Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff is shown during NHL hockey practice in Buffalo, N.Y. April 7, 2010. Preparing to coach his 1,000th career game, Ruff can recall believing he'd never get past Christmas of his first season with the Sabres.That was 13 years ago, and Ruff is still behind the bench.David Duprey
What can you do with 22 teenagers away from home over Christmas and charged with the responsibility of representing their country at the world junior hockey championship?
Well, if you are Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, you invite them, their families and the rest of the Canadian team's travelling party to your house on Christmas Eve. Ruff, his wife Gaye and their four children will open their suburban Buffalo home to the Canadians for a traditional Christmas dinner and a gift exchange.
Aside from that dinner and another dinner celebration on New Year's Eve, there will not be a lot of social distractions for the Canadian junior team once the world championship opens in Buffalo on Sunday. Playing hockey will be the focus.
"Between playing and practising, we're pretty busy every day," Hockey Canada's senior director, hockey operations, Scott Salmond, said Thursday night, shortly before the Canadians downed Finland 5-2 in their last exhibition game before the tournament.
Nevertheless, there will be a lot of socializing for the Canadian players since they will play and eat together for the entire tournament. The bulk of their meals will be taken at the team hotel in Buffalo and the menus are already in place, since Hockey Canada officials are not keen to give the dietary inclinations of teenage boys free rein.
Normally, the Canadian team has its team Christmas dinner and gift exchange at its hotel or a restaurant but the Ruffs' hospitality was a welcome break. Lindy Ruff has a relationship with Hockey Canada, as he served as an assistant coach for the gold-medal team at the Vancouver Olympics.
All of the 22 players on the Canadian team have at least one family member with them, so the Ruff household will be full Friday night.
It is a tradition with the Canadian players to draw names for the gift exchange, so each player will receive something from a teammate. When Hockey Canada media relations director Andre Brin was asked if there would be any special visitors, he was quick to confirm there will.
"Santa will probably be coming," he said. "Hockey Canada has a deal. We know people in powerful places."
Christmas Eve will be the last leisurely day the Canadians will have leading up to their opening game on Sunday against Russia at HSBC Arena in Buffalo. They returned to their Niagara Falls hotel Thursday night after the game against the Finns.
They will attend a rally at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls on Friday at noon and then travel by bus to their tournament hotel in Buffalo. Once dinner at the Ruffs is over, Christmas will be just another day, as it usually is at the world junior championship.
"The team will practice on Christmas day and then the game routine will be in place, so there is nothing special going on Christmas Day," Brin said.
Then again, no player has ever complained about missing anything on Christmas. Nor has one ever felt homesick, given that almost every junior player gets used to living away from home by the time they are 16.
The Canadians started slowly in Thursday night's game, letting the Finns carry the play and take the early lead. But by the latter part of the second period, the Canadians used their superior physical game to take charge and cruised to their third win in as many exhibition games.
Forward Ryan Johansen led the Canadian scorers with two goals, while defenceman Ryan Ellis and forwards Sean Couturier and Quinton Howden scored one each. Henri Tuominen and Erik Haula scored for Finland, which was outshot 37-20.
While Mark Visentin went the distance in goal for Canada and played two of the three games, it looks like Olivier Roy will be the starting goalie against Russia on Sunday. His work in Canada's 4-1 win over Sweden on Tuesday was a little better than Visentin's performance against the Finns.
Canada might be missing forward Brett Connolly on Sunday. He may have a concussion and it will not be known until the weekend if he can play.
Sweden 4, Switzerland 3 (SO)
At St. Catharines, Ont., Oscar Lindberg scored in the shootout and had a hat trick in regulation as Sweden outlasted Swizerland.
Inti Pestoni scored twice for Switzerland, while Romain Loeffel also scored.
Switzerland opens the tournament Sunday against Germany in Buffalo.
Russia 6, Slovakia 2
At Jamestown, N.Y., the Russians skated past the Slovaks in both team's last warmup game.
Slovakia opens against Germany in Buffalo on Monday