Hello hardcore hockey fans. Like me, you are probably trying to schedule your next week around the World Junior Championships, and around Team Canada’s games. Problem is, after the round robin portion, all TSN’s schedule says is “TBA”.

I did some research on the IIHF site and figured out what our schedule will look like, so put this in your calendars!

Quarter Finals:

Canada should finish first in group A, thus receiving a bye through this round to the semi-finals.

Semi Finals:

Sunday January 3rd – 2:00 P.M. PST/5:00 P.M EST A1 (Canada) vs. Winner of Quarter Final 2

Final:

Tuesday January 5th – 5:00 P.M. PST/8:00 P.M EST

TSN also always adds half an hour before the start of the game to try to make us watch the Bob McKenzie pre-game show. I’ve removed that from this schedule for your sanity.

After the Canucks lost road games to Carolina and Nashville last week, Kyle Wellwood took a lot of heat, as he was scratched for two games in a row by head coach Alain Vigneault. He finally drew into the lineup against Los Angeles, but he played himself out of the line-up again for Wednesday’s match against Anaheim. Here are my thoughts on this situation:

In his return against the Kings, Wellwood took a third period penalty, which obviously put him right back in Vigneault’s bad books. But understand that it was Welly’s 3rd penalty in 2 years as a Canuck - considering that the coach asked for more grit, shouldn’t Vigneault be pleased with the effort?

The Canucks need a third line that can take some pressure off the top two, and right now the third and fourth lines consist of Tanner Glass - Rick Rypien – Jannik Hansen, and Darcy Hordichuck – Ryan Johnson – Steve Bernier. Tons of heart, but the only skill resides in Hansen. They need more talent!

Vigneault must get Wellwood going again, and it’s not going to happen without putting him in scoring situations! Put him back on the powerplay – he has magic hands and great vision, and he’ll be much more useful than “Stone Hands” Bernier!

Note: I will be going on holiday for 8 days, beginning today. Have a good week, if you can do so without my posts. I will return on December 28, just in time for the much anticipated unveiling of the Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey Team!

Tiger Woods is in so much trouble with his wife that he has decided to take an “indefinite leave” from golf to focus on his family. The mistress count is up to something like 13 or 15 - really, does it even matter anymore? Hopefully for Tiger, his therapist doesn’t charge a per affair rate.

The Woodses are trying to repair their marriage, for the kids. Elin came from a divorced family and doesn’t want her children to go through the same ordeals. But is there really any point now? Not only are there 13+ alleged mistresses, but the latest, Jamie Jungers claims that her affair with the golfer started in the Summer of 2005, just after Woods was married! It lasted 18 months, and was much more than only a physical relationship. Elin wants Tiger to quit golf for the time being, and most likely, to quit other women as well. But really, is this going to make the man happy? He loves golf, and he apparently loves women too. Would he actually be able to be with one for the rest of his life? Doesn’t look like it from this vantage point.

Back to the kids, forcing this marriage cannot possibly be what’s best for them. When they reach the age when they start finding out about their father’s mistakes, how can they possibly understand it and lead a normal family life afterwards? As if being Tiger Woods’ children wasn’t enough to deal with on top of it all, their school friends will be dropping jokes about their dad’s cheating ways.

Tiger, maybe it’s time to retake control of your life. Move on from the woman, spend as much time with the kids as she’ll allow, and get back to golf. As the sponsor who will always stick by you says “Just Do It.”

“The decision to play Raycroft was overmanaging, and every major-league coach does it.” – Iain MacIntyre, The Vancouver Sun.

In Thursday’s Vancouver Sun sports section, Iain MacIntyre wrote an article stating that Roberto Luongo should have started all four contests on the Canucks’ recent road trip. If ever there was a case of a reaction based on the score rather than the actual game, this is it. Anyone who watched the Carolina match knows that it was not only Andrew Raycroft who did not show up; rather, it was the entire team that seemed to be moving in slow motion on Saturday morning.

But, MacIntyre asserted: “The Canucks were beaten because they were sloppy and uninspired, as if they thought they’d defeat the National Hockey League’s worst team merely by making the opening faceoff. And why might they think that? Because the best Canuck was given the day off.”

According to him, the reason the Canucks played a sloppy game was because they were sent the wrong message by their coaching staff. Is it not because they had just played back to back games on Wednesday and Thursday night, and then were asked to play at 10:30 a.m. PST on Saturday? And if those 3 games in 3.5 days left them tired, shouldn’t they have the same, if not even more of an adverse affect on the only player who plays the entire game?

If you agree with this, then you understand the coach’s decision to give Luongo a rest on Saturday. Plus, don’t forget that the last time Louie skipped his morning skate and played a Saturday morning game –December 2008 against the Pittsburg Penguins – he injured his groin and was out for a month.

With all this in mind, it makes sense that Luongo was given the day of rest. Had Raycroft played a stellar game and won the contest, the decision would not be second guessed at all, and head coach Alain Vigneault would be lauded. Making decisions about when to rest players and when to play them is the heart of the coach’s job, and the distinction between overachieving and overmanaging is often determined by the players.

MacIntyre is a good writer who analyzes the game very well, but in this instance he is dead wrong. Vigneault made a sound, well-educated decision, and had the team won, we’d never hear a peep about bad goalie selection.

To read MacIntyre's article, click here.

Many of us have been wondering what exactly led to Tiger Woods' car crash. Lucky for our curious minds, a Taiwanese news outlet created an animated recreation of the events, exactly as they happened! We don't know how they know more about the details than we here in North America, but if this made it on to the TV, it must be real... enjoy!

With the return of Daniel Sedin and Jannik Hansen to the Canucks' lineup, the team is beginning to look like a contender. Granted, they skated like slugs in Saturday’s match against the Hurricanes, but who schedules a game at 10:30 a.m. PST anyways? For a team used to night games, it’s no wonder they were half asleep. Going forward, they are going to be just fine – reason being, they have depth at the forward position. We know the chemistry of the Sedin twins and Burrows, so here is a breakdown of the other three forward lines.

Third Line:

Why does Vancouver love Kyle Wellwood so much? Two weeks ago, in a game against Los Angeles, when a goal credited to Wellwood was reviewed and given to the true scorer, Tanner Glass, the GM Place crowd actually booed in protest. Granted it was Wellwood’s first goal of the season, but talk about picking favorites!

Perhaps it’s his angelic, innocent face, or the fact that we all see a little of ourselves in his formerly out of shape physique, or maybe it is because we know that when he’s on his game, he is one of the most skilled Canuck forwards out there. With Wellwood, it’s all about confidence, so what’s the key to keeping his up? For starters, don’t expect him to carry a line. Playing with Tanner Glass and Steve Bernier while the Canucks were reeling from injuries, Wellwood was the only creative individual of the trio, and even when he made good plays they would go nowhere. It was the addition of Jannik Hansen to his line that initially gave him the kick in the butt he needed. Now that head coach Alain Vigneault has moved Mikael Samuelsson to the line in place of Hansen, it will combine a good combination of grit and skill, as Samuelsson is a creative, puck possession player.

Second Line:

The Vancouver Sun seems to think the fact that Ryan Kesler hasn’t scored a goal in 14 games is an issue. It’s not. Kesler is the engine that drives the Canucks, and he continues to play hard and inspire teammates with the way he always put everything on the ice. Goal scoring slumps are often overstated, and that is certainly the case here, as he has 4 assists in the Canucks last 5 games, meaning he is still creating offense.

With Hansen moved to the second line to play with Mason Raymond and Kesler, this is now a line of like minded individuals: they’re all strong, tough, and good with the puck, and all three of them travel in one direction – straight to the net. This combination will continue to provide energy when the team needs it and provide goals at big moments.

Fourth Line:

Rick Rypien and Ryan Johnson are completely underrated offensively, yet they manage to do pretty well in that regard, given their mandate of “don’t make mistakes and keep the puck in the offensive end”. When they poke in the odd goal, it’s a nice present, though not really a surprise.

Two weeks ago would you have imagined that Tiger Woods could be any bigger than he already was? His face was already one of the most recognizable in the world as the planet's premier athlete and sports superstar, but the truths that been exposed recently about his unfaithfulness will make him more famous, if that is even possible! Surely, a lot of it is negative press, but in the end, more people will be compelled to follow his life and story.

If you are thinking that the negativity surrounding his actions will make him less popular, think again. The core fan-base he already had – 20-50 year old male golf fans – who loved to veg-out in front of the TV for a 6 straight hours on Masters Sunday will not be any less inclined to watch. They are sports fans, who became Tiger fans because he is an incredible golfer,.and they will still be there, useless as lumps on a log for a full day. The difference is that now they won’t be alone. Wives, girlfriends, sisters, those who used to dismiss the man as a part of the couch, an inanimate object that could not be stirred on those golf weekends, will actually sit down next to him. As Tiger makes his charge at a green jacket, they will be booing him and hurling curses his way: “A**hole! Cheater! Jerk!” But the fact is, they will be watching. Upon winning, will he go immediately to his wife and kids for the hug and kiss? During his victory speech, the camera will cut to a close-up on her face to see if she’s muttering swear words under her breath, or if tears are running down her cheeks. This is compelling reality TV, and it’s better than anything else out there, hands down.

As the story was revealed, the first thought of many sports outlets was if Woods would retain his endorsements. Would Nike, Buick, Gatorade not be opposed to align themselves with such a sinner? That’s pretty dumb. If anything, they should be over the moon. Tiger has just made himself the number 1 news story in North America: his face all over every news website, newspaper, and any media outlet, and what’s that little symbol on his hat? Nike’s loving it. And don’t forget General Motors, who paid a reported $40 million for five years for Tiger to endorse Buick. The shot of Woods’ wrecked car is everywhere, and although it’s a Cadillac and not a Buick, that shot alone is worth more than the $40 million for GM. What’s a more memorable image, Woods on a boring TV commercial with a Buick, or the beat up SUV, with the word “Escalade” clearly visible on the side?

Angry ladies on The View, as furious as you are with Tiger, you just made him more legendary.

The above statement is jarring enough. In a statement released on Wednesday in reference to the many allegations he has faced in the past two weeks, Tiger Woods admitted to “transgressions” and being “far short of perfect”. ESPN’s report can be read here. We don’t know the details, and Woods would prefer to keep them within his family, but these statements are enough of an admission to the many rumours that have been swirling regarding his infidelity.

The scary thing is that Woods is a role model to children and adolescents around the world. They want to be like him: strong, in full control of their emotions, able to perform their best under pressure. And now he’s a cheater, allegedly. Unfortunately, he’s not alone. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, David Beckham, and countless other sports superstars have all been caught being untrue to their wives.

But this is not about them, it’s about Tiger. We were not surprised when Kobe’s story came out – after all, he was married at the age of 22 to an 18 year old! Beckham was the world’s playboy, did anyone expect his marriage to Posh Spice to last this long?

Woods was on a different level. He learned to handle scrutiny when he was just a child. He never said anything to anyone that would raise eyebrows or cause a stir. He had the PR thing down pat. And what about the fact that he was married to a beautiful Swedish model? Shouldn’t that be enough to keep him from straying?

But let’s take a moment to feel sorry for Tiger. Not only is he dealing with his wife finding out about his “transgressions” this week, as she realizes she can’t trust him anymore. The entire world has just found out the same harsh truth. Though at the end of the day, none of the ire he faces from the world will matter compared to the heat he has faced and will continue to cope with at home.