Yes, and given the exchange rate, you’d be foolish not to come.

NFL News:

• The Seahawks signed Devin Hester in advance of Saturday’s playoff date with the Lions, meaning Richard Sherman just has to concentrate on finding someone to blame when he gives up 40-yard sideline routes to Golden Tate.
  • No timeline or update on Tyler Lockett, but he’s had the surgery on his leg.
    • My guess is 2018.

• The Cowboys have signed guard Jonathan Cooper as O-line insurance during the playoffs.
• Pacman Jones is out of jail, ahead of a preliminary hearing January 13.

• Tom Savage has been declared unavailable for Saturday, because he hasn’t emerged from concussion protocol.
  • Backing up Brock Ostweiler? Brandon Weeden!
  • Amazingly, the odds are still only Texans -4.

• The Chargers have 11 days to decide if they are moving to LA.
  • According to PFT, “with January 15 falling on a Sunday and only two business days remaining this week, the best move for the Chargers would be to announce the decision next Monday or Tuesday.”

Finally, the 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 were announced yesterday. They are:

1. Morten Andersen                9. Ty Law
2. Tony Boselli                       10. John Lynch
3. Isaac Bruce                       11. Kevin Mawae
4. Don Coryell                        12. Terrell Owens
5. Terrell Davis                      13. Jason Taylor
6. Brian Dawkins                    14. LaDainian Tomlinson
7. Alan Faneca                       15. Kurt Warner
8. Joe Jacoby

• Senior Finalist: Kenny Easley
• Contributor Finalists: Jerry Jones; Paul Tagliabue

Honestly, I’m kind of underwhelmed. Maybe three from the players list seem assured. I’m more interested in Kenny Easley, but that’s a geographical prejudice. I’d like to be invited to Jerry’s party, however.

Here’s the rules & stats, if you feel so inclined.

Canada 150:

This year marks Canada’s 150th year as an “independent” nation. The whole year – pespecially up to July 1 – will be marked by various parades, festivals and free National Park admission noting our long viability as a country.

To observe this fact, I’m going to bring forth various historical points related to Canada’s development as a nation over those 150 years. What I’m teaching to my students I’ll impart to you, so any Trump evacuees are ready for the citizenship test.

The sesquicentennial logo is composed of a series of diamonds, or “celebratory gems”, arranged in the shape of the iconic maple leaf. The four diamonds at the base represent the four original provinces that formed Confederation in 1867: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Additional diamonds extend out from the base to create nine more points—in total representing the 13 provinces and territories. _(source) They even developed a specific font for usage with any Canada 150 promotions.

Today is a semi-national holiday, because the World Juniors semi-finals are on, with the US beating Russia in a shootout earlier this afternoon, and Canada playing Sweden at 7:30 PM ET.

To tie Canadian history & hockey together, today is the 30th anniversary of the “Punch-up in Piestany”, when the Soviets – remember those clowns? – decided to cost the Canadians a chance at a World Junior tournament medal by starting a bench-clearing brawl.

Canada was leading 4-2 halfway through the second period. A chippy game descended into a line brawl, which turned into a full-on melee when Evgeny Davydov left the Soviet bench and got involved. That sent everyone over the boards, except Pierre Turgeon – he stayed on the bench the whole time, earning him his turtling reputation – and backup goalie Jimmy Waite, which gave the Soviets a numerical advantage. Fortunately for the Canadians, the Soviets were not skilled pugilists, and mostly punched with their gloves on. Also fortunate: Canada had guys like Brendan Shanahan and Theo Fleury, the dividing line between tough and angry.

Having never seen something like this in international hockey, the Norwegian ref lost control, was ordered off the ice, and the arena officials tried turning out the lights to coerce the players into stopping. This made it worse, let guys fight dirty, and the brawl only ceased when guys became tired and were convinced by their coaches to leave the ice. After the game, both teams were ejected from the tournament, and Canada was denied a medal – in a vote held involving countries that benefited from Canada’s disqualification. The Canadians were expelled from Czechoslovakia and their bus was escorted to the Austrian border.

Both teams were not barred from the 1988 tournament, as it was scheduled to be held in the Soviet Union & Canada was the only revenue-generating broadcast market.

The legacy in Canada is that it created a patriotic desire to begin following what was generally considered an insignificant tournament, usually followed by only relatives & friends (guilty) of the players. In the shrill aftermath, the tournament went from a pastoral holiday treat to a matter of real patriotic significance. _(G&M) It has risen to become a national obsession during the Christmas holidays, and draws such ratings & revenue that the IIHF decided to mandate holding the tournament in Canada every two years.

It also popularized Don Cherry as a hockey commentator. Legend has it he drove through the snow into the CBC headquarters to take on other commentators who were accusing Canada of being the aggressor.

His argumentative rebuttals popularized him among a public grown tired of navel-gazing intellectuals who derided sports despite obviously never having played them. Cherry’s commentary on the 1987 brawl boosted his popularity immensely and helped cement his role as Canada’s “tell-it-like-he-sees-it” sports celebrity. _(CBC)

Tonight’s sports:

• NBA:
  • Bulls at Cavaliers – 8:00PM | ESPN / Sportsnet1
  • Trail Blazers at Warriors – 10:30PM | ESPN / Sportsnet1
• NCAA:
  • Villanova at Butler – 6:30PM | FS1
  • Georgia Tech at Duke – 7:00PM | ESPN2 / TSN2
  • Creighton at St. John’s – 8:30PM | FS1
  • Oregon at Washington – 9:00PM | ESPN2 / TSN2
• NHL:
  • Jets at Panthers – 7:00PM | Sportsnet360
  • Rangers at Flyers – 8:00PM | NBCSN
  • Canadiens at Stars – 8:00PM | Sportsnet
• World Junior Hockey Championship: Semifinal – Sweden vs. Canada – 7:30PM | TSN / NHLN

No football? NO PROBLEM!