The following article re:World Jrs. appeared in Today's Edmonton Journal.
 
        They arrived with a bang, now they'll work on going out the same way.
        The first wave of Team Canada arrived with a thud at the Forum
Inn Monday, when the equipment truck proved higher than the roof covering
the breeze way.  The rest of the Canada's world Junior hockey tournament
entry were expected Monday night and today, unless of course the plane
tries to taxi through the Rat Hole. [a local traffic bottleneck]
        Thirty four players have left their junior and college teams for
the Christmas season and tonight will begin trying to make head coach Don
Hay's final roster of 22.
        With a dozen players from the first round of last June's NHL
draft, and another five first rounders from 1993, Hay has more talent at
his disposal than any previous Canadian junior coach.
        "Canada always has great teams and lots of talented players, but
we can't get caught up in this Dream Team, all-star team thing," said
Hay, a firefighter by trade who also coaches the Kamloops Blazers.  "It
won't be just the most talented players who make this team.  You've got
to find guys to fill the roles."
        It truly does appear that the only team capable of derailing
Canada's third consecutive world junior title is the one they'll see in
the mirror.  On Hay's roster are at least eight players who would have
been playing in the NHL if not for the lockout, so talent and ability
shouldn't be a question.
        Only egos.
        "In terms of this dream team thing, I don't think it will be a
problem," said New York Islanders winger Brett Lindros.  "We're all
hockey players, and 99% of hockey players are good guys.  Everyone will
find their roles--I don't think guys worry too mcuh about first lines on
a team like this."
        That said, if Alexandre Daigle isn't your first line centre, then
where is he going to play?
        "I'm going to make it clear," Hay said.  "Everybody is starting
out even here.  What you do this week is the only thing that's going to
make a difference in making this team."
        Six-foot-four University of Michigan forward Jason Botterill was
more surprised than anyone when he was kept on last year's gold medal
winning club.
        "Talent doesn't win the gold medal in this tournament.  It's how
much character you play with; it's how the team holds together," said the
Winnipeg native, a Dallas Stars draft.
        "To say a superstar like Alexandre Daigle won't make it, well, if
he plays up to his potential he'll make the team for sure."
        And because of players like Daigle and Lindros, plus the dearth
of NHL hockey, the country will be wathching these kids even closer than
usual this Christmas.
        "The distractions will be huge," Hay admitted.
 
END OF ARTICLE
 
I will believe it when I see Daigle have a bad camp and get cut, but in
all likelihood the fiction that the camp is completely open will not come
up.  There will be national attention on this tournament.  Basketball, US
college or canadian college hockey is no substitute for the NHL here.
All games involving Canada will be televised live. More later.
 
Arthur Berman   [log in to unmask]
GO BU!!!!    THE MAPLE LEAF FOREVER!!!