Friday, January 06, 2006
Gold! Canada
Team Canada successfully defended its World Junior Hockey Championship crown last night, shutting out Team Russia 5-0.
From TSN:
Teams like Russia and the United States had a wealth of talent on paper going into the 2006 world junior hockey championship.The win was a complete team effort. Between Team Canada's aggresive forecheck, their solid defensive positioning and tenacious hitting, and the Russians barely got a sniff. They withstood an early Russian attack, then built a 2-0 lead and never looked back. The Russians did score a goal, but unluckily for them, was missed by the referee and the video goal judge until it was too late.
But when all was said and done, it was good old-fashioned teamwork that won the gold medal - for Canada.
Performances such as the ones Team Canada put on over the last ten days are what makes our Canadian heroes and hockey legends. Of great Canadian hockey moments - those that include Paul Henderson, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux - we may soon also include Steve Downie and Justin Pogge.
A week and a half ago, both were relative unknowns. Now, Downie is known as the one who scored Team Canada's gold medal-winning goal. Justin Pogge is the first Canadian junior goalie to play - and win - every second of every Team Canada tournament game; he didn't allow a single goal in the last seven (and plus) periods of Team Canada's games.
On Steve Downie, from The Globe and Mail:
The face of Canadian hockey tonight wears an angelic, gap-toothed, occasionally maniacal choir-boy grin. There is a small tuft of beard on the chin and a hearing aid in the right ear of super-pest Steve Downie, a player that is one part Darcy Tucker, one part Theo Fleury, one part Bobby Clarke and 100 per cent pure Canadian hockey player.On Justin Pogge, from The London Free Press:
"Pogge! Pogge! Pogge!''The stuff our Canadian heroes and hockey legends are made of.
They chanted his name before the game. They chanted his name again and again as he made save after save.
"Pogge! Pogge! Pogge!"
The young netminder even heard them chant it again as he sat in the Canadian dressing room after the first period.
(snip)
But as much as it will always be Sutter's name on this gold medal, it will always be Pogge's name on the gold-medal game. He set a team record with three shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.00. He's the only Canadian goalie to play every second and win every game.
As usual, Jes Gőlbez of Hockey Rants has the complete game recap.
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: World+Junior+Hockey+Championship, hockey, Vancouver, Team+Canada, Steve+Downie, Justin+Pogge
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