Oh Canada !

This is the time of year that all hockey fans dread... the All Star Break...!  The regular season is interrupted for several days while select star players travel to some select city, to play a meaningless game.  The game has no intensity, as no one wants to get hurt.  Most fans hate it, with the exception of young kids that like to see all the stars together.

This year the National Hockey League finally smartened up and organized something different, the 4 Nations Cup.  NHL players from all the teams were selected to play for their country in a four team tournament.  This included Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland.  Sadly some of the countries were not represented, as they did not have enough players in the NHL to put together a competitive team.  And, of course the Russians were excluded, and rightfully so.

Over the course of about ten days each team played the other three teams once.  Then the two teams that finished at the top, played off in the championship game.  Canada beat Sweden in overtime in their first game.  Then they lost to the Americans in the second one.  The score was close at 2-1 late in the game when the Americans iced it with an empty net goal.  Then Canada beat Finland 5-3 in a game that got a closer than it started.  So the show down for the championship would be between Canada and the cocky Americans.  All tournament long the Americans were shooting off their big mouths and totally annoying everyone north of the 49th.

It was about as far away from an All-Star game as one could imagine.  All the players were honored to put on the jersey's of their country.  The games were fast, hard hitting and intense.  There were numerous injuries over the course of the event... fortunately none extremely serious.  It was very entertaining and kept Canadians glued to the TV for the duration of the event.

The championship game was played in Boston on February 20th.  Canada scored first.  The Americans later tied the game and then went ahead.  Canada evened it up and the game ended up tied and going into overtime.  Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers scored the game winner for Canada...!

Margarit and I went to the neighborhood pub, Mimi's and watched the game there with a bunch of friends and neighbors.  The place was packed and the crowd erupted every time Canada scored, and particularly with the overtime winner.  It was only fitting given the current political situation in the world that Canada managed to beat the Americans.  The Orange-Moron-In-Charge down south was spouting his usual verbal diarrhoea going into the game.  Hopefully the loss shut him up for a little while.  My friend Brian texted me right after we won...   "Canada!!!!!  F*ck the f*cking Americans All to Hell.  Beat them in their own house"  Later this image was circulating extensively on social media.  Not sure of the source so I can't give an image credit, but I will include it here.