The month of December is usually a sign that family and friends will be home for the holiday season. Although most families look forward to their loved ones returning to their roots for some holiday cheer and some good ol' fashion family time, there is a select group of parents and families who will not be seeing their young sons this holiday season. You may be asking why and what could be more important than visiting family over the holidays? If you're a hockey fan and bleed Canadiana like I do, then you know that with Boxing Day just around the corner, so is another year of World Junior Hockey. So to answer the question the boys from Team Canada will not be spending time with family and friends this holiday season, instead they will be playing hockey for this great country of ours.

This year's tournament will be held in Pardubice, Czechoslovakia and will feature the power nations of Canada, USA, and Russia who will all be vying for the long lasting memory of winning that coveted Gold Medal. Over the the history of this prestigious tournament, Canada has at times owned this annual event. For a good number of years, Team Canada has literally made it nearly impossible for other nations to seriously compete. From the years 1993-1997 Team Canada had the stranglehold on the tournament winning five consecutive gold medals and most recently the Canadians have won the last three consecutive gold medals. Former bench boss, Brent Sutter, who now coaches the New Jersey Devils of the NHL, was a perfect fit who demanded nothing but success from the young men from Canada who would give Sutter a career 12 wins and 0 loss record during his stint as head coach.

Team Canada’s successes have now been handed over to long time former NHL'er, Craig Hartsburg, who hopes to follow in Sutter's footsteps. Led by the return of players Karl Alzner (who most recently was named team captain), Brad Marchand, and ex BCHL superstar, Kyle Turris, the boys carrying the red and white flag look to be serious contenders once again this holiday season! Throw in the names of projected first round NHL draft pick and Oshawa Generals star John Tavares and goaltender Johnathon Bernier, and all you can do is hope for gold! Kelowna Rockets Defenseman Luke Schenn isn't likely to be a major contributor offensively, however will be counted on heavily to be one of the shut down guys on the back-end.

With a tournament like this and the urgency of each game, teams don’t have many second chances to redeem themselves if they happen to stumble. If Team Canada is to carry on the tradition of winning another gold medal they must come out of the gates flying when they play the Czech Republic at 2 pm on Dec 26th. If past history repeats itself, Team Canada is always well prepared for this event! From top executive Bob Nicholson to the water boy, they all know what it takes to win the big prize and will do anything to reach that goal.

Although there will be some real exciting junior hockey to take in locally over this holiday season, I can tell you where my focus will be. I cannot wait to see how this year’s tournament unfolds, as I anxiously await puck drop.

If you need a schedule of the games, don’t hesitate to contact me. Kyle Sunderman, (sundy@shaw.ca)