Kelowna connections at World Junior final

• Kelowna will be well represented in the World Junior Hockey Championship final between Canada and the USA. Brandon McMillan will participate on the ice but don't forget about Canada athletic therapist Greg Mayer. Mayer is a full time employee of the Regina Pats but was born and raised in Kelowna. Mayer, in his words when I spoke to him last month, is a "proud graduate of Kelowna Senior Secondary".
• It hasn't been mentioned on this blog but Team USA has one player with a connection with the Kelowna Rockets. Danny Kristo is listed by the team. Kristo is a 2nd round pick of the Montreal Canadiens.
• How smart does Willie Desjardins look for selecting Brandon McMillan to this years team? With an injury to Moose Jaw d-man Travis Harmonic in the semi finals, McMillan may be forced into playing back on the Team Canada blue line. McMillan has already done it once in this tournament and did it with great success through the entire second half of last season.
• How much has McMillan's stock risen since his appearance at the World Juniors? He is proving to be an elite player.
• Does Anaheim sign this player to a contract in the near future? You would have to think McMillan's agent is doing some talking with the NHL club.
• If McMillan is fortunate enough to win a gold medal at the World Juniors it would mark the second player the Rockets selected in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft to accomplish the feat. The other is Tyler Myers. Myers was the Rockets first round pick in 2005 while McMillan was chosen in the 3rd round.
• Don't fool yourself into thinking that Brandon GM Kelly McCrimmon hasn't noticed the chemistry Brandon McMillan is having with Wheat Kings forward Brayden Schenn at the World Juniors. The two have played the majority of the tournament on the same line. McCrimmon has likely envisioned many times McMillan wearing Wheat Kings colours.
• Just one sellout at the World Juniors in Saskatoon. What's with that? That one sellout was in Canada's New Years Eve win over the Americans.
• Tickets for the worst seats for the championship final in Saskatoon will cost you about 191 bucks. That's hard for me to believe but that's what one Toronto radio station was reporting on Monday. Bob McCown is baffled at the non-competitive nature of the tournament and the inability to sell out all of games. McCown - heard weekdays on AM 1150 at 3 pm - believes the tournament should consist of just four teams, Canada, USA, Sweden and Russia.