Spengler Cup puck drops for 2012

Canadians will be able to see some professional hockey with familiar names this week as the Spengler Cup provides our Boxing to New Years Eve hockey fix.

Normally, the tournament is kind of like one of those old TV shows "whatever happened to..." as former NHLers, AHLers or past juniors and university hockey players ply their trade in the more relaxed atmosphere of European hockey. The tournament also has the added bonus of a pay cheque for Paul Romanuk, who once a year returns to the TSN screens, bringing us the play by play and background of the names that lead us all to go, ah that's where he is.

Not this year however, where many of the names on your TV set and called out by Romanuk will sound rather familiar

Europe has become the storage shed of NHL players this year, with many of the locked out players heading to points east, north, south and west across the continent, for some this week will make for  a bit of a reunion of the ex-pats as the Spengler tournament brings them all together in Davos, Switzerland.

Six teams are entered in the Spengler Cup, five club squads and one coalition of the Canadians playing for European based teams.

You can pick up some background on the tournament from the Hockey Canada website and from the Spengler Cup site itself.

We'll update the scoreboard below and offer up items of note from the Spengler as the tournament moves on.

Friday, December 28th

HC Fribourg-Totteron vs HC Vikovice Steel
Adler Mannheim vs HC Davos

Thursday, December 27th

Canada 5 vs HC Davos 0
HC Vitkovice Steel 4 vs Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5 (OT)


Wednesday, December 26th

HC Fribourg 5 - Salavat Yulaev Ufa 1
Canada 1 - Adler Mannheim 2 (OT)

3 and out at Spengler

Canada's time in the spotlight at the Spengler Cup came to a quick and sudden end on Thursday, as Team Canada, still reeling from yesterday's hammering against the Davos squad, lost a pre semi final (something we might call the quarterfinals?) match in shoot outs to a quite motivated Wolfsburg squad.

The IIHF site was almost chortling over the loss to Davos, as Marc Crawford's team suffered what was described on the site as a "humiliation", in that 8-1 loss.  The hangover effect of which seems to have carried over into Thursday's must win game against Wolfsburg.

Globe and Mail -- HC Davos hammers Canada at Spengler Cup
Sun Newspapers-- Canada Blown out at Spengler Cup
Canada.com-- Davos flattens Canada at Spengler Cup
TSN-- When was the last time Canada lost this big?

Crawford perhaps offered up some inadvertent foreshadowing on Wednesday when he suggested that  Canada needed to get back to the basics if they had any hope of rebounding, with the 3-2 shoot out loss to the Wolfsburg squad, it would seem that parts of that message may not have made it through in time.

Globe and Mail-- Canada eliminated from Spengler Cup
Canada.com-- Canada ousted at Spengler Cup
IIHF-- Wolfsburg with Sensational win against Team Canada



With the loss, Canada was eliminated from further medal contention at the annual tourney, Canada last claimed the Spengler Cup in 2007.

And while the early exit by Canada might make for a dramatic headline or two in Europe and offer up some sense of parity among European squads, the departure of any rooting interests for the folks back on this side of the Atlantic probably will make for a lonely feeling for TSN's Paul Romanuk.

The theme for Paul Romanuk perhaps more Pink Floyd's "Is there anybody out there", as opposed to that fine chorus from Stompin' Tom of "Hello out there, we're on the air it's hockey night tonight, "

Without Canada at least moving forward to the semi finals or even the final itself, we imagine that the sound that can be heard all the way across the ocean to Davos will be that of Canadian television clickers moving on to other pursuits in this very busy sports weekend.

You can follow the remainder of the Spengler Cup progress from our portal, with this link from our right hand column.

Have sticks, will travel

It's tournament time for Canada once again, and while the majority of our focus will be on the World Junior Hockey Championships set to begin in Alberta, across the ocean, another tournament of note is taking place as those Canadian mercenaries of the puck are now engaged in the annual Spengler Cup competition.

Canada, is represented for the most part by those players that currently find employment among the ranks of the European hockey leagues, gathered together over the Holiday week to wear the Canada crest on their jersey and seek to reclaim some bragging rights for the Maple Leaf among the teams in Davos.

This years compilation is being coached by Marc Crawford, who takes time out from his TSN duties to polish up the resume and no doubt keep his name in the mix for any upcoming NHL coaching opportunities (though we imagine he like many others might have to think a wee bit about events in Montreal).

The Canadians for the most part are names that might be familiar to friends and family or former college or minor pro team mates, this years squad features a smattering of former NHLers, but for those following along at home, the majority of the roster is going to be a collection of names that might sound familiar, but perhaps can't be placed.

Regardless, like any Canadian squad that heads into a tournament, once that sweater gets pulled on, it's all for one and one for all, their exploits beamed back to an audience of the curious over TSN, with Paul Romaniuk, who now calls Europe home, once again picking up some spare cash at Christmas with the play by play duties..

Canada opens up their Spengler experience today against HC Vitkovice Steel, a lower echelon member of the Czech league.

HockeyNation items on the Spengler Cup

December 29-- 3 and out at Spengler

The full Spengler schedule and results can be found from the Spengler home page, though we will provide updates of the Team Canada games below.

December 29-- Team Canada 2 vs GA Wolfsburg 3 (shoot out) (Canada eliminated)
December 28-- Team Canada 1 vs HC Davos 8
December 26-- Team Canada 7 vs HC Vitkovice Steel 1

December 31-- Spengler Final-- HC Davos 3 vs Dinamo Riga 2

December 30-- Spengler Semi Final-- Dinamo Riga vs EHC Wolfsburg
December 30-- Spengler Semi Final-- HC Davos 4 vs Vitkovice 2

For more previews and reviews of the Spengler tournament we've filed below some notes from a variety of portals that are keeping an eye on the tournament.

Globe and Mail-- Canada eliminated from Spengler Cup
Canada.com-- Canada ousted at Spengler Cup
IIHF Website-- Wolfsburg with Sensational Win against Team Canada
Globe and Mail-- HC Davos hammers Canada at Spengler Cup
Sun Newspapers-- Canada blown out at Spengler Cup
Canada.com-- Davos flattens Canada at Spengler Cup
TSN-- When was the last time Canada lost this big?
IIHF website-- HC Davos humiliates Team Canada
TSN-- Canada readies for stiff competition at Spengler Cup
Globe and Mail-- Marc Crawford prepares for new challenge as Canadian coach at Spengler Cup
Winnipeg Free Press-- Crawford anxious to be back behind the bench
TSN-- Turco expected to join Canada for Spengler Cup