Ice Hockey World Championship 2009
 

And we are on! Who you bet wins this year? Any country you think will surprise? Anything to say about the IHWC 2009, say it here!

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/e...k20052ye-1.gif

Excellent, looking forward to this thread. Lot's of hockey on the go between this and the Stanley Cup Playoffs :DL

I'll post back with more on the tournament in general when I get a chance to look at the other teams\rosters.

Go Canada :up:

We'll bust out of Div III someday, just have to get past Mongolia :DL

Going to a hockey tournament over the weekend in support of The Girlfriend (she plays on the national team). Should be fun

Hockey - Brutal hand-to-hand combat.......on ice skates

Who would come up with a sport like that?

Let's see

We need big burley guys with big sticks.

We will make some "rule" about not being to "intentionally" hit each other with the stick, but allow slamming of bodies. In fact we need to encourage this.

We need something small and hard that travels very fast to cause the maximum potential damage and give the combatants .. uh ... players something to focus on. I got it a Hockey puck (so named because the first person to get hit in the mouth muttered, between bleeding gums and broken teeth, what the puck was that?)

hmm The "sport" still missing something. What can we add to make this unique. Other than the sticks it sounds like Rugby.

"Smedely, you had your hand up. Got an idea?"

"Uh put em on unicycles?"

"Smedely, you don't have to attend these meetings any more. Thank you."

"Milton, got anything better than unicycles?"

"How bout puttin em on iceskates?"

And the rest was history. :woot:

Have you ever been to a professional hockey game?

True there is some off what you are mentioning, but there is also a tremendous amount of skill, speed, creativity, and clean body checking ( yes there is a proper way to do this ) .....

Plus it's a contact sport and the lads playing are well protected. Hockey gear today is much different than it once was. It's not that far from armor.

As far as being brutal, you could also say that about.

- American Football
- Basketball
- Baseball ( bench clearing brawls, pitchers beaning batters etc. )
- Soccer
- Insert many other professional sports here

It was a joke. A humourous posting designed to invoke temporary feelings of mirth.

It was not intended to be a serious critique of the game of hockey. :nope:

Don't worry, I did not take it personally trust me :yep:

But... us Canadians are pretty passionate about our hockey :DL
Your post gave me a chance to rant a bit.

Come ooon! Check's & fights are the best part of hockey! I kind say how thrilled I was to hear that Jarkko Ruutu will be joining our team. :rock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbp_5Q1IhXw

Yeah, he's a beast :yep:
Edit: The only fights I do not like are the staged ones. In the end it's a part of the game, and if they were not you may as well
hand the players meat cleavers, because that is what their sticks would become.

First win at the WHC

Nice link regarding the WHC: Here

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/mm/photo/s...3/9783_m05.jpg

Good performance from Canada on the first match, solid victory. :yeah:

I am here at work, so did not see the game, it looks like the lads played half-decent.

Didnt watch the hole game, most of 1st and 2nd periods. After the first period, Belarus had 4 shots on goal vs. Canada having 12 with 2 goals. :O:

What odds England winning the trophy? :DL

Must be high Jim as we are so great a sports at the moment.:har: