The fall of the Soviet Union marked an emphasis on individualism in Russian society that had not been there previously. While this was undoubtedly a positive development, it hasn’t produced the best results for the country in terms of hockey.

If drinking on a Sunday is considered a faux pas amongst certain circles, exceptions will have been made on Sunday Feb. 28 as Canada and the United States battled for the coveted Olympic gold in men’s hockey in Vancouver.

Our lady Canucks guzzled a few Molson Canadian, sipped on champagne and — gasp! — smoked cigars following the championship win. For this minor indiscretion the team has been excoriated in American news outlets but they don’t have to apologize for their celebration.

Despite the focus on the men’s hockey teams at the Vancouver Olympics, the women’s teams are full of world-class players who should not be ignored amid the chaos and excitement.

Mike Danton, a former NHL player, currently on parole after a five and a half year stint in prison, is looking to get back into the game of hockey, and he could be lacing up soon for the University of Saint Mary’s Huskies in Halifax.

Being a tight-knit, rural hockey-oriented community, Unity welcomed the Latvian and Austrian teams with open arms. “They weren’t sure what they were getting into,” said Unity resident Rick Hill, who organized the small town hockey experience for the teams.

Team Canada and the nation they play for became engulfed in silent disbelief after a championship streak lasting half a decade came to a screeching halt in Saskatoon at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Under 20 Championship on Jan. 5.

The Canadians put the high flying Swiss team in their place by a score of 6-1 on Jan. 3 in the semi-finals of the IIHF U20 tournament.

Russia vs. Switzerland, U.S.A. vs. Finland, and other updates.

Two things dear to Canadian hearts are hockey and drinking beer. 15,171 Saskatonians were able to combine both on New Year’s Eve when Canada showed down with the United States in a game that saw Canada achieve North American dominance with a 5-4 margin.

Facing a Slovakia team with a 1-1 record on Dec. 29 at the Under-20 IIHF World Junior Championship, Team Canada faced their steepest challenge yet.

For the second round robin game in a row at the World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Canadian goaltender Jake Allen managed to blank the opposing team in a 6-0 victory over Switzerland in Saskatoon on Dec. 28.

Back in elementary school, the dismissal bell was music to many kids’ ears. Everyone rushed home to get in a few hours of fun before dinner. Street hockey was often the sport of choice. Easy to set up and take down, kids would play for hours in the heat, rain or snow, long after dark, and usually under the glow of the streetlights. Do you miss those days, where your troubles slipped away and all that mattered in life was finding a way to put a ball into the back of the net? Now there is the opportunity to relive your youth again

If Stalin were alive to discover that one of Russia’s biggest national icons in the 21st century was making his fame and fortune on enemy turf in the capitalistic United States, the communist dictator’s push broom moustache would undoubtedly turn grey.