The young men wearing red and white maple leaf jerseys have a good shot at winning the gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championship tournament in Edmonton, according to Jim Taman of Warman.
“They’re a typical Canadian team,” said Taman in an interview prior to the gold medal game January 5. “Each one of those players is a star in their own right, but they’ve all bought into the team philosophy and they’re working together.
“They’re carrying the hopes of the country on their shoulders, and I’ve been really impressed with how they’ve played through the whole tournament.
“The gold medal game against the United States will be the big test, but I believe they’ll come out on top.”
Taman, the President of the 5,000-member Western Canada Montreal Canadians Fan Club, knows a few things about hockey.
And if there’s a team he’ll root for other than his beloved Habs, it’s the Canadian National Junior team. He and his wife Bernadette have decked out their home on Murray Crescent in Warman in red and white Canadian flags.
Along with millions of Canadians across the country, they’ll be tuned into the gold medal final broadcast tonight.
Canada beat Russia 5-0 in one semi-final on January 4, while the United States edged Finland 4-3 in the other semi-final to advance to the gold medal game.
“With the intense rivalry between Canada and the US, It’s going to be electric,” said Taman. “Even though there won’t be any fans in the actual building in Edmonton, they’ll all be watching on TV and the vibes will felt by the players.”
Taman said the World Junior hockey tournament has brought some welcome relief to Canadians across the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People have had to miss out ton a lot of things, especially over Christmas,” said Taman. “Not being able to be with family or see grandchildren has been tough for lots of folks.
“So it was nice to have a feeling of normalcy if you can sit back and watch a meaningful hockey game on a Saturday night again. I think the organizers did a fantastic job of hosting the tournament in the bubble in Edmonton. The fact that the NHL had ironed out a lot of the kinks earlier in the year made a big difference.”
Taman said all Canadian hockey fans, regardless of which NHL team they cheer for, are all in the same camp when it comes to national pride.
“It’s our game,” he said. “If you live in Canada, hockey is in your blood.
“All the other countries want to beat Canada, and we want to defend our claim to being the best in the world.”
But hockey is more than a game, he added. It offers an opportunity for people to connect and help each other.
Since its modest beginnings 33 years ago, the Western Canada Montreal Canadiens Fan Club has raised a lot of money for charities and has provided support for worthy causes across the west.
The club began when Taman and some of his Habs-fan buddies decided to attend a hockey game in Edmonton.
“We thought we could call ourselves the Western Canada Montreal Canadiens Fan Club for that one night,” he said. “But no one would make our T-shirts and hats. We had to go through the protocols and contact the Montreal Canadiens to get permission to use their logo and name.
“In those days there was no email or text. You either wrote a letter of phoned.
“So I wrote to the Montreal Canadiens head office and they replied saying they would love to have a Western Canada Fan Club, so that was how we started.
“Now we have 5,000 members in 27 countries, and we’re still going strong. I’m still proud to be a Habs fan, even though we’re going through some lean years.
“But at least they’re not as lean as what the Toronto Maple Leafs are going through.”