The Stanley Cup Championship 2007 Edition will feature the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and of course Canada’s team, the Ottawa Senators. Both teams will be looking for their first NHL championship with the first two games to be held in Anaheim.

The Ducks and Senators will be playing each other for the first time since January 19, 2006, at Ottawa, when Anaheim won 4-3 in a shootout. Dominek Hasek was the Senators' goalie that night. The teams haven't played in Anaheim since Oct. 17, 2003, when the Ducks were beaten 3-0 by Patrick Lalime.

The Ottawa Senators’ quick run through the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs has given head coach Bryan Murray a healthy roster to work with in the final. The Senators have won all three of their series in five games, which, in addition to Round 3 against the Buffalo Sabres included Round 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Round 2 against the New Jersey Devils. After each round the club got close to a week to recover.

So Running Around’s prediction for the championship? The Ottawa Senators will win in six games. The Stanley Cup comes back home where it belongs after a one-year stint in Carolina.

RABBIT HAVING TIME OF HIS LIFE AT THE MEMORIAL CUP

Vancouver, BC – From the Blood Reserve in Southern Alberta, Wacey Coleman Rabbit is enjoying his time in Vancouver as a Giant playing in the Memorial Cup for the host team. The Vancouver Giants at press time are undefeated and are favored to win it all over the WHL counterparts, the Medicine Hat Tigers.

The Memorial Cup, the Stanley Cup championship of Major Junior A hockey in Canada, is in full swing at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

The tournament is a round-robin format featuring the champions of Canada’s three major Junior A leagues – the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – and the host team, in this case the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. The top two teams from the round-robin portion of the event meet in a winner-take-all championship, scheduled for May 27.

The Giants, who lost a thrilling seven-games series to Medicine in the WHL championship, have the inside track in getting to the Memorial Cup final, having won their first two round-robin games, taking one-goal decisions from Plymouth (OHL) and Lewiston (QMJHL).

Wacey Rabbit, a Boston Bruins draftee, has continued to deliver in the playoffs, something the Giants hoped would happen after acquiring the over-age player from the Saskatoon Blades back in January. His power-play goal in the first period ended up standing up for the win in their second game.

"Every goal counts in this series, so we have to play well defensively," Rabbit said.

History was made in 2000 as for the first time ever the Memorial Cup finals were held in the Maritimes. The City of Halifax and the Halifax Mooseheads hosted one of the most successful Memorial Cups as the tournament was held at the Halifax Metro Centre. The eight game tournament attracted close to 8,000 fans with the Rimouski Oceanic winning their first ever Memorial Cup.

The Memorial Cup continues its proud tradition of honouring the Canadian Hockey League's champions, the Vancouver Giants and the Western Hockey League are presently hosting the 89th championship finals. The CHL's 58 teams that have all started their journey this season all have to earn the right to be a part of the proud and storied history of the Memorial Cup.

Wacey Rabbit hopes to bring part of that history home to the Blood Reserve in Alberta and motivate other young kids to dream of playing in the Memorial Cup.

ARCTIC WINTER GAMES HITS THE 20 YEAR MILESTONE

Ottawa, ON – In less than one year from now, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories will host the 2008 Arctic Winter Games. This will mark the 20th edition of the Games and the 5th time they will be held in Yellowknife.

“Canada’s New Government is proud to be a funding partner with the City of Yellowknife and the Government of the Northwest Territories to bring the 2008 Arctic Winter Games to Canada”, said Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) (Sport) Helena Guergis. “These Games serve to highlight the uniqueness of northern culture in a friendly, competitive atmosphere and will bring significant socio-economic benefits to the North.”

“We are extremely grateful and excited that the Government of Canada recognizes that the 2008 Arctic Winter Games in Yellowknife is such a significant event both for the youth athletic and cultural aspects, and for the economic benefits they bring to the region,” said Cathie Bolstad, President, Arctic Winter Games 2008 Host Society. “We have been working for more than a year on planning the 2008 Games, and with most of our funds dependent upon sponsorship and donated gifts, the commitment from the Government brings us closer to our goals.”

Held every two years since 1970, the Arctic Winter Games will attract more than 2,000 athletes, coaches, officials, and cultural performers in 2008. The Games, which will take place from March 9 to March 15, will be structured around the theme of Northern Stars – Inspired by Dreams. The Government of Canada has committed a total of $400,000 to help offset the cost of the Games.

Teams will come from Canada (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Northern Alberta, Northern Quebec and Yukon), Greenland, Russia (regions of Yamal-Nenets), the United States (Alaska) and Sami (Sweden, Norway, Finland), for the purpose of athletic competition, cultural exhibition, and social interchange.

The 2008 Arctic Winter Games will consist of the following 18 sports: Arctic sports, badminton, basketball, biathlon, cross country skiing, curling, Dene games, dog mushing, figure skating, gymnastics, ice hockey, indoor soccer, snowboarding, snowshoeing, speed skating, table tennis, volleyball, and wrestling. In addition to the sport component, the Games will include a cultural component. As such, each delegation will be invited to go to the Games, accompanied by a small group of performing artists.

NORTH AMERICAN INDIGENOUS GAMES FAST APPROACHING

Cowichan, BC - The 2008 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) will take place in beautiful Cowichan, B.C from August 3-10, 2008. The NAIG will depend on a volunteer force of several thousand people.

The Games are held every three years and are hosted alternately by the United States. They feature the United States and Canada in 16 sport disciplines and include a major cultural component. The 2008 North American Indigenous Games will allow Aboriginal youth to interact personally and through sport. The Games provide a forum for the sharing of culture and an opportunity for young people to set objectives for their mental, physical, spiritual and cultural development.

The official games website will soon be available for all information on the games. Plan to be there.

IROQUOIS NATIONALS LOSE A HEARTBREAKER IN OT

Halifax, NS - Canada earned its second consecutive gold at the world indoor lacrosse championship on Sunday, May 20th by narrowly defeating the Iroquois Nationals 15-14 in a tense overtime match up.

Jeff Zywicki's victory goal for Canada came 28 seconds into the extra frame, wrapping up a weeklong tournament in which both teams dominated their opponents.

Earlier in the day, the United States defeated England 17-10 to take bronze.

Zywicki led Canada's scoring with one goal and seven assists. John Grant followed with five goals and two assists, while Shawn Williams had three goals and four assists.
The Iroquois Nationals met the same fate after facing off against Canada in the inaugural world indoor lacrosse championship game in Hamilton in 2003. The tournament is held every four years.

Zywicki said this year's game against the Nationals was closer than Canada expected.
"They gave us a big huge scare," he said. "They came out hard and we were kind of on our heels for a little bit. They just kept coming at us and stayed with us the whole game."

Canada and the Nationals practically matched each other shot for shot, with players from both teams forced to scramble constantly from one end of the turf to the other.

Leads were tight and short-lived.

Canada scored two power-play goals in the last four minutes, only to have the Nationals even the score at 14-14 with 56 seconds left in regulation time. Grant chalked up Canada's win to more experience, but said having his team win the faceoff in overtime helped secure the victory.

"We were hoping we'd get the ball because if we got the ball, we had some guys who could score," he said.

"It's heartbreaking for the other squad and we feel for them, but we're glad we're champions."

To the Nationals, your team has made the Aboriginal people of Canada very proud and congratulations on a very well deserved silver in Halifax.

BEAVER BITS:

Will Wacey Rabbit bring that Memorial Cup home to Alberta? Let’s hope so. And make sure to watch and cheer the Ottawa Senators to a Stanley Cup Championship. Go Senators Go! 

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