It hasn’t been an easy year to be a Chicago sports fan. There’s the perennial story of the Cubs. God love ‘em. Then the collapse of the Bears. Maybe they’ll do better next year with a new coach. The Bulls star player, Derrick Rose, is out for the season.
The light at the end of the tunnel (at least for the last few years) has belonged to the shining blades of the Blackhawks. But not this year — at least so far.
So — like the rest of the hockey world – I’ve turned my focus from the Ontario Hockey League or the American Hockey League. And now…the World Juniors.
Not long after I arrived in Canada I watched the United States beat the Canadian Team to win the Championship Plate. To me the amazing thing about the game was not that the U.S. won, but that it had the largest TV audience of any sporting event in Canadian History. (It was subsequently surpassed by the Olympic Gold Medal Game — which I have blocked from my mind.) I always use those TV ratings to explain to Americans how much Canadians love hockey.
As you all know, Canada edged the US 2-1 in pool play on Sunday. But having crushed the Czech Republic 7-0 the US team will get a rematch against the Canadians tomorrow — at 4 am no less — in the semi-finals.
While I would be more than a little surprised if tomorrow’s game got a bigger audience than the 2010 match — then again there isn’t much else on TV at 4 am — I will be glued to my set. I have a steak dinner bet with Ambassador Doer.
I’ll take my hockey where — and when — I can find it. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
DJ
Tags: Hockey, world junior hockey
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