the young squad hit a rough patch and Howard's cool head and experience helped lead them to a gold medal.

Fast forward to today and China's next big win.  This time it was the men's side.  Grand Forks, North Dakota is hosting the Men's World Curling Championships and with Winnipeg just a two-hour drive away, the crowd is pro-Canada. 

Imagine the shock when Fengchun Wang, China's skip, wins in an extra end.  China handed Kevin Martin and Canada their first loss in the round robin.  The difference with the men's team is that they have four loses (at this point) in the 11 game round robin while the women's team had only two loses out of the 11.

This year promises to be a turning point in the development of curling in China. 

Currently, there is only one dedicated curling rink in the entire country.  The six sheets rink in Huairou is a long trip from Harbin, where all of the players are raised, and is in finacial trouble.

Harbin is a city of 10 million people and will play host to the next Winter Universiade.  Already there are plans for two curling rinks to be built in Harbin but they are the smaller three sheet variety.

The strong finishes by both Chinese teams may indeed punch their tickets to the 2010 Winter Olympics.  This will be just the beginning as curling becomes popular in the worlds most populous country.  If only 0.1 percent of the 1.3 billion people take up the sport, it would pass Canada in participation and probably double the number of curlers in the world.

If you noticed the subtle pun in the headline, good for you! If not, don't feel so bad. A month ago, I wouldn't have got it either.

When the average American sports fan hears the word "curling," probably the first thing that comes to their mind is the cylindrical iron owned by their wife/girlfriend/sister.

The next thing that comes to mind might be a laughable sport involving ice, brooms, and large rocks.

Ice, brooms, and large rocks, eh? Sounds more like a house party gone horribly wrong than an Olympic sport, doesn't it?

Wait? Did you just say "Olympic sport?"

Yep. Curling has been a full-blown Olympic sport ever since the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. It has enjoyed just an occasional sliver of coverage in the United States ever since, despite surprisingly high TV ratings during Olympic coverage.

But living in a small town less than one hundred miles from the U.S.-Canadian border means that I don't need to count on American television to get my curling fix. Around here, the CBC is broadcast on basic cable.

And when you only have basic cable, it's not uncommon for curling to be the most interesting thing you'll find while channel surfing.

At first, I reacted to it in the same way that most Americans react to something foreign; I made fun of it. It seemed so absurd to watch these so-called athletes exhibit such intensity over sliding a chunk of granite across a long sheet of ice.  Even more senseless was how their teammates swept tenaciously in front of it, not appearing to have any significant impact on its speed or direction.

But there was a crowd. And they cheered! Not just your average, half-hearted applause from the gallery, either; I'm talking Tiger-Woods-on-the-eighteenth-hole cheered.

Not only that, but it was women's curling. Pardon my sexism, but about half of those girls are pretty darn gorgeous! Don't believe me? Just try googling Cassie Johnson, Jennifer Jones, or Moe Meguro. With these women lunging and sliding across the ice, who wouldn't watch long enough to be intrigued by the game? Rowrrr!

It's not just the foxy ladies that make it interesting to watch, though. Since curling is a sport centered around accuracy and strategy instead of speed, strength, and agility, internationally acclaimed curlers do not look like the stereotypical athlete.

Take the guy in this photo, for example. Does he look like an Olympic athlete to you? Believe it or not, he's considered one of the best curlers in the world! In what other sport besides bowling or golf could a 40-year-old bald guy be a national icon?

No. Curlers look like, and often are, regular people. There's really no such thing as a professional curler. Though there are some major curling events that have cash prizes, most curlers have day jobs. Even those who compete internationally usually have regular careers in the off-season.

Watching these "regular people" compete for a World Championship in anything is interesting to watch; if only because it makes you think, "If they can do it, why not me?" 

Thus, I soon found myself trying to understand the goals, rules, and strategy involved in curling. I made futile attempts at deciphering terms like 'ends' and 'hammer' frequently spewed by commentators. I struggled to understand what the sweeping was all about and why they didn't always try to get their stone to land in the center of that big bulls-eye.

Perhaps if one watches any nationally televised sport long enough they will come to appreciate the amount of skill involved. The same goes for curling.

After a while, it's hard not to be amazed at how the thrower can put just enough force and spin on a stone to get it to stop in just the right place. When you realize just how precise they have to be in order to pull off a double takeout, watching someone attempt a clutch free-throw in the NCAA tournament pales in comparison.

Heck, I was just in awe over how they were able to move down the ice and frantically work their brushes without tripping over the stones already in play!

Slowly I began to understand, and suddenly it was even more fun to watch and cheer for those cute Canadian twenty-somethings as they made their way to a 2008 World Championship title.

These next few weeks will feature the men's World Championship tournament, and I must say that I'm looking forward to catching a few games on CBC. The eye-candy factor will be lacking, but the curling should be at least as exciting.

For those of you who don't have the privilege of accessing Canadian television, don't fret. It won't be long before the 2010 Olympic Winter Games are upon us, sure to give everyone in the States yet another peek into a truly endearing sport. 

So I'm tired of writing about the Blue and White Maple Leaf, and the fact that the team will be without their two top-scorers (Nik Antropov and Mats Sundin) on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders.

What I am concerned about however, is the Red and White Maple Leaf.

Now, as some of you may or may not know (while some of you will choose to ignore all together) the Olympics are this summer in Beijing, China—143 days away.

Some of you may also know that this is the final year that baseball will be an " Olympic sport", meaning that aside from the World Baseball Classic, the world's elite will only get one more shot to flex their international muscle.

Canada, as of Thursday, earned the right to be one of the countries with an opportunity to claim the final gold medal awarded, after finishing the Olympic qualifying tournament 5-1—to the surprise of nearly everyone.

Internationally, Canada is known as a hockey country, however there have been steps taken in the past few years to expand the impact that Canada can have on Pro-sports around the world.

I mean Justin Morneau, Jason Bay, Matt Stairs, Jeff Francis, and Russell Martin are just a few of the Canadian stars speckled across major-league rosters.

But what's really impressive about Canada, is that they've been able to compete internationally without a lot of these "big names" or "hot shot prospects", compiling their  International teams primarily on sheer grit and pride, mixed in with a little bit of talent. 

Sure there were guys like Rob Ducey and Paul Spoljaric on the roster, but aside from Adam Stern and Pete Orr, there wasn't really a "top-notch prospect" on the 2004 team. I mean Colorado didn't think that Canada knew ANYTHING about baseball, and were worried that we'd somehow ruin Jeff Francis' arm.

But despite all that, the 2004 Olympics certainly but the red and white on the  map as Canada's baseball team came within a win of the gold medal game, as the game-tying home run was snagged by Cuban left-fielder Frederich Cepeda.

But despite the disappointing finish, Canada kept their spirits high in 2004, following each win with a stirring rendition of Oh Canada.

And just like in 2004, Team Canada spent the past weekend belting out the National Anthem wherever they pleased following their Olympic qualification: On the bus, in the hotel, and even halfway through interviews.

This team isn't exactly playing under "veteran leadership" either. Although turnover is fairly frequent on International rosters (due to age, skill-level, and history), Canada has five veterans from the 2004 Olympics: Ryan Radmanovich, Adam Stern, Jeremy Ware, Mike Kusiewicz, and Stubby Clapp.

However, where their experience trails off (99 MLB games) it's the other names on the roster; the Matt Rogelstad's, the James Avery's, and the Mike Saunders' that will look to pave the way to Canada's international play for year's to come.

We'll find out if the future is in good hands come this August, but you can count me in as one of the fans taking a break from the MLB and cheering on the "little engine that could".

Oh, Canada. 

At the 2007 IIHF World Championships, Canada had perfect dominance even against the toughest teams like the United States, Slokakia, Sweden, and finally Finland in the gold medal game.

This year, I believe the competition is slightly less-than-spectacular when it compares to Canada.

Canada's group consists of U.S.A., Latvia, and Slovenia. I think that it is quite obvious to everyone that the only competition for Canada is the U.S.

Teams like Latvia and Slovenia have very little NHL experience so they are seen as easy tune-up games. The look for these games will be to rack up some goals so we can stay ahead of the United States in the standings.

The United States team has always threatened Canada in international competition. Goaltending has usually been a problem for the country, but they might catch a break as the New York Islanders seem to be slipping in the standings, giving Rick DiPietro a chance to represent his country.

This would give a huge boost to the defensive side of their team.

The States' defense could be very well the same as many of the players from last year watch their teams falling to the ground of the standings. In the past few years, the U.S. has used many players from different American universities to boost their young talent.

This is a good thing, but you still need those veterans like Mike Modano or Jeremy Roenick—and it doesn't look like they will be available.

The Americans offensive side could dramatically change as a good majority of the players from last year's roster look to be playing in the NHL playoffs instead. The offense will have to rely much on young guns like Patrick Kane, Toby Petersen, and perhaps Rob Schremp who is still looking for his NHL debut in Edmonton.

Once we get to the medal round, the competition for Canada will definitely start to heat up from teams like Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Russia, and others.

Finland is a team that showed good promise last year and they look to do it again. Thier goaltending looks to stand strong with Atlanta drooping to the bottom of the East. I'm sure Finland will hope to have Kari Lehtonen playing on their back end.

Like last year, Finland's defense are not too strong, with most of their player coming from European leagues, not the NHL. Their offense is similar with the exception of a few NHL players like Niko Kapanen, Tuomo Ruutu, and Jere Lehtinen.

The NHL playoffs are another sad thing for teams like Sweden and Russia who have their stars of Markus Naslund, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Alexander Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin representing their NHL teams in the playoffs instead of their country's.

I believe that one of the underdog competitiors in this tournament will be Slovakia. They have strong NHL talent that they will be able to use in this tournament such as Jaroslav Halak, Zdeno Chara, Miroslav Satan, and Marian Hossa. They have strong players at all ends and I think it will surprise most people to see how well they will do.

With so many teams this year not being able to showcase their true NHL talent, it gives more hope to teams with not so much NHL talent like Belarus, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland.

This year's IIHF world championships will definitely be an exciting one, especially for Canadians having it in their home country.

Many of the players from last year's roster look to be unavailable to Yzerman this year, however there are still many great stars who can play.

The NHL playoffs are around the corner so it is quite obvious who will be making it and who will not. Great Canadian players, both veterans and young guns, are looking to slip from the playoffs and this is only an advantage to Yzerman.

Goaltending for Team Canada has not been a problem for a while and it doesn't look to be any different this year. Last year Cam Ward and Dwayne Roloson represented Canada and it is possible for both of their teams to miss the playoffs again this year.

However, Roloson has been having quite a disappointing season. His front star, Mathieu Garon has come from right out of the blue having a tremendous season with a 2.40 GAA and a 0.920 save percentage. He could be the star goaltender for Yzerman this year.

A couple defenders should be able to return to the lineup, including Eric Brewer, Barret Jackman, and Cory Murphy. Other helpful defensemen would be players like Brian McCabe, Brian Campbell, Dan Boyle, and Steve Staios.

Im sure that Yzerman was looking forward to the Oilers not making the playoffs until he learned that Sheldon Souray would be out for the rest of the season. His shot could bring a huge boost to Canada's powerplay. None the less Canada should be able to manage a strong back end.

This year there is lots of offensive skill to be had for Team Canada. Teams not looking to make the playoffs like the Lightning, Oilers, Blackhawks, Blues, Leafs, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, have a lot to add to Canada's offense. Nothing is official with teams like Carolina and Columbus, but if they do make the playoffs it is not expected for them to make it far so players like Rick Nash could still join the quest.

The Lighting's frustrating year brings great hope to Team Canada. They are filled with snipers like Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards. Hopefully the trio from Tampa will make the trip up to Canada.

The Oilers have a few players to add in the form of Ethan Moreau, Geoff Sanderson, and Dustin Penner. Perhaps even some young guns would be added to the team like Jonathan Toews who won gold last year with Team Canada, or Oilers rookies Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner.

There is no doubt that Canada will have the strongest offense of the tournament.

There are names flying everywhere about who should be the Captain of the team—names like Rick Nash, Vincent Lecavalier, Ethan Moreau, and perhaps Shane Doan although we saw what happened last year with that. In my opinion Vincent Lecavalier would make a great captain because he already has leadership experience in Tampa Bay and has experience playing with Team Canada.

Columbus Bluejackets Mid Season Review

The 2007/2008 campaign for the Bluejackets can best be described as encouraging yet inconsistent. In their 7^th year of existence, they remain the lone NHL team to have never tasted the post season. At mid year, the Jackets stood at a mediocre 15-14-6. But for a brief 4 game winning streak back in October, they have strung together back to back wins just twice. While they are a hot 13-6-4 at home, their road play has been abysmal at 6-11-2.

The biggest reason the Jackets have even competed this year is the outstanding play of Pascal Leclaire. He was injured for the majority of the 2006/2007 season during which he lost the starter job to Fredrik Norrena. Leclaire was a monster in the preseason and reclaimed his starter role as an NHL goalie. The recent call up of Team Canada Junior standout (tournament MVP, most valuable goaltender, gold medal winner) is an interesting move given Norrena’s respectable 2.38 GAA and .913% SV. Unless Leclaire falters, expect to see him remain the starter for the rest of the season.

A resurgent Rick Nash has been more then a welcome sight. Nash has the ability to dominate the game and instill fear in the opponent. He drives the net like no other and looks to be re-invigorated with passion for the game. After narrowly avoiding being shipped out of town, Zherdev has been the other key offensive bright spot. Second in scoring with 33 points, this 23 year old has been stellar in front of the net.

After inheriting the team mid season last year, Ken Hitchcock has made the Jackets a markedly better team on the defensive side of the puck, both on the D and up front. With Sergei Federov dabbling more on the blueline, one may surmise that his time in Columbus may not be over just yet. Mike Peca’s return to the team was a shot in the arm both on and off the ice. He’s on pace for about 35 points, is hovering on the plus side (+3).

Their special teams haven’t been so special. Their power play is 22^nd in the league and their penalty kill is worse at 24^th. With more and more of the scoring coming on odd man situations, they need to dramatically improve in this area.

Looking at the playoff picture, the Jackets remain on the outside looking in (3 pts out). With their solid goaltending, GM Scott Howson should consider what he can get for a veteran like Adam Foote who with playoffs approaching, might be coveted by a team like Minnesota or Atlanta. Columbus has had its issues in attracting players to the market. Stars like Martin St. Louis, and Vinnie LeCavalier may not want to punch their ticket to the Buckeye state, however, a guy like Marion Hossa or a Patrick Marleau might consider the new start. The Jackets need to reach the post season this year. And if they do, anything can happen.