Happy Boxing Day

This is a pre-emptive post before I head out tomorrow for the Canadian holiday Boxing Day.

If you're an American and you know about Boxing Day, chances are, you're either A. Have family from Canada or B. You're a hockey fan.

The great thing about Boxing Day is that it marks the beginning of the World Junior Championships every year. It may not be the best tourney to go and see the draft-eligibles, but it is the best exhibition of non-NHL talent every year.

So, ny busy day begins with a quick flight to Buffalo (I hope) and checking in at HSBC Arena pretty soon after touching down to catch the Germany-Switzerland game at 12:30. That will be followed by Canada-Russia at 4, and then the night cap- USA-Finland at 8.

Crazy day, but wouldn't have it any other way. As far as prospects for the 2011 draft are concerned, Tobias Rieder and Sven Bartschi are first up. Then it's Sean Couturier (the Russians brought a roster comprised almost entirely of 1991-birthdates, with the exception of Caps first-rounder Evgeny Kuznetsov). Like the USA, they're not a lot of fun watching if you're looking for guys in the 2011 draft class. Finland has Joel Armia, who looks like he's headed for the 1st round, goalie Samu Perhonen (don't know how much playing time he'll get).

Let the fun begin.