So whatta' you do after your team gets knocked out of the Stanley Cup? You watch your favorite NHL players represent their homelands in the 2012 IIHF World Championships being held in Helsinki, Finland & Stockholm, Sweden, ...

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YouTube - Watch the IIHF World Championships

Highlights thus far (for me): USA beats Canada 5-4 in overtime thriller for a 2-0 record in Group H, three Detroit RedWings (Niklas Kronwall, Johann Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg help power Sweden over Czech Republic & a 2-0 record in Group S, and while Detroit RedWing Valttari Filppula didn't light the lamp for Finland's win over Belarus, he logged some decent icetime.

It's just the preliminary round, but after that impressive OT win over Canada, do you believe in miracles USA?

Not miracles, so long as Crosby isn't there to whine his way out of it (had to do it).

Doubt any since Babcock isn't too fond of them but, how many Wings on the US team?

Jimmy Howard & Justin Abdelkader are the only two that I know of, Howard was in net for the O/T win against Canada ... after that win, USA should have no problem advancing to the quarter-finals.

Well, with someone like Howard lol. I liked Abdelkader (sp) since he came up to the Wings...but not so much that he is from MSU lol

amazing that these guys play 82+ games and then still go world's and play hard
I guess it's the lack of playoffs consolation prize

I don't understand hockey players. It is harder on your body (perhaps) than most other sports, definitely more violent...yet people still play for long careers...as in, if Jason Hanson played hockey, he'd still be kind of young to retire after 21 years. Dominic Hasek is still playing over in Europe as is Fedorov.

It's hard to wind down after a season and the World's are a nice way to combine business with pleasure, taking an international 'vacation' after getting knocked out of the NHL playoffs ... at least that's how I would view it if it were me.

I know Federov is still playing over in Russia, but I think Hasek finally retired (for the third time) ... I couldn't find him on the roster for the KHL team he played for two seasons ago ... it's a tough sport, I gotta' hand it to guys like that who play at a professional level into their 40's, regardless whether it's the NHL or not.

Well look at Modano, he was in the NHL before Hanson was drafted...and he just retired last year. Anyway, you have to go to Hasek's wikipedia page to find it. It also mentIoned that he didn't really retire the first time, he was playing for Ottawa

I take that back. It says nothing about him playing this year, but he did play last year

I know Hasek played for Spartak in the KHL 2010/2011 which is why I looked on their 2011/2012 roster ... they were carrying three goalies and he wasn't one of them so I'm just assuming he finally hung 'em up ... finally.

USA (2-1) lost 4-2 to a Slovokia (1-2) squad that had yet to win a game in the tournament ... sloppy puck handling and Howard didn't look that good in the net ... they won't be advancing to the medal round if they drop too many more like that.