This time of the year is suppose to bring us all closer together as we patiently await Christmas day, not for the big jolly guy with the beard, but for the drop of the first puck of the WJHC. But things are different this year, it’s the complete opposite. So far this roster announcement is separating Canada and its hockey supporters more than anything.

To most Canadians, it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what league you play in. If you’re good enough to be at camp and make the team then that’s all they ask but now, less than 24 hours after the camp roster was announced, TSN’s ‘Your Call’ message boards have received 200+ posts about the roster just not for the reasons you might think. Instead of congratulating those who made the list or wishing the team luck at the tournament, I found everyone arguing about why there was so little representation from the OHL and QMJHL compared to the WHL.

This day leaves many Canadians thinking (and arguing) about and defending their local Junior league, because of course, it must be the best. I guess some people don’t understand why the selection committee chose who they did but if you look at the statistics of each player, individually, they all deserve to be there. They wouldn’t be on the list if they didn’t, right? Yes, there are some players that probably could have been there just as much as a guy on the list but that’s the beauty of it… that is why Canada is one of the greatest hockey nations in the world, because we have that depth, we have the depth to leave off NHL players like Nathan Horton because no one is bigger than the country and the team. We may not all speak the same language or play the same style of hockey but it’s always going to be Team Canada, all the way from Newfoundland to B.C and everywhere in between.