First of all, congrats to the Canadian national junior team. They weren't even supposed to medal, and they ended up winning gold!
Second, nobody booed the american national anthem. That is a falsehood. Yes they booed the team mercilessly, and why not, the Americans deserved it. They were a bunch of brats. Jack Johnson should have been tossed out of the tournament for what he did.
Third, this is no small tournament. I'm pretty sure a lot more people watch the gold medal game than watch the Super Bowl in Canada.
Fourth, it's U20, not 19. To play in the 2006 IIHFWJHC a player must be born on or after January 1, 1986.
Fifth, overall I was disappointed with the Vancouver crowd (not numbers, but the nature of the crowd). Of course I really shouldn't be, since Vancouver is a hopeless sports city and a poor hockey city. The crowds were so quiet you'd think it was a Minnesota/New Jersey game being played in the swamp. Nothing like Halifax in '03 or Winnipeg in '99 or Red Deer in '95. Although the gold medal game was pretty good crowd-wise, if only because a lot of the fans were probably from across the country instead of just the lower mainland.
I have watched every world junior since Red Deer in 95 and for me this is one of the most memorable. This team was not even close in talent level to teams like 2002/3/4, but unlike those teams which choked, this team overachieved and made us all unbelievably proud.
It is a good day to be Canadian.