If you're a hockey fan, this is the best time of year. Period.
The Spengler Cup kicks off in Davos, Switzerland. The World Junior Championship start today in Minnesota. The NHL resumes tomorrow after the holiday break. For the next week, you could wake up early, watch the Spengler Cup and their new US collegiate team, catch an afternoon World Juniors game, then settle in for NHL hockey in the evening.
Your family might hate you. Dads will go missing. Wives probably will be mad. But oh well, it's the best time of year.
The Spengler Cup runs December 26-31 at Eisstadion Davos, and this year marks the first time NCAA hockey will have an all-star team at the world's oldest invitational hockey tournament, dating back to 1923. The United States Collegiate Selects are one of six teams taking part, with an average age of 21, playing against professional teams from Switzerland, Finland, and Czechia, as well as a Hockey Canada entry featuring mostly pros playing in Europe.
Notre Dame teammates Cole Knuble, a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, and Danny Nelson, a New York Islanders draft pick, will suit up for the Collegiate Selects. Minnesota Duluth's Adam Gajan, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect, is one of three goalies. Cornell's Ryan Walsh, a Boston Bruins prospect, is there too. It's college hockey on the global stage, testing themselves against pros, and it's happening every morning this week.
Then you flip to the World Juniors. The United States is trying to defend its title and win three straight championships for the first time ever. Canada finished fifth last year after losing the year before. Sweden wants its first gold since 2012. Finland and Czechia are both capable.
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The tournament runs through January 5 in Minnesota, with games starting as early as noon ET. You can watch your team's prospects all afternoon—Edmonton has David Lewandowski in Germany, Asher Barnett in Germany, and several others scattered across rosters. Pretty much every NHL organization has players there, and every game matters for their development.
The United States and Canada don't play each other until the elimination games.
And then there's the NHL. After a three-day holiday break, the league resumes on the 27th with a packed schedule. The Oilers head to Calgary for game two in their Christmas schedule.
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So here's your ideal day: Wake up at 8 AM, put on the Spengler Cup. Watch the Collegiate Selects battle against Fribourg or Davos or HIFK. See how those NCAA kids handle playing against grown men who've been pros for years. Grab breakfast, keep the game on in the background.
At noon or 12:30, switch to the World Juniors. Watch Canada, watch the United States, watch whoever's playing. Track your team's prospects. See who's excelling, who's struggling, who's making a name for themselves on the international stage. Eat lunch. Keep watching.
By 5 or 6 PM, the NHL games start rolling in. Edmonton visits Calgary. Vegas plays someone. Montreal faces someone else. Pick your game, settle in, and watch professional hockey at its highest level. Make dinner. Keep watching. Switch between games if you want. There's hockey everywhere.
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Your wife will ask when you're coming to bed. Your kids will wonder why Dad's been in the basement all day. Your family will suggest maybe taking a break from hockey for one day.
And you'll say no, because this is the best time of year. This is what December 26-31 is for. The Spengler Cup in the morning. World Juniors in the afternoon. NHL at night. Hockey from sunup to sundown, featuring every level of the sport, showcasing prospects and pros and college kids testing themselves internationally.
This is why we love this sport. This is why December is special. The holidays are fine, but this week? This is heaven for hockey fans.
Your family might hate you. But they'll understand eventually. Or they won't. Either way, there's hockey to watch.