Bulls Experience Hockey Day in Canada

Posted Dec 30, 2009 by Scott Carter

Updated Dec 30, 2009 at 09:21 PM

TORONTO— The University of South Florida football team is here to play in the International Bowl on Saturday, but on Wednesday the Bulls experienced one of Canada’s biggest sporting events.

It wasn’t a Maple Leafs or Raptors playoff game, but the announcement of Team Canada’s hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Dear Bulls, you’re not in America anymore.

“I knew how big hockey was here,’’ said redshirt freshman receiver Evan Landi said. “But I didn’t know how much of an honor it is to be selected. It was kind of cool to be here the day when they selected the team.’‘

The announcement was shown live on nearly all the major networks and drew instant reaction from millions across this hockey-crazed country. As soon as the team was announced, workers at the Hockey Hall of Fame near USF’s hotel began unloading boxes of the red Team Canada T-shirts and jerseys as fans began lining up to buy the hottest sportswear in town.

It was the kind of day that makes USF’s trip to Toronto, one of North America’s most cosmopolitan and diverse cities, so unique in the bowl experience.

“The weather takes some getting used to,’’ receiver A.J. Love said. “Everything else has been enjoyable. A lot of us have never been here and we’re just out seeing the city.’’

Landi, who did several interviews Wednesday with local media because he used to play hockey, relates to the Canadian culture perhaps more than any other player. A former junior hockey player, Landi has been to Toronto several times and even contemplated playing in the Ontario Hockey League before deciding on playing college football.

After practice and all those interviews, Landi and some teammates headed to the CN Tower to get a better view of all the international madness below.