After The Jinx, There's Nothing Left to Lose

I know I have no control over things thousands of miles away, but I do believe in the jinx. With respect, I call it The Jinx.

The Jinx became a part of my life as a child. My father and I were around the TV watching the Denver Broncos play the much despised Oakland Raiders. The Broncos were ahead by 3 points, but the Raiders were driving. On a third-and-long situation, the Raiders looked to be done.

About that time, my mother came down the stairs with a snack for my father and I. She heard only the announcer describe the pass that somehow found a Raiders receiver in the right spot to pick up a first down. "Yay, they did it," my mother yelled. Cold stares made her retreat back up the stairs. She realized her error and did not come back. The Raiders would score and never look back.

That was the first visit of The Jinx, which comes with many rules.

The Jinx dictates that for some big games, you watch them on tape rather than live. When you do, the Jinx requires that you be somewhat obsessive-compulsive, checking to see that the tape machine is plugged in, has a tape in it, has the timer set, is running, is still running approximately 10 minutes, 30 minutes 40 minutes, etc., until the game is supposed to be over.

The Jinx stipulates that you DO NOT turn on the TV to see what the score is until you believe the game is over.

To avoid all the anxiety about checking the machine and/or turning on the TV to sneak a peek of the score, I went out to a movie, "Up in the Air," a feel-good movie where George Clooney is the master of putting toe tags on people's careers. After that inspirational film, I came back ready to watch the gold medal game at the World Junior Championship in Saskatoon. On tape.

Like I said, many miles away from me here in New York. No control over anything out there.

Came home, walked into the Bunker and lost my head. I grabbed the remote control and fired up the set. I saw that with a few minutes remaining, the United States had a one-goal lead over Canada.

Groan. Acting as if I were Linus, who feared that he had run afoul of the Great Pumpkin, I quickly tried to patch things up by turning off the TV. I grabbed Pablo the Hockey Pug and took him outside for a short stroll on the deck. (He had to go anyway, so I figured this kind gesture would put me back in good standing with The Jinx.)

Came back inside with Pablo a few minutes later and checked back on the game. Score tied after regulation. Overtime.

Having been visited by the Jinx, I figured that it had better things to do than watch the overtime period with me. I was right. Pablo and I greeted the new under-20 champions with a brief yelp -- his more of a weak bark -- as the United States defeated Canada, 6-5, in overtime.

If I were covering the game, I would have watched in real time. The Jinx has no problem with that, although it did send a representative to my house a few years ago during a WJC semifinal that I was covering off the TV set. A squirrel outside snacked on my cable, giving me TV reception problems that would last until the little beast finished off the job the next year.

Here, in better detail, are video clips from TSN. The first one covers the game and the second clip is Bob McKenzie of TSN looking at what he considers the game's turning point. For those interested, this clip from TSN looks at the bronze medal game, which Sweden won with an 11-4 decision over Switzerland.

As for the game on tape? No squirrels. No Jinx. Just hockey. You gotta like that.

THE SCOREBOARD
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Toronto 3, Florida 2
At New Jersey 4, Dallas 0
At Washington 4, Montreal 2
Boston 4, at Ottawa 1
At Pittsburgh 5, Atlanta 2
Calgary 3, at Nashville 1
At Chicago 4, Minnesota 1
Phoenix 5, at Edmonton 4 OT
At Vancouver 7, Columbus 3
At Anaheim 4, Detroit 1
The standings are here.
Recap by Sportsnet.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Milwaukee 3, at Lake Erie 2 SO
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Moncton 7, Val-d'Or4
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Everett 5, at Kamloops 3
Saskatoon 5, at Spokane 4
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Fargo 3, Sioux City 2 SO
The standings are here.

WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
(at Saskatoon)
Gold Medal
United States 6, Canada 5 OT
The recap is here.
Bronze Medal
Sweden 11, Switzerland 4
The recap is here.
Final standings and statistics are here.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.
Tournament MVP
Jordan Eberle, Canada
Best Goaltender
Benjamin Conz, Switzerland
Best Forward
Jordan Eberle, Canada
Best Defenseman
Alex Pietrangelo, Canada
Tournament All-Star Team
F -- Jordan Eberle, Canada
F -- Derek Stepan, United States
F -- Nino Niederreiter, Switzerland
D -- Alex Pietrangelo, Canada
D -- John Carlson, United States
G -- Benjamin Conz, Switzerland