Dear Hockey Canada,
Congratulations are in order. You’ve somehow managed to screw up the World Juniors, an event that used to grab Canadians by the hearts.
Now it simply tries to grab them by the wallets.
And we’ve had enough. We’re not buying it anymore.
We used to think you were on our side. You know, the side of the average Canadian.
It’s average Canadians, after all, who turned the World Juniors into the marquee event it’s become. By painting their faces, draping themselves in the flag, plunking their hard-earned money down and screaming their lungs out for their country’s kids.
They’d show up in places like Red Deer and Saskatoon, Halifax and Sydney, Winnipeg and Brandon, like a hockey pilgrimage.
They’d even go across the line if the tournament was anywhere near the Canadian border, filling up arenas where Americans couldn’t be bothered. More…….
