Gold medal hero Little back in Barrie

Friday, Jan. 12, 2006 / Page 37
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Gold medal hero Little back in Barrie
BY KRISTINE MACDOUGALL: SPECIAL
Barrie Colts captain Bryan Little
returned home this weekend to a
hero’s welcome.
Canada won its third straight gold
medal, 4-2, at the 2007 IIHF World
Junior Championships in Sweden.
They defeated Russia for the third
time in as many years and did so
with goals from Andrew Cogliano,
Jonathan Toews, Brad Marchand
and Little.
Prior to the game Saturday, Barrie
honored Little in a ceremony with a
presentation and a video tribute to
mark the gold medal win by Team
Canada.
“It makes it that much better because I didn’t get to experience it
last year,” Little, a late cut from last
year’s team, said Saturday of winning the gold medal. “It was so intense this year – with the (semifinal)
game against the States and going
into the shootout.”
Little, who was placed on a line
with James Neal and Sam Gagner,
was pleased with his contribution to
the team despite missed opportunities.
“I had some chances the whole
tournament but I couldn’t find the
net,” he said. “I really wanted a goal
in the tournament. Fortunately it
came in the last game and it was an
important game so it felt extra
good.”
Little credits the camaraderie and
hard work amongst his teammates
for Team Canada’s success in this
year’s championship.
“Our defence, forwards and goaltending – they all played an awesome tournament … I think it
helped that we had experience,” he
said.
“I think it also helped that the
team came together so fast. We were
together for about a month and we
started playing together pretty fast,
ADVANCE FILE PHOTO
Mathieu Methot, above, was dealt to
his hometown Ottawa 67s by the
Barrie Colts before Wednesday’s
OHL trade deadline.
Colts make
two deadline
deals
BY KRISTINE MACDOUGALL: SPECIAL
SHARON BAMFORD PHOTO
Barrie Colts captain Bryan Little received more than just the accolades and feverish applause of Colts fans at the
Barrie Molson Centre Saturday. Courtesy of Jamie Massie, right, and Georgian Pontiac, he also received the use
of a new Pontiac Solstice car for the rest of the season as a reward for his efforts at the World Junior Hockey
Championship. The gift was on behalf of the team and its fans, the City of Barrie and the staff of the dealership.
Junior hockey
so we got off on a good start and I
think everyone got to know each
other pretty good.”
Despite the immense pressure on
the junior team, Little said the players were more than determined to
play their best and bring home the
top prize.
“There was so much pressure put
on the Canadians. If you don’t win
gold it’s a disappointment, and we
were taking it that way too. We didn’t want anything but the gold
medal.”
There was also another reason behind Canada’s success.
“We were that much more motivated because Canada hasn’t won on
European soil in ten years. Everyone
wanted it that bad and (coach)
Hartsburg made sure everyone was
focused.”
Prior to the game Saturday night,
Little paid a visit to the Colts dressing room where he was met with
cheers and welcoming applause
from his teammates.
“(We’re) very, very excited,” said
Buttle battles back from injury
BY RANDY STARKMAN: SPECIAL
It seems like Jeffrey Buttle has spent as much time
inside an MRI machine this season as he has in a
skating rink.
A stress fracture of his spine sidelined the slick
figure skater from Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. (who
trains at Barrie’s Mariposa School of Skating), from
all his Grand Prix assignments, meaning next week’s
Canadian championships in Halifax will double as
his season debut.
Buttle pronounced himself totally pain-free and
“pumped” for the event during a conference call
Tuesday – if not quite in prime physical condition
just yet.
“I feel confident I’m ready to compete,” the
Olympic bronze medalist said.
“That obviously was my main focus, to get ready
for nationals.”
The stress fracture kept Buttle out of training for
nearly three months and, upon his return to practice,
it became the injury that shall not be named.
“When I first got back to training, we basically just
didn’t talk about the back,” Buttle said. “We pretended like nothing was wrong.”
RECOVERY / Page 38
forward Vladimir Nikiforov at Little’s return home.
“We’ve missed him. We’re all
happy for Lits (Little) winning gold.
I saw him and gave him a hug,” he
said with a big smile. “It’s good to
have him back.”
Coach Marty Williamson agreed.
“It’s fantastic,” he said of his captain
winning gold with Team Canada.
“It’s a great thing he’s done and
it’s a life experience he’ll never forget.”
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The Barrie Colts were among the
movers and shakers Wednesday as the
OHL trade deadline came to a close.
Mid-afternoon, the Barrie Colts acquired 18-year-old forward Corey
McGillis and 19-year-old defenceman
Chris Purves from the Windsor Spitfires, in exchange for Barrie’s secondround pick in 2009 and ninth-round
pick in 2010.
Later in the day, Barrie made a deal
with the nation’s capital when they
sent Ottawa natives, 19-year old
winger Mathieu Methot and goaltending prospect Adam Courchaine, back
home to the 67’s.
Methot was Barrie’s ninth-round
pick in 2003 and was named to the
roster in the 2005-2006 season, while
Courchaine was an eighth-round pick
in 2005.
In return, Barrie will get Kitchener’s
third-round pick in 2007 and Ottawa’s
eighth rounder in 2008.
TEAM / Page 40