Cardiac Unit on standby...

For Vancouver Canuck's GM Dave Nonis keeping away from the newspapers and the Internet might be the best thing he could do for his health.

A Canadian Press item on the Canoe website carried the ominous headline of: Luongo threatens to quit.

Now before they drag out the paddles and assemble Vancouver's best heart surgeons for an emergency resuscitation, it should be pointed out that the Neil Stevens article was doing a little forward thinking, looking ahead to a day when perhaps the NHL will make the nets larger.

A day, which if it comes during his time in the NHL, will according to Luongo be his final one with the league.

Luongo took part in a conference call on Tuesday afternoon providing answers to wide array of questions about the Canucks and their possibilities heading into a brand new season. But it was his reaction to the question about tinkering with the nets in the future, a frequently appearing trial balloon of late, that probably caused Nonis to gobble up Tums at a rapid pace.

Luongo said he'd have no desire to play if nets were larger than the current size of six feet by four feet. During a conference call Tuesday, he was asked how he'd react if bigger nets were mandated.

"If that day comes, I don't think you'd see me in the NHL," he replied.

He'd rather retire, he added.

Suffice to say that any vote to change the dimensions of the NHL nets will receive a nay from the Canucks.

In fact any mention of tinkering, may send Nonis up to VGH or St. Paul's for a little tinkering of his own!

You go your way and I'll go mine...

We're not sure what musical selections might be on the iPods of Mike Keenan or Roberto Luongo, but surely there is some room in the digital universe for an old Bob Dylan classic. A hopeful song about admitting past mistakes and moving along.

If so, then the Vancouver goaltender and the Calgary coach must have been humming up a storm or then again maybe not. Keenan returned to Vancouver yesterday to a team that he once coached and left after fourteen months, lost and discouraged when his version of tough love wreaked havoc on the franchise. While the Vancouver media might have wished to reminisce about the bad old days (and they did), the juicy potential of the more recent battles between Keenan and his former goaltender probably were too good to pass up.

Luongo and Keenan should have crossed paths for the first time this season on Wednesday, though it seems either by happenstance or design, they managed not to actually speak or even nod at each other while wandering the bowels of GM Place in Vancouver.

Keenan's new project, the Calgary Flames were in Vancouver for a pre-season match with the Canucks on Wednesday night and while everyone awaits the first Iron Mike missive on the state of the Flames and their fortunes, there still is time for a little retro review for the Vancouver media.

And nothing can stir up the soup than retracing those fun filled days of Florida when Keenan and Luongo who went toe to toe over contract negotiations that ultimately led to Luongo moving on to Vancouver in exchange for Todd Bertuzzi and Alex Auld.

Grant Kerr of the Globe and Mail recounts those testy days and tests the waters to see if there is still some underlying bitterness at how it all came to pass back in June of 2006 and how things may evolve now that the two main participants in those acrimonious days are now once again in the same division and will see each other at least eight times over the next seven months.

For the first match between the two divisional rivals, Luongo started and played for thirty minutes stopping all fourteen Flames shots that he faced before giving way to Cory Schneider to finish the game who also shut out the Flames on seven shots.

Vancouver backed their goaltenders up with scoring and solid physical play matching the Flames stride for stride, hit for hit and punch for punch , putting the Flames away 4-0 and leaving Keenan with more than a few things to jot down and begin to address as only he can.

All but one of the Vancouver goals came against Calgary's back up for the night Curtis McElhinney. He relieved Miikka Kirpusoff in the second period, only to watch the Canucks find relatively easy success and score three goals on five shots. Kirpusoff had faced fifteen shots and turned away fourteen before taking his spot on the bench.

One suspects that once the regular season begins Kiprusoff will spend more time on the ice than on the bench and the results will be a little tighter on the score sheets which may help to ease some of the anxious moments for the Flames and their new coach.

Still a win is a win, a shut out, a shut out and Luongo and his team mates can mark one down in their column for the reunion tour. It was already one of the bitterest of rivalries in the NHL, but this season each and every Flames/Canucks game is going to be a treat.

But judging by the tone of the first match of the year, those iPods are going to feature songs that showcase the animosity of these two teams, perhaps the Dixie Chicks and Not ready to make nice might get a play or two before this season is over.

From the NHL catwalk: Maple Leafs

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Toronto Maple Leaf fans.

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Leafs shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Wild

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Minnesota Wild fans.
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Wild shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Avalanche

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Colorado Avalanche fans.
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Ducks shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Ducks

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Anaheim Duck fans.

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Ducks shop page.

Swim on your own Fergie!

The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought to an end their much discussed search for a mentor, seemingly without a satisfactory candidate to guide John Ferguson Junior through the savage and shark (and we don't mean the ones from San Jose) infested waters of the NHL.

At one point Scotty Bowman and John Muckler were both rumoured to be on the short list to offer sage advice to young Mr. Ferguson, as he tries to return the Maple Leafs to some form of respectability in the NHL stratosphere. However, in the end they never came to an agreement with the Leafs, nor did the short list of other candidates that the Leafs had cooked up.

The search apparently came to an end a couple of weeks ago, as Richard Peddie, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment closed the file and put the plan back in the filing cabinet.

It was an unusual period (then again this is the Leafs so nothing is really ever too strange) of time for both the Leafs and Ferguson, while he was trying to get his team set up for the upcoming season, his bosses seemed to be trying to undercut his managerial strength by suggesting that he might not be up to the job and required a mentor.

For Ferguson it seems that for now the team has been handed back to him to succeed or fail on his decisions.

One would think that he may not want to get to secure in his post however, with the Leafs it seems that things can always change on a whim. After all, this is the team that once famously asked its re-hired coach to wear a paper bag behind the bench before the puck was dropped.

While Harold Ballard may be gone, somehow you sometimes get the feeling that his spirit came along with the furniture when they moved from Maple Leaf Gardens to the Air Canada Centre. The decisions and the way they are handled sure seem to at times resemble the bad old days of Harold and King!

The Super Series comes to an end, as Canada takes the finale 6-1

The series never quite reached the hype that the organizers tried to build for it over the summer, the Super Series was more of a tutorial of Brent Sutter style hockey than any kind of showdown, but for fans of junior hockey that's just fine.

The curtain closed on the eight game series on Sunday night in Vancouver, game eight much like many of the other contests, a rather one sided affair that had the Canadians taking the play to a rather unfocused group of Russians for most of the game. After the sixty minutes and occasional burst of bad blood was finished, Canada claimed the 6-1 victory in the eighth and final game.

Uncharacteristic penalties ruled the day for Russia, as their once famed discipline all but abandoned them on the ice in Vancouver, Canada scored five of its six goals on the power play a trend that was repeated many times in the eight game series.

Over all Canada out scored their Russian rivals by a total of 39-13, a ratio of three goals to every on by the Russians. Goal tending at times proved to be a problem for Russia, as was the play in their end where defensively many shortcomings were highlighted in their play.

The once crisp passing and laser like shots were few and far between and for much of the series the Russians simply couldn't find the answers to the Canadian play, Canada ruled the neutral zone and was solid in both their own end and in the Russian end of the rink.

The series will provide much in the way of study material for the Russian program, which no doubt will review the video of the games, make their changes and re tool for their next match up with their rivals.

The victory marked Brent Sutter's farewell to junior hockey, the Team Canada coach now moves on from his home at the helm of the Red Deer Rebels to the challenges of the New Jersey Devils. His team wraps up the tournament with a near perfect record, 7 wins and one tie, that one tie a game that will probably haunt his players more than the coach, as they tried as much as they could to pull it out of the fire in the latter stages of game seven.

His players provided him with a make up and farewell present of sorts on Sunday with a final solid effort, showcasing the skills and desire they have immersed themselves in under his tutelage in the national program.

Streak stopper

In Brent Sutter's own barn, Canada's remarkable success run came to an end, sort of.

Try as they did, Team Canada after battling back from a one goal deficit going into the third period couldn't find a go ahead goal to secure win number seven in the eight game series and keep Brent Sutter's consecutive win streak alive.

The record books will show that Sutter's record winning streak ended at number 18, as Canada and Russia played to a four all tie in front of a very energetic home side in Red Deer's En Max Centrium which was expanded to 7,000 seats for Sutter's farewell performance.

The Team Canada coach who up until this year was coach of the Red Deer Rebels, now moves on to the NHL again with the New Jersey Devils. Friday night was the last chance for the locals to applaud his efforts not only with the home town team but with Team Canada and his remarkable success with the national junior program.

As for the action on the ice, it was by far one of Russia's better games in recent history and probably one that the Canadians would like to have back, they fell behind 2-0 at one time and seemed to take forever to get back into a groove to take on the Russian attack. Canada was sloppy in its own end and seemed to get away from the program a bit in this one, allowing the Russians to possess the puck more than they had in the first six games, the first two Canadian periods were unlike what we have become used to in the series, a slightly lethargic pace and featuring lack of attention on the penalty kill which came back to haunt them.

But once they scored the tying goal, the intensity of play went up another notch as both teams went from end to end with numerous chances. Canada seemed to be on the cusp of taking the lead and another victory but some remarkable saves by Vadim Zhelobnyuk, who faced 36 shots over the three periods turning aside all but four.

Canadian goaltenders faced only 19 shots in total, as Sutter rotated Steve Mason and Jonathan Bernier, Mason allowed two goals on five shots while Bernier stopped 12 of 14 Russian shots.

As the final minutes wound down, the Canadian side seemed to be giving its best to give the coach another notch on the record belt, but the Russians seemed determined to deny them.

While they have yet to lose a game in the Super series, Canada will no doubt regret losing the momentum that they were carrying into Red Deer. Game eight, the final match of the eight game series is set for Sunday night in Vancouver, where only 400 seats remain on sale.

From the NHL catwalk: Penguins

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Pittsburgh Penguin fans.
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Penguins shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Hurricanes

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Carolina Hurricane fans.

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Hurricane shop page.

Six down, two to go

The Canadians didn't bring their best game to Saskatoon, but as has become apparent in this Super Series, (such as it has been) you suddenly don't need your best to topple the Russians.

In a game which saw the Canadians out shoot the Russians by a huge margin (42-17) the story could have been the missed scoring opportunities by Team Canada. Playing just a little too cute at times, the Canadians mishandled the puck at key times in the Russian end of the rink. If they had been a little sharper in their passing game they may have put a few more shots behind Semen Varlamov who played a pretty amazing game for the Russians.

All but abandoned by his defence, Varlamov tried valiantly to keep his team in the game denying many Canadian shots time and time again. Frustration led to a parade of penalties for the Russians which surprisingly didn't cost them as much as it could have. Canada had a number of 5 on 3 opportunities at key times in the game but could not capitalize on them.

As the game moved into the third period with the two teams tied at 1-1, Canada finally found the chink in Varlamov and put the game away with three goals on the way to the 4-1 victory.

Canada was quite sloppy at times getting away from the attack plan that Brent Sutter has put together for his team. The regained their play in the third and began to shut down any hope that the Russians might have had about a come back.

The play of the Russians has left many scratching their heads, as this team is certainly unlike most of the machines that have come to Canada in the past. They play far too tentative, make uncharacteristic mistakes and leave their their goaltenders on their own to fend for themselves far too much.

If they have any hope of avoiding a sweep, they need to get a plan together and stick with it for the sixty minutes. The final two games in Red Deer and Vancouver will be their last chance to try and regain a bit of the mystique they once had. But you just don't get the feeling that they'll be able to do that on this tour.

It would seem that the best they can hope for is to try and make games seven and eight close.

From the NHL catwalk: Canadiens

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Montreal Canadien fans.

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Canadiens shop page.

Safety first from Health Canada

With minor hockey programs about to start across North America, Health Canada has issued a warning about a vital piece of equipment for any hockey player pro, amateur or recreational.

An investigation by the Canadian Standard's Association has found that WJD Pro Ice goaltender helmets and WJD Pro “Cat Eye” face protectors, failed CSA safety standards.

Helmets and face shields worn to protect hockey players may actually cause serious head and eye injuries, with particular concern over concussion or or other serious head trauma.

The helmets which retail at sporting good stores from between 200 to 400 dollars, have the WJD logo and a CSA-certified label with serial numbers 17619 or 17620.

The Edmonton Journal published the following story about the helmets and the order from Health Canada for hockey players to stop using them.

Hockey helmets pose safety hazard
Bill Mah
CanWest News Service
Tuesday, September 04, 2007

EDMONTON - Helmets and face shields worn to protect hockey players may actually cause serious head and eye injuries, the Canadian government warns.

Players should immediately stop using all WJD Pro Ice goaltender helmets and WJD Pro "Cat Eye" face protectors, Health Canada said Tuesday.

An investigation by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) showed the Canadian-made equipment fails safety standards. The helmets do not give enough impact protection from falls, collisions from other players or hits from pucks or sticks.

"Their continued use could result in serious injury such as a concussion or other serious head trauma," warned a Health Canada advisory.

The helmets are made and distributed by WJD Pro Inc. of Burlington, Ont., and Jaguar Sports of Caledonia, Ont. They are sold at sporting goods stores across Canada and online for about $200 to $400.

The helmets can be identified by the WJD letters on the elastic strapping or the WJD markings on the helmet shell.

They bear a CSA-certified label with serial numbers 17619 or 17620, yet do not meet safety standards. Some of the labels may be counterfeit.

Some WJD helmets may also have been sold with a wire cage that lets hockey stick blades through the grill.

The products should be destroyed. Health Canada is working to have the products removed from store shelves and asks consumers to report any they find for sale.

No injuries have been reported.

From the NHL catwalk: Flames

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Calgary Flame fans.
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Flames shop page.

Fashion statements!

We archive the new Rbk sweaters for NHL teams this year here, as they are released:

Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings
Nashville Predators
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
New York Islanders
Washington Capitals
Vancouver Canucks
Boston Bruins
Columbus Blue Jackets
Calgary Flames
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
Carolina Hurricanes
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Minnesota Wild
Toronto Maple Leafs

From the NHL catwalk: Senators

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Ottawa Senator fans.

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Senators shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Red Wings

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Detroit Red Wing fans.
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Red Wings shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Predators

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Nashville Predator fans.
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Predators shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Panthers

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Florida Panther fans.

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Panthers shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Lightning

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Tampa Bay Lightning fans.

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Lightning shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Islanders

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating New York Islander fans.

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Islanders shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Capitals

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Washington Captial fans.

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Capitals shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Canucks

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Vancouver Canuck fans.
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Canucks shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Bruins

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Boston Bruin fans.

Bruins shop page.

From the NHL catwalk: Blue Jackets

As the NHL and Rbk release the new updated uniforms for the NHL this year, we'll provide a link to the NHL shop page and a preview of the new look. Here's the new clothing choice for discriminating Columbus Blue Jacket fans.

Blue Jackets shop page.

Warming up the brooms

Perhaps it’s fitting that the final four games of the Super Series take place in Western Canada where curling is such a popular activity, after all there should be no shortage of brooms around as Team Canada continues on along its dominating path.

Russia can claim a moral victory of sorts having out shot the Canadians 33-30 and having put up a strenuous effort through twenty minutes of play, but once those floodgates opened Canadian goals came as fast as the water on the Red And Assiniboine rivers during a heavy spring melt.

The Canadians began the deluge early in the second period and never looked back on the way to their convincing and statement making victory of 8-1 at Winnipeg's MTS Centre in front of 13,563 very patriotic citizens. Flags were flying and the crowd were singing as Canada came at the over matched Russians in wave after wave of attacks.

By six minutes of play of the second period Canada was two goals up on their Russian opposition, a margin that was cut by 1 when Alexander Vasyunov picked up a power play goal at the eight minute mark, but Canada quickly responded with a short handed goal to go ahead 3-1 and they never looked back after that, scoring five more over the next thirty minutes to put the exclamation point on game five.

Claude Giroux paced the Canadians with two goals, while single markers came from Logan Pyett, David Perron, Sam Gagner, Zac Boychuk, Zach Hamill and Kyle Turris.

Jonathan Bernier of the Lewiston Maineiacs, held his ground in the Canadian nets deflecting away all but 1 of the 33 Russian shots, he suffered a few bumps and crashes in the first period of play as the Russians provided a rather enthusiastic and physical element to their attack, but in the end Bernier had their number, much to the frustration of the Russian juniors.

Vadim Zhelobnyuk was left to face the Canadians and all eight of their goals, frequently staring down breakaways or two on ones as the Russian defence seemed to collapse into confusion as the Canadians crossed the blue line.

The Russians have not provided much of the trademark play that past teams have featured, their passing is anything but crisp and they are having some serious malfunctions in the scoring and playmaking department, as mentioned defensively they are having troubles adjusting to the Canadian transition game and with the exception of that first period tonight they have also shied away from a physical approach to the play.

Canada has outscored their opposition 25- 7 in five games thus far and look as though they could possibly double that number by the time the teams bid their adieus in Vancouver at the end of the week.

Next up for the series is tomorrow nights match in Saskatoon, where it’s expected that once again a large and boisterous crowd will greet the players, many of whom are regular visitors during the WHL season.

So far it’s been a clinic by Canada on how the game should be played, all that seems left for the Russians is to take some more notes, grab the film and head for home to work on their play and develop a new approach for this years’ World Junior Tournament over Christmas and New Year’s in the Czech Republic.

Headlines of 2007-08 season

Headlines of August 2008
Headlines of July 2008
Headlines of June 2008
Headlines of May 2008
Headlines of April 2008
Headlines of March 2008
Headlines of February 2008
Headlines of January 2008
Headlines of December
Headlines of November
Headlines of October
Headlines of September

Headlines of September

September 30- Sens wrap up pre season as unbeaten
September 29- A Season debut fit for a King
September 28- Downie banished for 20 games
September 27- Incredible story of 1972 Summit Series grows
September 26- Skip the season, Sharks to top Pens for Cup
September 25- Bad Blood boils in Ottawa
September 24- Anxiety pains in the Igloo
September 23- Gary looks to Europe
September 22- Old NHL rearing its ugly head
September 21- Leafs' defence playing in a crowded pool
September 20- In the old days he'd just use his elbows
September 19- Sutter steps into the Devils den
September 18- Sabres fans left out in cold
September 17- Gretzky gets his groove back
September 16- Schneider the first casualty of camp
September 15- Redden's renewed commitment
September 14- Selanne still undecided
September 13- Promises, Promises
September 12- NHL's travelling salesmen hit the road
September 11- Niedermayer suspended
September 10- Bowman remains committed to Red Wings
September 9- Canadians finish off Super Series in style
September 8- Sutter king of Canada coaches
September 7- Canada finally fit to be tied
September 6- Sutter and son enjoy last time as coach and player
September 5- Pierre Turgeon calls it a career
September 4- JR knows the way to San Jose
September 3- Tavares seeks early entry
September 2- Canada holding all the cards
September 1- Peter principle presents a unique proposition for JFJ

Siberian Sweep

Game four provided a forum for the Russian squad to showcase some of the skill and intensity that many had hoped to see from them in this Super Series. Despite falling behind three to nothing heading into the third period of play, the Russians had what was most likely their best game of the series so far on Saturday. With many opportunities to regain some of the momentum in this eight game series.

It was the goal tending of Steve Mason that early on in game frustrated the Russian attack, denying them rewards for the many chances that they had in the first period of play.

Canada chipped away at that attack and took advantage of opportunities to build a 3-0 lead, but a dedicated Russian team bounced back with two quick goals in the early moments of period number three to pull within one goal of the Canadians. In the early stages of the third period, it seemed that the Russians were prepared to give the hometown crowd of Omsk something to celebrate. The energy in the building quickly picked up as the Russians swarmed the Canadian end, their two goals sparking the crowd back to life after having been silenced in frustration for two periods.

With the Russians applying some extra pressure in the third, Canada answered back quickly picking up a goal minutes after the two Russian markers, doubling the score at 4-2 by the four minute mark of the third, a score that would hold until the end of the game. That insurance marker seemed to settle the Canadians down and allowed them to regain some of the flow of a game that for the most part they had controlled.

The hectic pace continued in the first half of the third period, with the teams racing from end to end, the Russians to try and close the gap, the Canadians to attempt to put the game away.

As the tempo picked up, so did the physical play as bodies went flying and crashing in every direction. Canada managed to turn back the Russian resurrection, denying them the opportunity to pull even or to go ahead. By the mid point of the third period the game had returned to a more familiar pattern for Canada of puck control and the ability to force the turnovers in the Russian end that slowed down their attack.

With the final minutes ticking down on the clock, Canada once again called on Mason to make one or two key saves to shut the door on the Russian’s comeback bid.

The game was by far the best effort of the series so far for the Russians, who showed that despite falling behind on both the scoreboard in game four and four games to none in the series so far, that there is still a bit of life left for them. For Canadian head coach Brent Sutter, his team showed more glimpses of character in an ability to regroup and turn back the Russians as they increased the pressure.

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Canadian goal scorers in the game were Brad Marchand with two including the all important fourth goal of the game, while Sam Gagner and John Tavares picked up markers in the first two periods of play.
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At the midway point of the tournament, Canada has been full value for their four games to none lead, having outscored their Russian hosts 17-6 and controlling much of the play of the 240 minutes of hockey played so far.

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The two teams now make the long journey from Siberia to Moscow and then on to Winnipeg for game five on Tuesday night. Canada already having traveled half the way around the world, now finds themselves half the way to their goal of dominating the series.

Runaway train?

Game three of the Super Series was along the lines of a freight train running the tracks without brakes. Team Canada just seemed to launch their play into another gear and took control of the game every time that Russian’s showed any intention of getting close.

While the Russian squad was only one goal down through the first and second periods of play, the third proved to be their undoing as Canada rattled off three unanswered goals on the way to their 6-2 victory, taking firm control of the Russian leg of the eight game super series and setting the stage for a potential sweep of the Russian end of the tournament when game four gets underway on Saturday.

And as if the Russian’s scoring chances weren’t bad enough, they now have to make do without star forward Alexei Cherepanov who suffered a concussion in a collision with Brandon Sutter in the first period of Game 2 in Ufa. Without a key player such as Cherepanov, the Russian attack seems to struggle to get moving and once it does the forward momentum seems to drift off as they enter the Canadian end of the rink.

Special teams once again proved to be the Canadian advantage in the game, as it has in all three games of the series thus far. The Canadians scored four power-play goals on Friday and a featured a penalty kill that has now held Russia scoreless on 25 chances over three games, including a number of five-on-threes. Considering the physical nature of the Canadian play, shorthanded play is going to be constant in the series, so far the Canadians have not suffered to terribly for their penalties and that trend continued through game three.

There is little time for the Russian’s to regroup and work out a new approach, Game Four takes place Saturday, an early morning wake up again for Canadian fans, as the puck drops at 6 am in the Eastern time zone, 7 Atlantic and out west folks will have to decide whether to make it an early Saturday or a very late Friday night, game time on TSN in the West is 3 am.