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Thursday’s Dump & Chase: World Cup of Fun

As some (or many) of our readers may know, I’m not the biggest fan of the World Cup of Hockey. Being a traditionalist in all things hockey, I detest that there’s a young-guns team when traditional nations like Slovakia, Switzerland, and Germany are not competing and mourn the addition of adds to the timeless hockey sweater, even if it’s just a SAP logo on the shoulder.

Nevertheless, as a hockey fan, how could I not take a break from outlining my Torts class here at Ohio State last Friday night to see the Canada v. United States game?

After organizing the details with a former college teammate of mine, I headed down to Nationwide Arena. Since we love grades here at OnTheForecheck, here’s the exhibition match’s report card.

Atmosphere: A

While there were long lines outside of Nationwide Arena as people bustled through metal detectors, the crowd was in a jovial mood. I quickly realized that I was surrounded by knowledgeable hockey fans, all of whom were friendly and ecstatic about the game ahead.

During player introductions, the fans booed and cheered appropriately. A number of people in my section gave me puzzling glares when I stood up and booed my lungs out during Ryan Suter’s introduction, but that’s to be expected. As the game progressed, the Columbus fans performed the two key components of earning an A: refusal to perform “the wave” and plenty of “U-S-A!” chants. For extra credit, after a controversial check by Sidney Crosby on Kyle Palmieri, the stadium began chanting “Crosby sucks!” in perfect unison.

However, the stadium didn’t sell out, so no A+.

Stadium: C-

I alluded to this earlier, but there were pretty bad lines to get into the game. It took my teammate and I a solid twenty minutes to enter Nationwide Arena. After walking around a bit, we made the biggest mistake of the night and waited for food. After twenty minutes in another line, I was charged for three cheeseburgers instead of one and a drink. After five minutes, they fixed the debacle. I then patiently waited for my cheeseburger. Perhaps they were simply understaffed, but I then waited yet another twenty minutes to actually get my food. By that point in time, I had missed warm ups and barely made it to my seats for introductions and the anthems. At least my seating angle was good for nosebleeds, right?

Game: A+

Of all my critiques of the World Cup of Hockey, my largest had to be that I believed the quality of games would be low. Who would want to lay hard body hits right before the season begins? Would there really be any intensity to the games?

Boy could I have been any more wrong.

Perhaps credit goes to John Tortorella’s coaching style, but the game was incredibly physical and had a playoff-feel to it. Every player was giving 100% each and every shift. Tensions flared. Ryan Kesler got tossed, which really didn’t surprise me at all. Although he played here at Ohio State, so the fans were pretty bummed when he deservedly was ejected.

It was truly a thrilling affair. The pure collection of talent on the ice placed myself in complete awe. Simply seeing what these truly world class players were capable of when playing together was incredible.

Conclusion

I’m no longer a naysayer: the World Cup of Hockey is going to be awesome. Perhaps it won’t have the history or prestige of the Olympics or the IIHF World Championships, but it is guaranteed to be a fun and exciting event.

On to the Dump & Chase!

Hockey News

Nashville Predators To Wear Gold Helmets For All Home Games This Season – On the Forecheck
Mark covers a change in attire for this upcoming season. I have but one meme for this wardrobe:

Team North America stealing the spotlight – Video – TSN
TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie returns to Naylor and Landsberg in the Morning to discuss the World Cup of Hockey, Toronto Maple Leafs training camp and the latest on unrestricted free agent Kris Russell.

World Cup of Hockey: Team USA Quick, Bishop, Schneider | SI.com
A quick look at the lives of the USA goaltenders.

Finland confident despite tough group at World Cup – Sportsnet.ca
Let’s be real, if a poll was taken of who the “Most supported non-native team” was, Finland would have to win. Great idea. Poll below.

Ed Willes: Will the World Cup of Hockey create its own history? | The Province
It’ll need one heck of a final to do so. While it should be exciting and fun, it’s no Summit Series.

Byfuglien: Playing forward ‘definitely not my favorite,’ experiment could be over – ProHockeyTalk
He sure hated it in 2010, it didn’t work out for him that postseason. Oh wait…

How a Coaching System Impacts Team Defence – Article – TSN
An interesting perspective on the inner workings of a team.

Other than your home country, what team do you want the most to win the World Cup of Hockey?

Finland 24
Sweden 63
Czech Republic 5
Europe 9
North America 39
Russia 0
Canada 5
United States 2