By near-universal agreement, the world junior hockey tournament that wrapped up last week in Toronto was one of the most thrilling on record. At least half a dozen squads turned in performances that should make NHL teams blush.
The quality of play throughout was remarkable: Blistering pace, marvellous puck handling, end-to-end action. On top of that, there was the almost unfathomable ability of young kids that age (some just 16) to absorb thunderous hits and keep going. Several games closed with standing ovations for both sides.
Denmark reached the quarter-finals for the first time ever. Slovakia took home a medal for just the second time, thanks in part to an outstanding goalkeeper.
And of course, sa国际传媒鈥檚 team 鈥� including Victoria Royals defenceman Joe Hicketts and Royals head coach Dave Lowry 鈥� won gold, outlasting the Russians 5-4 in a final that left fans across the country white-knuckled.
But what stood out more than anything was the astonishing energy that shone through these games. Both teams in the final had played the night before. You would not know it.
Throughout the tournament, sheer determination and willpower rose to a physical presence. There was electricity in every shift.
No one looked bored or pampered or complacent. There was no going through the motions. Third and fourth lines weren鈥檛 there to clutch, grab and play for time. Everyone gave it their all.
This was hockey at its finest, and also, regrettably, at its rarest. How often do NHL teams play with this level of intensity?
Occasionally, perhaps, but all too seldom. The professional game has become a pale reflection of itself.
Night after night, we see teams trying to get by with the minimum possible effort. Drab and lacklustre performances are more often the rule than the exception.
Some of this comes down to money. When even inferior performers earn seven figures, where is the incentive to excel?
Getting benched? Traded? Sent down to the minors?
How well can that work when everyone over 26 in this league has already earned more than most of us do in a lifetime?
It鈥檚 common to hear that professional hockey is just another business. In this view of things, players are worth whatever the marketplace will bear. But while that might explain mediocrity, it doesn鈥檛 excuse it.
Part of the problem is shortage of talent. There are 30 franchises in the NHL. With a roster per team of 23, that鈥檚 a total of 690 players.
Are there that many strong performers in the league? The fans don鈥檛 think so.
At least half the teams in the NHL lose money, carried along by billionaire owners rather than ticket sales. Yet even now, there is talk of expansion, with backers pushing a new franchise in Quebec City or perhaps Hamilton.
The impression that emerges, at the professional level anyway, is that hockey has lost its soul and forgotten its roots.
And by and large, we put up with it. Until, that is, we are reminded of the way our national game should be played.
For that鈥檚 what those kids in the junior tournament did for us. Indeed, the Canadian squad appeared more than capable of handing a licking to any team in the NHL. Too bad it can鈥檛 be arranged.
Maybe that鈥檚 just what youth does for a game. Maybe that level of enthusiasm can鈥檛 be sustained into adulthood and multimillion-dollar contracts.
But there is another possibility to consider. Perhaps that鈥檚 what happens when players 鈥� young or old 鈥� are genuinely motivated to give it their best.
If that鈥檚 so, our NHL pros need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. For now we remember what real hockey looks like, we鈥檙e going to want a lot more of it in future.
