Sunday, January 05, 2020
Canadians at the World Championships-2020
On Sunday
afternoon, many television sets across the country were tuned in to
the World Junior Hockey Championships beamed across the Atlantic to
us from the Czech Republic. For a variety of reasons, this tournament
has become quite important to Canadian hockey fans.
The results
are not always the best for Canadians. There have been years when the
team has been knocked out of the playoffs even before the medal
rounds began. One goal, here or there, one lucky bounce, and it is
simply a matter of “loser go home, winner advance”. It would be a
very tough pill to swallow for the young players.
There is
prestige involved in this tournament. Countries begin to build their
rosters years before the tourney begins. Coaches, scouts, and other
knowledgeable hockey folk begin the selection process when these
hockey youngsters are pretty wet behind the ears. Thus begins the
pruning process. The kids are under the microscope from a variety of
perspectives.
There is a
significant financial burden to any family involved in this process.
There are no scholarships, no burseries, no secret payments to the
families of these potential superstars. From the time that they show
the potential, these kids must play at elevated levels of hockey in
order to keep their place in the pecking order. For a ten year old
kid, parents are expected to shell out tens of thousands of dollars
each year: ice time, equipment, travel costs, registration fees,
insurance costs, personal sacrifices.
There are no
guarantees at the end of the hockey rainbow. There can be all sorts
of roadblocks in the way to stardom. Because of the nature of the
game, injuries take their toll. Even the best of the best, Bobby Orr,
as an example, spent many days and nights on surgical tables, and in
recuperation. Not all coaches are perfect, by any means.
There is
plenty of discussion in today's hockey world, about the men behind
the bench. There are demands made of coaches at all levels today.
They must be knowledgeable, sensitive, patient and kind. There have
been several firings at the NHL level this year, simply because there is
breakdown in communication between the coach and his or her team. It
is a most difficult task, to motivate a team of players to play at
their best level, as a team. The modern player must be treated as an
individual, within the terms of his contract.
We have
created “superbodies” to look after the Canadian teams that play
international hockey. In the case of the Junior team, Dale Hunter
has been put in charge of the troops. In consultation with his
coaches, and the management, he decides who will play in goal, who
will line up as forwards and defensive partners, and, occasionally,
who will sit in the press box.
And so, with
less than four minutes remaining in the third period, Canada's Akil
Thomas scored the winning goal to give the Canadians a 4-3 victory.
There were tears on the Russian bench. After all, those young lads
had been through the grueling process in many ways similar to the
players from all the other teams.
They will do
this again next December: selecting players, special training camps,
selecting coaches, mass preparation. The tournament will take place
in Alberta, Red Deer and Edmonton. May I exhale now?
James Hurst
January 5,
2020
# posted by James Hurst @ 1:21 PM 
