Oh Oh Canada

Not everyone was parked in front of a tv for the big game last night. Plenty of Canadian kids had their own games to play. I was on the clock at the PA Arena for a pair of games between peewee boys teams and the Queens rep teams. The first game was a peewee A team against the peewee AA girls and was a bit slow, like watching a ping pong game where both players are using the wrong hand on the paddle. The second game was better as the peewee AA boys and Bantam girls faced off. I had AJ texting me the score and let the refs and any kids who happened into the penalty box know what was going on in Buffalo. As the Canadians built a three goal lead everyone seemed pretty sure of World Junior gold.

I was waiting for Sal in the lobby when the first Russian goal was scored. The second came just a minute later. I sent back an "oh oh" to AJ. I could hear the panic in peoples voices as they left the arena. As we drove home they tied the game. I sat down to watch as the Russians took the lead and just minutes later they were up by two with only a few minutes to play. Like the players on the ice, Canadians were collectively stunned. Sometimes I think that other than the other teams and their families, no one else in the world cares about the outcome of these games or the tournament. Canadians live and die by the results. And now we get to hear all about the reasons for the collapse in the third period and how our hockey programs are failing.