Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!
It’s the middle of August, baseball playoff races are heating up, we’re looking forward to training camps opening for various hockey leagues, and overall it’s pretty nice out.
Oh, and there’s a major international hockey tournament happening. But no one told the host city.
Full house for the opener of the 2022 World Juniors. pic.twitter.com/wxMvqQQ12e
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) August 9, 2022
Yes, the 2022 World Juniors are being replayed now, after being shutdown two days in December. It’s a hard sell to get even the most diehard fans out for anything in the summer, but dropping a couple grand on a pair of tickets is a big ask, especially with the current economy.
To make it worse they aren’t selling the entire arena, only the lower bowl.
Plenty of seats -- and man-oh-man, do I mean PLENTY -- of seats available for Canada's opener Wednesday at world junior hockey championships ... Those blue areas show up as "100+" available ... (The grey is not for sale, curtained off.) pic.twitter.com/dsLPTV2arP
— Kevin McGran (@kevin_mcgran) August 9, 2022
So, the games are pretty empty in the stands and even on the boards. There’s a very noticeable lack of sponsorships, which due to Hockey Canada’s gross incompetence and malicious conduct.
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Analysis | Unsold tickets. Empty ad spots. World junior hockey championship opens under a cloud
So, the games are happening, Germany lost to the USA 5-1, and had some excruciatingly long video reviews, Czechia beat Slovakia 5-4, and Finland walloped Latvia 6-1.
Roni Hirvonen did Leafs prospects proud, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists for Finland.
Hirvonen 👉 Kemell: 2/2#WorldJuniors @leijonat pic.twitter.com/hic0OdWK8q
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) August 9, 2022
Hockey Canada didn’t play but made moves off the ice, naming Andrea Skinner the new interim chair of the board. Skinner was captain at Cornell, and was a professional referee at one point as well.
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Hockey Canada appoints board member Andrea Skinner as interim chair
In Top 25 news, we have the list of unranked players to help you along with your speculation.
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Newly acquired Hurricane Max Pacioretty had surgery to repair a torn Achilles and will be out until the second half of the season.
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Another RFA has signed, so maybe now we’ll get more moves?
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If you’re interested, today’s World Juniors games are:
Sweden vs Switzerland at 2:00PM
Latvia vs Canada at 6:00PM
Germany vs Austria at 10:00PM
Enjoy your day everyone!
