Another Canada-US Showdown

If Canada is to complete the "Saskatchewan Sixpack", they will have to deal with the Americans once more. Canada had no problems getting past Switzerland in one semi-final, while the USA polished off Sweden in the other. After playing so well in Regina, Swedish goalie Jakob Markstrom had a couple of softies go by him and you just can't have that in this tournament. It means Canada faces the US for the gold and if it even comes close to what we saw on New Years Eve, it will be a classic.

One thing Canada won't have is the services of Warriors blueliner Travis Hamonic. He suffered what is believed to be a separated shoulder and will miss the game. This news can't make the Warriors happy. Will this prompt them to find a defenceman at the trade deadline or will they start giving players away and if so, what do they get for Jason Bast?

If you're an Oilers fan, I ask you this. Who will have the bigger impact on the Oilers in the future. Will it be Jordan Eberle or Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson. I see both of those guys with the big team next year.

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The NFL season is over, but it will be a strange sense of deja vu next week. In what has to be a first, three of the four games next weekend will be games we saw yesterday. Dallas will entertain Philadelphia and the Packers will be at Arizona next weekend in NFC matchups. This after the Cowboys and Cheezheads spanked the Eagles and Cardinals. Will it be that way next weekend? Arizona can't be as bad as they were yesterday and the same goes for the Eagles. In the AFC, the Jets, who pounded Cincinnati to get in, will take on the Bengals with the Ravens in New England. Cincy will be much tougher next week especially at home and I can't see New England gagging one at home the way they did yesterday in Houston. That was absolutely disgusting.

I have to wonder if Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen will tell Josh McDaniels he is done as head coach. McDaniels screwed the situation up at the start of the year by alienating Jay Cutler. It looked like he might be alright after starting the season at 6-0, but losing six of their last eight including getting stomped on at home by lowly Kansas City may be the final straw. Would it have been that way had he not benched Brandon Marshall. That's a question we might never know, but the players may have sent a message with that effort.

I have to wonder what the Seahawks brass will say about a very disappointing season--one that ended with a four point loss to the Titans. This team needs to a) find a quarterback to replace the rapidly aging Matt Hasselbeck, B)re-establish a running game, C) rebuild a terrible offensive line, D) develop a pass-rush. This will not be something that can be done overnight. This team was hammered by injuries in 2008 and I thought they could compete in 2009. I was wrong. They were brutal--especially on the road. Arizona and San Francisco are turning into the class of that division. The gap between those two and the Seahawks will be determined in the off-season.

Chad Ochocinco says he will change his name back to Chad Johnson if he is shut down by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Ochocinco injured his knee in the pre-game warmup, but Revis held him silent until he left in the 2nd quarter because of the injury. Do you think Chad will come through and change his name back. Yeah, I don't either.

The Patriots take a huge hit as they lose Wes Welker to a knee injury. It happened on a play where he wasn't even hit. This will have those saying you have to rest your stars when you have a chance a platform, but Welker got hurt on an innocent looking play. It can happen at any place, any time.

Are the Vikings back or are the Giants just showing us how bad they really are? I think it may have been a combination of both.
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The sports world hits the news world this morning as Rider GM Eric Tillman heads to court to face a charge of sexual assault involving a 16 year old girl. I have no idea how this is going to end up. No matter how it ends, it leaves the football team with some negative publicity to start the new year. Everyone has their own thoughts on the matter and they will have their own thoughts once it is over and a decision is reached.
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CFL players can start signing NFL contracts today. Will Andy Fantuz be one of them? Has he worked out for anyone since leaving town? He wants that NFL opportunity, but I just don't know if he will get it. He certainly has the hands, but I think he is too small to be a tight end and he is too big to be a receiver and perhaps not as fast either. I can't blame #83 for wanting to take a shot at the NFL, but I really wonder who will come calling. Others who can sign south of the border include ex-Rider Adarius Bowman, BC's Ricky Foley, Toronto's Justin Medlock and Calgary's Dmitri Tsoumpas. After seeing how bad some NFL kickers have been this year, I can't see Medlock having any problem getting an NFL opportunity.
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If you saw last night's Family Guy, I just have three words to say. BEST EPISODE EVER!! Holy crap that was funny from start to finish. Its now less than two weeks until another season of "24" starts. YES!
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Bret Hart returns to "RAW" tonight. I've heard its going to be a very interesting four months as "The Hitman" returns to the WWE. If you're a wrestling fan, that will be must watch TV tonight. I loved watching Bret and the others do their thing at Exhibition Auditorium back in the 80's. Tuesday nights in that dingy old place was the highlight of the week. I hope before the wrecking ball knocks the auditorium down that High Impact Wrestling can get in there for one or two shows. If Bret or anyone else from Stampede could show up to say goodbye, that would be outstanding. If it was Bret, you know the place would be sold out.
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I don't care what anyone says. Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller and CJME's Jamie Nye were separated at birth! Even though he says no, I still think Wray Morrison and ABC/ESPN's Mike Breen could be brothers as well.
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When I start scraping that low, I gotta go. Have a good Monday!