Pats stars shine for Canada
REGINA — Decision day at Team Canada’s selection camp was quite a wake-up call for Jordan Eberle and Colten Teubert.
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After tossing and turning for much of the night, the Regina Pats’ stars were stirred from a restless slumber on Monday morning with news they had cracked the 22-man roster for Canada’s entry in this year’s world junior hockey championship.
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“I didn’t get much sleep,” said Eberle, who was nervously awaiting word on the final cuts. “Every time you’d hear someone outside your door it kind of scares you. We got one phone call in the room but it was a good one. They called (his roommate) Cody Hodgson because he was named one of the captains. As soon as they did that I knew (the cuts had already been made).”
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Teubert and his roommate, Jamie Benn, were still fast asleep when they heard a knock at the door. It was a TSN camera crew waiting to break the good news.
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“I thought it was housekeeping,” Teubert said with a laugh. “We were still sleeping because it was a pretty rough night. We were (yelling), ‘We don’t need our room cleaned!’ But it was all the guys with cameras saying, ‘You made the team!’ I was in my boxers answering the door so it was kind of embarrassing, but it was pretty cool.”
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Teubert and Eberle were among 38 players who arrived in Ottawa on Thursday for the tryout camp. After four days or practices and scrimmages, the roster was trimmed down to the final 22 on Monday morning.
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“It was a pretty competitive camp, a lot of good players,” noted Eberle, who had two goals and one assist in three intrasquad games. “I think they were looking for me to score and that’s what I did. I had a pretty good camp offensively and defensively I played well too. I don’t think I made many mistakes.”
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Teubert and Eberle were kept busy from the time they awoke Monday morning with photo opportunities, autograph sessions and media interviews. Amidst it all, they were still waiting for it to fully sink in that they’d just accomplished a life-long dream.
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“I don’t think it has yet,” said Eberle, a native of Regina. “I’m sure it will once the tournament starts. Obviously it’s a big accomplishment but it’ll be an even greater opportunity when the time comes (to open the tournament) on Boxing Day (against the Czechs).”
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Teubert was still pinching himself more than six hours after the announcement.
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“It’s pretty unreal,” added the bruising blueliner. “I remember being a kid watching all the games, just wondering if one day I’d get the opportunity to play. It’s another stepping stone in my career. We’re getting treated like gold, which is always nice. I’m excited to play for the (maple) leaf. We just have to show our stuff and bring the fifth (straight) gold home.”
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It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Teubert and Eberle will be together over the holidays. They’ve been virtually attached at the hip for the past two years, sharing numerous experiences including two stints with the world under-18 program, being selected in the first round of the 2008 NHL entry draft and playing in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.
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“I wouldn’t be surprised if one day we get traded to the same team in the NHL,” quipped Teubert, who joins a long and prestigious list of Pats players — believed to be more than any other CHL team — who’ve worn Canada’s colours at the world juniors. “It’s exciting for me and Jordan — and for the Regina Pats’ organization. It’s exciting going through all the names from the Regina Pats that have played on the world juniors . . . guys like Barret Jackman and Jeff Friesen. Those guys have had pretty good careers, I’d say. It’s exciting to be put in an elite group like that.”
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Eberle and Teubert were two of 12 WHLers who made the final cut. The OHL had six, followed by three QMJHLers and one from the U.S. college ranks. Among the WHL’s other representatives are Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman Keith Aulie, a native of Rouleau, and Spokane Chiefs goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who’s from Watson.
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