Tastes like Gold

Tidbits of news abound but damn it is hot out there...and I don't want to be in here blogging about hockey. Let's get to it.

Mo' Gold
Canada's Under 18 team won gold at the Tournament of Ivan Hlinka in the Czech Republic by defeating the Russians 9-2. Louis Boileau-Domingue of the Moncton Wildcats was in nets and stopped 20 of 22 shots put his way. Brandon Gormley of the Wildcats had the opening goasl of both the first and second periods while Sean Couturier ( Drummondville) had a hand in Gormley's first goal. Congrats to the Q boys (including Michaël Bournival) on getting that gold. No, there is no chocolate inside.


Ned
Deadly Nedly is apparenly not feeling so deadly. The 19 year old winger has decided that he will not be reporting to Mooseheads training camp this week, opting instead to enroll in University at UNB and begin his 'regular boy' life. The news was first revealed on the Mooseheads twitter feed and later elaborated upon by Matthew Wuest at the Metro. The Metro couldn't have posted a more unflattering picture of Mr O'Brien. He actually does look a little undead there. Good luck to Undeadly Nedly in all of his future endeavors. Let's hope he learns how to make slightly less unfortunate life choices. I mean, Nickelback is his favorite band...the boy clearly needs help.


Oh GOD!
Training camp starts this week: Wednesday Aug 19th at Cole Harbour Place. We shall be together soon enough my darling Jessyko. I expect nothing but the fanciest shoes from you this year...or better yet, no fancy shoes. Fancy shoes means you are walking the concourse injured, and we can't have that. It is for your own safety. This is because I stalk around the concourse when I'm drunk.


Everybody is going Wild
Tomas Knotek has also been invited to join the Wild for the Traverse City prospects tournament. He will be joining Bryce Swan and Michael Kirkpatrick. The Wild love Cape Breton. Tomas will be wishing that he was from North Syndey in order to increase his chances with the Wild, and then he will realize that this was the sadest thought he has ever had. He may then contemplate suicide. Let's hope that being surrounded by so many Capers does not bring him down. The Moose need scoring this season.

Louis is forcing my hand

At the tender age of 17 Louis Boileau-Domingue is pushing for my #1 QMJHL boyfriend spot. Darling Louis, you are far too young. What do you mean you shut out the Czechs this morning in your first game at the Ivan Hlinka tournament? That is your gift to me? Too sweet!


...and now the Canadian team qualifies to play for gold. awww shucks. I will get a batch of cookies ready for your return home.

EDIT- Ohhhh pictures from Hockey Canada

Congrats Bitches!!!

Patrice Cormier, Christopher DiDomenico and Angelo Esposito now available in gold

*Images from TSN 's World Jr website

Someone looks good in red...

...but I am still waiting to get him permanently into a Devils Jersey. Me-fuckin'-ow.

Patrice Cormier rocking the red (photo courtesy of IIHF)

Check out the IIHF photogallery. Ohh look... it is Tomas Knotek with the Czechs. Why is it important to go right to the IIHF page? Well, there are more Q players playing for foreign teams than there are Q boys playing for Canada, and those boys are important too. So if you need to keep track of Kulikov (Russia), Stich, Knotek, Piskacek (Czech), Reul and Pielmeier (Germany) etc etc etc - then the IIHF stats webpage is the place to be.

FYI Knotek has 3 goals and 1 assist in 4 games. Put him in a different jersey and he still looks like some sort of small, icy, mythical woodland creature... except he as gotten more goals in his last 4 games with the Czechs than he did in his last 4 games with the Moose. Let's hope he comes home swingin'.

Team Canada Showing Pleases Dog Lovers

DAMN, check out the following quotes in bold!!! RAWR!!!!
The following excerpt is taken from a story by MARC HUDON For The Telegraph-Journal

Three Saint John Sea Dogs have completed the first step to realizing their dream of representing Canada at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Sea Dogs leading scorer Chris DiDomenico along with defencemen Yann Sauve and Alex Grant were among 47 of the country's best junior hockey players invited to Ottawa this week for the national junior team development camp.

...Sauve and Grant, who each tower a shade under six-foot-three, were two of the biggest skaters in camp.

"We're both really big guys and like to play rough," said Grant.

"We're not going to shy away from anyone at any time."

Sauve in particular made his on-ice presence known, exchanging blows with Team White players on several occasions and creating havoc for opposing forwards with his physical play during an intense final scrimmage Tuesday.

"I like to play like that," said Sauve.

"I should always be playing like that. I'm a big guy and I like to play physical."

His rugged style attracted cheers from the hundreds of fans in attendance. It also garnered coveted attention from the coaching staff.

Hockey players with Fake IDs: Pt 1 Travis Randell

The Mooseheads' own Old Man Randell has been invited to participate in summer training camp for Canada'a under 18 squad. For more info on the roster and schedule check out Hockey Canada's website. If you have a mad Newfie fetish you should check out the following article by Matthew Wuest.

Mooseheads forward hoping to fill role on U-18 team

MATTHEW WUEST, METRO HALIFAX

Travis Randell is taking a checker’s mindset into Hockey Canada’s under-18 selection camp this weekend.

After taking a good look at the tryout roster — which is dotted with high-scoring stars such as Taylor Hall, Brayden Schenn and Matthew Duchene — the Halifax Mooseheads forward decided it would be a good idea to find another niche.

“I know a lot of guys at this camp are top-end guys with a lot of skill,” Randell said.

“Hopefully, I can fit in by showing them I can play a defensive role and be a shut-down player.”

The 17-year-old from Twillingate, N.L., is familiar with that role after working his way into the lineup with the powerful Mooseheads as a rookie last season. He showed versatility by playing all three forward positions on the third and fourth lines, and also killed penalties, appearing in 46 games.

Team red gives Dustin Tokarski a hickey

Instersquad scrimmage game summary from Hockey Canada

Jamie Benn (Victoria, BC/Kelowna, WHL) scored once and added an assist as Team Red earned bragging rights at the National Junior Team development camp with a 4-2 win over Team White in the final intersquad game on Tuesday night in Ottawa.

After a furious end-to-end first period it was Red who found the scoreboard first, as Maxime Sauvé (Boisbriand, QC/Val-d’Or, QMJHL) beat White goaltender Chet Pickard (Winnipeg, MB/Tri-City, WHL) with a backhand along the ice with just over a minute to go in the frame.

Goals from Benn and Cody Hodgson (Markham, ON/Brampton, OHL) gave Red a 3-0 lead before the midway point of the second period, but John Tavares (Oakville, ON/Oshawa, OHL) counted White’s first goal with just 52 seconds left in the middle frame, hoping to spark his team to a comeback much like the one Red almost pulled off one night earlier.

Trailing 4-0 late in the second period on Monday night, Team Red rattled off three consecutive goals to cut the lead to one before succumbing to White by a final of 4-3.

Unfortunately for Team White there was to be no comeback on the ice at the University of Ottawa Sports Complex, as Colton Gillies (Surrey, BC/Saskatoon, WHL) restored the three-goal lead for Team Red just over two minutes into the final period.

A goal from Patrice Cormier (Cap-Pelé, NB/Rimouski, QMJHL) with just 17 seconds to go rounded out the scoring for Team White, who dropped two of the three intersquad games – Team Red won the opener 4-1 on Sunday night.

Jake Allen (New Maryland, NB/St. John’s, QMJHL) and Dustin Tokarski (Watson, SK/Spokane, WHL) split the goaltending duties for the victorious Team Red, turning away 24 of 26 shots, while Pickard and Tyson Sexsmith (Priddis, AB/Vancouver, WHL) stopped 34 of 38 for Team White in a losing cause.

With the development camp wrapped up – players and staff will take part in a 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship golf tournament on Wednesday – the next step comes in early December, when the selection camp roster is released.

Not mentioned: For team red Chris DiDomenico (Sea Dogs) had an assist on Cody Hodgson's goal while Yann Sauvé assisted on Colton Gillies goal. For team white Nicolas Deschamps (Chicoutimi) and Kelsey Tessier (Quebec) also had assists.



TSN also aired a feature (video link) on the fight for Team Canada's goaltending position. They interviewed all of les dreamy gardiens including QMJHL's latest hero and Team Canada IIHF under 18 gold medal winner and tournament MVP Jake Allen (Jr. de Montreal).

Watch as they interview Dustin Tokarski (Spokane), you will spot what appears to be a big hickey on his neck. From where did this hickey come? Was it a gift from the Spokane Chiefs main lady Heather. Perhaps it was a thank you gift from the rest of team Red. Who wouldn't want Yann Sauvé nibbling on their neck? Toka just could not say no.

Is it a coincidence that hickey and hockey are separated by only one letter?

Team Red Features Sea Dogs

Team Red defeated Team White 4:1 during the first team Canada under 20 intersquad scrimmage. Christopher DiDomenico had one goal, but both he and Sea Dogs teammate Alex Grant had to serve time for minor penalties, charging and cross checking, respectively.

Team Red features Jake Allen (Jr de Montreal) in nets, forwards Chris DiDomenico (Sea Dogs), Maxime Sauve (Val d'Or Foreurs), and defencemen Yann Sauve (Sea Dogs) and Alex Grant (Sea Dogs).

Team White features forwards Paul Byron (Gatineau), Nicolas Deschamps (Chicoutimi), Patrice Cormier (Rimouski), Kelsey Tessier (Quebec) and defenceman Kevin Marshall (Quebec),

During the second intersquad scrimmage Team Red lost to Team White 4:3. Deschamps had one assist while Marshall and Cormier spent some quality time in the penalty box.

For more details on the red/White rosters check HERE.
For more details on the scrimmages see HERE.

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edit -
Speaking of Sea Dogs, the Sea Dogs website is featuring a Q&A with two new puppies: Nathan Beaulieu and Nicolas Spear.

Team Canada - pictures

I start with Pazzy because, well, he is the goalie. Pascal knows how much I like it when the goalie plays the puck. So there we were in the first period when Pazzy decided to skate in my general direction to play the puck during the Canadian Power Play, you know, to impress me. Well, it was a huge mistake because he handed the puck off to Heatley who mishandled the puck and lost it to Finland’s Antti Pihlstrom. Antti = goal. Pazzy stopped trying to be sexy for me and played it pretty safe for the rest of the game. We won 6-3
You can read the game recap at the IIHF website

Pascal LeClaire


Keith Duncan, Jason Spezza, Jonathan Toews, Shane Doan

Eric Stall and Martin St.Louis

Pascal says hello to Saku Koivu

Obviously: Heatley, Spezza, Chimera, Bouwmeester & Less Obviously: Staios, Hamhuis, Toews, Doan

Getzlaf, Heatley and Nash

Lots of team Canada including Cam Ward. mmmmm Cam Ward.

Rick Nash

Team Canada and Team Finland lineup. Getzlaf was the Canadian player of the game.

Derek Roy was the player of the game today when Canada faced off against Norway (and won 8-2)

When I see Heatley and Spezza at a pub...

...I do nothing. Absofreakenloutely nothing. doh!

I could get a picture (I have my camera), I could shake some hands and say "hello, good game" since Dany had two goals. Instead I smiled at Dany from my table (Jason had his back to me) and said nothing, paid my bill and left.


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oops, I can't spell

IIHF mania: Goalie hunting season is now open

What? This is a perfectly healthy obsession. I am, after all, a Canadian. Do you want to know what is unhealthy? All men grow whiskers, but when they put on a goalie helmet all you can see is the upper lip, so it looks like they all have moustaches. I think I am developing a moustache fetish. The moustache fetish thing has shades of Felix Potvin crushes written all over it. mmmm Potvin.

Finnish Goalie Niklas Bäckström. As we are all aware, Niklas plays for the Minnesota Wild.

German goalie (born in Kazakhstan) Dimitrij Patzold is the property of the sharks (like the teal and orange didn't give it away). He spent most of 2007-2008 with the AHL affiliate Worcester Sharks.

Latvian netminders Edgars Masalskis (#31 - Metallurg Zhlobin - Belarus) and Sergejs Naumovs (#30 - HK Gomel - Belarus). The Americans kept running poor Edgars - he lost his mask twice.

IIHF Mania: USA vs Latvia - Who is that pretty little Devil?

America defeated Latvia (or Latvija) 4-0. Tim Thomas (Bos) got the shut out and Paul Martin (NJ) was the USA player of the game. Martin was on the ice for all 4 USA goals. I have included a link here for a PDF with the game details.

Team USA was not being cheered. The locals were pro-Latvia, as were the 1000 Latvians which have invaded Halifax.


Tim Thomas was the USA starting goaltender. He had a shutout.

Paul Martin was the USA player of the game

Zach Parise = Zach Parise. Need I say more? Sigh. Zach had the third goal of the game.

Funny story: I saw a puckbunny and I was like DAMN, that is one serious puckbunny. Later I was walking back to my seat from a beer run and I saw my Jr players (Eric Louis-XVI, Yuri Cheremetiev, Gabriel O'Connor, Travis Randell and Justin Pender) then I saw the bunny, she was with them. Oy. Funny how you can recognize a bunny from 1000 miles away.

IIHF mania

It is amazing the things you can get when you are a bum or if you are waiting until.....just....the .....right.....moment. I have managed to get cheap Row A tickets for the USA vs Latvia game tonight (ohhh I will see you soon sweet Zach Parise and Paul Martin), as well as free lower bowl tickets for the Finland vs Germany game tomorrow afternoon (Backstrom, Romo, baby Koivu, Jokinen, Ruutu, etc etc Selanne).

It is also amazing the things you learn about certain goalie coaches, certain Mooseheads and certain NHL players who grew up in Hfx when you know people in the know...but this is an opinion blog not a gossip blog, so I'll just take my stumpy fingers off of the keyboard now.