As the Winnipeg Jets prepare for another challenge against a quality NHL team from Tampa Friday night — and we should say a healthier Jets team — we should take time to reflect on what we saw in Halifax last night.
Oh, sure, Canada won gold, in overtime, in a tremendously dramatic victory in the world juniors gold medal game.
But it was more than that. It was fun to watch the players, the fans, the game itself. Thursday night was why many of us love the game of hockey.
The camaraderie of the teams was so compelling, the anxious moments so dramatic, the youthful enthusiasm overwhelming.
And while we can’t forget the off-ice issues that Hockey Canada is facing and needs to rectify — we can’t tolerate it for one more second and the calls for transparency and improved governance have to be addressed — we can enjoy for a brief moment what brought most of us to the game.
To watch the skill and speed of these teenagers was, in a word, awesome. To hear Connor Bedard after the victory refuse to talk about himself and want to talk about his teammates, his country and the fans was truly a moment to remember.
Bedard is just 17, and other young men like Shane Wright, Adam Fantilli and Thomas Milic might just have become the catalyst for Canadians to fall in love with hockey again.
And while the politics of hockey — the bureaucracy of the game — need to be changed, the game itself can still be glorious.