Good morning!
Gothenburg, Sweden is the Christmas City, famous for its 1,300 Christmas trees and five million glittering lights in Liseburg Amusement Park. Soon it will be famous for its show on ice, the World Junior Hockey Championships that begin Dec. 26.

UMass goalie Michael Hrabal and forward Dan Locmelis will represent the Czech Republic and Latvia, respectively. Meanwhile 29 American teenagers will try out for 25 roster spots at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth Township, Mich. Six are from Boston College and one from Boston University, but the only other Bay State connection is Bernardston’s Doug Weiss who’s the team doctor.

“It’s a very intense tournament,” said Weiss. “Most of these guys have been drafted and they’re a step away from the NHL. They want to show their teams what they can do and they’re chomping at the bit.”

Weiss’s 18th trip to a Team USA tournament is thanks in part to his past and present employers. Currently an orthopedic surgeon at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, Vt., Weiss left the Navy in September after four years at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune where his orders included a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

“Helping USA Hockey is another way to serve my country,” said Weiss, a two-time hockey captain at Dartmouth. “The Navy encouraged it and so do the people at Gifford Medical Center.”

After a pair of exhibition games, the puck will drop on the 48th World Juniors the day after Christmas when the U.S. plays Norway, followed by games against Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The other division is composed of teams from Sweden, Canada, Latvia, Finland and Germany.

Only two teams will be eliminated, virtually assuring the U.S. of a spot in the quarterfinals. Canada, winner of three of the last four tournaments, is the 8-5 favorite according to odds posted on DraftKings. The U.S. and Sweden are both 3-1, Finland is 9-2, and the other teams are double-digit longshots.

Former New York Rangers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck is the general manager, Denver Pioneers coach David Carle is the head coach, and his two assistants are St. Cloud head coach Brett Larson and Minnesota Gophers assistant coach Steve Miller. The goalies coach is David Lassonde, a New Hampshire native.

“We’ll have a really good team but there’s so many good players out there, you never know,” said Weiss. “Without exaggerating every NHL team sends from four to eight scouts. Most of the players are already drafted but the teams want to keep tabs. They follow this very closely.”

As for his role on the team, Weiss said, “There’s always two or three players who need to be stitched up. Once they hit 18 they can take the cages off and wear visors so facial injuries happen more frequently.”

In October, former NHL player Adam Johnson was cut in the neck during a game in England and bled out en route to the hospital. Last month at the Mullins Center, a UVM player suffered a severe arm laceration and was transported to the hospital.

“I’m always worried about the ankles, wrist and neck,” said Weiss. “I tell parents it’s a safe game but we’re trying to make it safer. You’ll see neck guards become mandatory.”

The quarterfinals are on Jan. 2 and the semifinals and finals will be on Jan. 4 and 5. The games will be televised on the NHL Network and live streamed on YouTube. The six-hour time difference works in our favor; night games will be matinees over here.

****

HOT STOVE: The Red Sox Winter Weekend will be at MGM Springfield and the MassMutual Center on Jan. 19-20. The Red Sox finished last in the AL East and were six games under .500, but that’s not stopping the Bosox from hosing the western Mass. faithful. Tickets are $95 for adults and $40 for kids between the ages of 3-14.

Former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette was on Sirius XM’s baseball channel during the winter meetings this week. Host Jim Bowden mentioned that reputable front office people like Kim Ng, Sam Fuld, Brandon Gomes, and James Click had all turned down offers to interview for Boston’s vacant GM job. 

“I lasted eight hours with John Henry so I can’t defend the way he handles his key executives,” said Duquette. “It’s a tough job.” 

Notable Quotes: Steve Phillips telling O’s manager Brandon Hyde he looked relaxed: “I look relaxed because I’m not trying to manage a one run game.” … Bud Black telling a George Brett story: “We’re in Baltimore. It’s August. It’s hot. George comes into the dugout and says, “I’m not gonna drink water or Gatorade all game, because I want that first beer to taste so damn good.”  

SQUIBBERS: Two reasons why Sports Illustrated goes straight from the mailbox to the trash: articles with fake bylines generated by AI, Deion Sanders being named Sportsman of the Year.  … Boston College is a 9.5-point ‘dog versus SMU in the Wasabi Bowl at Fenway Park on Dec. 28 at 11 a.m. General admission is $60. … The first-ever Pop-Tarts Bowl is the same day in Orlando, where Kansas State is favored by 4 1/2 points against N.C. State. … RIP Tom Larson, pre- and post-game Red Sox and Bruins host in the days before NESN. … Scott Ferrall of Ferrall Coast to Coast on SportsGrid will return to the air tomorrow after recovering from heart valve surgery. Ferrall has been off the air since a “Dr. Badass saved my life,” said the raspy-voiced sports host. … Former Patriot lineman Pete Brock has left his UMass radio gig. During the UConn game Brock spoke of the time he lost 23 pounds and spent two days in a Miami hospital. “My Orange Bowl diet,” said Brock. … Add Storm Duck (Louisville defensive back) to Garry Brown’s list of favorite sports names. … Former UMass sports info director Molly O’Mara (Fillmore) has a similar role at Commonwealth Coast Conference that includes D-III teams Western New England, Nichols, Endicott and Curry. … No one’s saying why two-time CFP champion Stetson Bennett is on the Rams’ IR. Speculation is it’s a bad shoulder, bad habit or bad bug. … The NY Post’s Christian Arnold reports that Robinson Cano, Pablo Sandoval, Didi Gregorius, and Bartolo Colon are playing in a Dubai pro league called Baseball United. … Former UMass hoops star RJ Luis missed his first five games at St. John’s, scored 14 points in 15 minutes against Holy Cross, and is out for another month with shin splints. … Baseball Digest’s Rick Cerrone to WFAN’s Richard Neer: “Greg Popovich grabbed the microphone last night to tell fans to stop booing Kawhi Leonard at the free throw line. That’s where we are today, booing players is bad for their mental health.” … Noontime tipoff at the Mullins Center today and the Minutemen will try to atone for last year’s 85-80 loss to UMass Lowell. The Pomeroy Basketball Ratings rank the River Hawks 128th, and the Minutemen 139th. … When Jets coach Robert Saleh said he needed to “go through the process” of picking a starter Sunday, Charlie Weis griped to Bob Papa: “I can’t stand comments like that. You got a pile of crap at quarterback. Pick one and let’s go.”

Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for decades in the Pioneer Valley. He can be reached at chipjet715@icloud.com