From a SportsNet article by announcer Paul Jones, the voice of the Toronto Raptors Jan 6, 2010
With Canadians still smarting over the loss to the USA last night in the World
Junior Hockey Championships, it was a fun evening as the traveling broadcast
members gathered to watch the game.
We headed out to a spot to catch the
hockey game and for me, wanting to keep an eye on the Orange Bowl and the
Orlando vs. Indiana match up, the sports bar we ended up at was the perfect
spot. The Raptors coaching staff also happened to be there doing their scouting
report and watching the game.
When the Indiana win was completed and Marc
Iavaroni gathered up his thousands of sheets of paper, the attention shifted to
the hockey game. Mind you, the people in the bar, including some of the coaches
were oblivious to the IIHF Championship but after Canada scored first and a roar
went up in the bar, the American patrons started to ask questions. Well, by the
middle of the third period, all anybody in the joint cared about was the hockey
game. It was funny to see the reaction of Alex English, who was also celebrating
his birthday, and Iavaroni to goals by Uncle Sam`s boys. There were chants of
USA, USA and high fives, with Jack Armstrong, Matt Devlin, assistant coach Eric
Hughes, and media relations director Jim LaBumbard, although as a Canadian
citizen LaBumbard was slightly torn over who to cheer for at times.
The
roars subsided when Canada tied the game but in the end, many Americans left the
establishment smiling over a game they didn't know was happening. As for the
Canadians, some from the MLSE front offices and those of us on the media side
that travel with the team, it was not good. TV Director Troy Clara will
have to pay up his end of the bet he made with Matt Devlin by wearing some USA
Hockey gear. If you know Troy, a good ol Northern Ontario boy, he is not a happy
camper.
aaaaa