Two games into the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship and Team Canada is sitting pretty. Two wins, four lines that are clicking and two goalies battling for that coveted starting role.

Many pundits predicted Team Canada would lack the scoring depth necessary to snap a two-year gold medal drought. Others wondered if our national team would have a true #1 goaltender that could handle the intense pressure of performing on home ice in front of 17,000 hungry fans. Of course, it’s still to early to put those questions to bed but it’s fair to say head coach Don Hay has an indication of the potential this team holds.

We welcomed Sportsnet Radio Network’s Andrew Walker to Thursday’s BT for some insight into where Team Canada goes from here. Does the returning netminder (Visentin) get honours ahead of the one (Wedgewood) who just shut out the Czechs? Does Mark Stone have a legitimate shot at setting a tournament goal scoring record? What should Edmonton Oil Kings fans make of Mark Pysyk’s limited role?

Click on the video below for Walker’s full interview. Check out his blog (updated throughout the WJC tournament) here. If you’re checking out the games at Rexall Place (especially Team Canada’s upcoming doozie on New Year’s Eve against the USA) be sure to arrive early! The atmosphere is truly something special. If you’re not lucky enough to watch the game in person, be sure to check out the Molson Hockey House just across the street at the Edmonton Expo Centre. The organizers have done an incredible job creating an atmosphere that just reeks of Canadiana.

Go Canada Go!

rpj.

From our family to yours...

Broccoli casserole (as seen in our family cook book Udderly Delicious) is an institution come holiday time in the Jespersen household. You need a few basic ingredients and ten minutes to spare. It’s almost impossible to mess up…and people will love it, guaranteed!

You’ll need:
Enough broccoli to cover an 8″x8″ square pan (4-5 crowns’ worth is plenty)
1 tin mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Bread crumbs
Butter (to grease pan and brown bread crumbs)

Cook broccoli slightly. Place in greased 8″x8″ pan. Mix 1 tin of mushroom soup with 1 cup sour cream. Place over top of broccoli. Put 1 cup grated cheese over top. Top everything with 1 cup buttered, browned crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

rpj.

Wing-ed beauty

I have always been mystified by owls – the snowy owl even more so.    Murray lives in the Ponoka area and captured a Snowy Owl in flight!    “This female is in her first year.   I can tell from her size and the fact that she is barred (has markings).   She did not stay because there is virtually no straw for rodents to nest in – & that means a limited food supply.   Many snowies stay in the arctic year round.   They can see in the polar night so hunting is successful.   They tend to drive the young birds south in the winter to keep the food for themselves.”

DID YOU KNOW?    Snowy Owls swallow their small prey whole.    Inside the owl’s stomach, the juices digest the flesh and the other parts that are indigestible like:  bones, teeth, fur, and feathers.    Those parts are compacted into oval pellets that the bird regurgitates 18 to 24 hours after eating.    Owls usually regurgitate in the same place – on perches.    Biologists who’ve examined the pellets are able to determine what the birds have been eating.    When owls eat larger prey in small pieces they do not produce the pellets.

HAVE AN APPETITE FOR THE GREAT OUTDOORS?    SUPER!    TAKE YOUR CAMERA AND JOIN THE FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION.    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY – SEE IT ON BT AND THIS BLOG TOMORROW!

Heard but not seen

Lance with his eagle eye spotted the Blue Jay.    I wonder if he heard the signature squak of the brilliant bird first?    “From Cut Knife, Saskatchewan on November 7th.   I snapped the blue jay’s photo and when I looked at the shot on my computer I noticed something else … on the tree.   There are 2 knots – and the one directly in front of the bird kind of looks like a dinosaur eye!”    It sure does Lance – thank you.

DID YOU KNOW?    The Blue Jay’s feathers are not actually blue.    The bright cobalt colour is the result of the unique inner structure of the feathers, which distort the reflection of light off the bird, making it look blue.    Adult Blue Jays undergo a complete change of plumage between June and July, and are avid ‘anters’ during this period.    ‘Anting’ is the process of using ants or other  materials to preen or clean feathers.

DO YOUR BEST NOT TO DISTURB THE WILDLIFE WHILE IN THOSE GREAT OUTDOORS.    ONCE YOU HAVE CAMERA CAPTURED YOUR SUBJECT, SEND IT TO US AND THEN PREPARE FOR THE COMPLIMENTS AND ACCOLADES FROM YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND ALL OF US AT BT!

Enjoying Breakfast

Before Debra heads off to work each morning, she makes sure the critters in her neighbourhood get a healthy start:  “This squirrel lives on the 3rd floor of my building and visits everyday.   I leave peanuts – not only for him, but for the Blue Jays as well.   He is starting to take the peanuts right out of my hand but he is still cautious.   The shots you see were taken with my Flip Camcorder.   The Flip has a program that lets me capture pictures from the video“.

Whaa S' Up???

DID YOU KNOW?    Squirrels are nuts about nuts, acorns and certain types of seeds from trees.    Their favorite treat provided by humans is roasted peanuts.    If you are going to feed your critters try a mixture of:  peanuts, acorns, apple skins and slices, dehydrated figs, dates and raisins.

TAKE CARE, TAKE YOUR CAMERA AND TAKE IT FROM US – WE OF THE FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION NEED YOU AND YOUR PHOTO, TODAY!

It’s the website where you can Elf Yourself .. “and” your family & friends!    Well, I gathered my friends:  Bridget, Ryan, Stacey, and Carla.    It was a little like herding cats – but we practiced and rehearsed and put together a little song and dance routine.    So from our BT Family to yours – “We Wish you a Merry Christmas!”

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/iCvR0SGCSSHWuB2T

Here’s the link to the JibJab website so you can ELF YOURSELF!    http://sendables.jibjab.com/holidays

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

 

Whale of a trip

Brad had a whale of a fishing trip!    He was just off the shore of Prince Rupert in July fishing for salmon.    “It was about 11am when we noticed first one, then dozens of dorsal fins followed by the signature sound and sight of the Killer Whale water spouts.   We had 2 swim under the boat and as we leaned over - were eyeball to eyeball!   We were slightly out-numbered being up against these giant fishermen, so our guides from the Great Pacific Salmon Lodge took us to another spot where we tried our luck at halibut!   It was an unforgettable incredible experience!”

DID YOU KNOW?     The orca, or “killer,” whale is the largest member of the dolphin family.    They are very social animals, and travel in groups called pods – which are lead by a female.    Book your guided fishing trips here:  http://www.greatpacificsalmonlodge.com/

SHARE ‘YOUR’ INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE WITH US!    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY, AND THEN AMAZE AND IMPRESS YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHEN THEY SEE IT ON BT AND READ ABOUT IT ON THIS VERY BLOG.    OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY!