Rematch!

Well, it may not be the gold medal rematch that many IIHF World Junior fans had anticipated, but tomorrow night Canada and the US will face off in the semifinal round of the tournament. Team USA is the defending champion, hoping to beat Canada tomorrow night to advance into the gold medal game, while Canada is looking to knock off the team that beat them for the gold in overtime last year.

While Team USA earned a bye into the semifinals, Canada had to knock off Switzerland today at the HSBC Arena in order to advance. The hesitant crowd full of Canadian fans got even more nervous when Switzerland took the early lead in the first period, but Canada answered back with 4 straight goals to secure the win. The once apprehensive crowd got more and more confident as Canada scored their goals, and by the end of the game they were already asking for Team USA. Team Canada and its loyal fans will get to see Team USA tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. at the HSBC Arena.

Before the game, I headed over to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery to get a chance to see the Stanley Cup and other Hall of Fame trophies. The gallery was filled with art lovers and sports lovers alike who were there to see the Cup, the "Forty" Sabres exhibit, and the priceless works of modern art that the gallery has to offer. Plenty of fans donning hockey jerseys got a chance to get up close to hockey's long and storied history, by scanning the names that adorn the Stanley Cup and the other trophies.







Many fans got a chance to touch the Cup for the first time and got to take their picture by the famous trophy. Although I've had the chance to view the Stanley Cup and the other trophies several times, I could still spend hours viewing all the teams and names on all of the trophies. It's fun to recognize the names of favorite players and coaches, and see the names of the players and coaches who I'm very familiar with, but played before my time.





Fans will still have a chance to view the Cup tomorrow, as it will be on display at the art gallery from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What To Do

With people from all over the world gathering in Buffalo for the tournament, some people are looking for things to do in the area between games or whenever they have some down time. I'm heading over to the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center to check out the Hockey TowneUSA event where today the French Connection will be signing autographs.

In the meantime, another great place to visit is the Forty: The Sabres in the NHL exhibit at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.



The exhibit commemorates the team's 40 years in the National Hockey League with hundreds of photographs taken from 1970 to 2010. There are also video reels that highlights certain aspects of the game such as fights, goaltending, and the fans.










One of the coolest parts of the exhibit is the "NHL in 360" feature which gives viewers the perspective of playing in an NHL game. Cameras were strapped on the helmets of skaters, goalies, and fans up against the glass to give viewers every perspective and angle of the live action of a hockey game.

The exhibit is a must-see for any hockey fan, and from January 2nd-5th the Stanley Cup (the Cup is only on display on the 2nd and 3rd) and other Hall of Fame trophies will be on display to coincide with the exhibit and the World Juniors.

Be sure to check back later where I'll have a recap of my time spent at the Hockey TowneUSA convention as well as some updates of the festivities going on at the arena when Germany takes on Slovakia at 7 p.m.!