Live from Fredericton, NB

We've safely arrived at the Lord Beaverbrook Hotel in Fredericton. It's gorgeous [and very, very cold] up here. It turns out that the team is staying here as well, and we ran into Jerry York in the hallway; as usual, he was very classy and welcoming. I was told that the team got in yesterday and spent the day being feted by the mayor of Fredericton.

You may have heard rumors about how big World Juniors are up here. Let me tell you: the rumors don't go far enough... you'd think it was some combination of the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the return of Jesus Christ. It's on the front page of every major paper, aired in every bar, and discussed on every channel. They were just showing a re-run of the US-Canada game from the other day, and the crowd was as electric as any I've ever heard. Canada really does live for this.

We're getting set to check out the town now before heading to the rink for game one. Go Eagles!