Hockey fans in Toronto love the World Juniors, but don't ask them to attend an OHL game.

Just over a week in and I've already obliterated one of my New Year's resolutions.

I happen to love junior hockey but I've got a huge bone to pick with the World Junior tournament .

Rogers Sportsnet, you see, is based in Toronto and every year it's the same thing; people who wouldn't cross the street to attend a junior game suddenly go nuts over a bunch of Canadian teenagers when Boxing Day rolls around. The whole thing has always struck me as hypocritical, however this year I resolved to keep my resentment under wraps.

But then all of those junior-come-lately's started raving about Canadian scoring leader Cody Hodgson, and I just couldn't help myself.

I've seen Hodgson play a number of games for the OHL Brampton Battalion, and the building has often been half-empty. Canadian cities such as Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver have no problem embracing their junior franchises. So, why do Torontonians sniff at spending ten bucks for a ticket to watch a junior contest, while thinking nothing of forking over whatever it takes just because it's the World Juniors?

Well, despite my New Year's resolution being ripped to shreds, I pledge to keep an open mind while pondering a few of the possibilities.

American Dream

Mel Kiper Jr. tracks U.S. college football for ESPN and is considered one of the brightest media minds in America. But if you cover junior hockey in Canada, you're considered a second-rate reporter because it's not the NHL beat. Like American college football, junior hockey is the primary feeder system to the pro game, but it's never been treated with the same respect.

Meanwhile, with Toronto so close to the American border, many sports fans in the city fall prey to Uncle Sam's hype machine. If it's “Born in the U.S.A.,” it must be bigger and better and a lot of Torontonians would rather hop a bus to attend a University of Michigan football game than cross the street for a junior hockey tilt.

The "Big Bang" Theory

Contrary to what the rest of the planet believes, not every Canadian was born with a Sherwood attached to their hands. But even if you don't know much about the game, you can hide that lack of knowledge by getting lost in the huge crowds watching the World Juniors in Canada, both at the rink and on television.

Most folks love being part of big events and, like the Olympics, the World Juniors provide an easy rooting interest. So, while watching the Brampton Battalion tangle with the Mississauga St. Mike's Majors might not tug at the ol' heart strings, it doesn't take much for people to scream their lungs out for the kids with a maple leaf on their sweaters.

Traffic Jam

When the Canadian Juniors played an exhibition game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto this year, over 10,000 people braved a snowstorm to watch it. However, expecting people to make a commitment beyond a single major event is a difficult proposition.

Before moving to Mississauga last season, the Majors were based at tiny St. Mike's Arena in the heart of Toronto. But even though a few diehards loved the old barn, it had definitely run its course as an appropriate home for an OHL franchise.

Let's face it.

Setting up rat traps in a rink just doesn't draw a crowd the way it used to.

But even though Brampton and Mississauga both have quality buildings, another problem often rears its ugly head. On weekends, you can make pretty good time getting to either arena from Toronto, a trek of about 30 Ks from downtown. However, trying to navigate your way through traffic for a weeknight tilt is a lost cause.

When I was single, I'd often leave Toronto at 2.30 p.m. to beat rush hour for a Friday night game. Sitting in a local restaurant, I'd soak up four newspapers, The Hockey News and Sports Illustrated waiting for the 7.30 p.m. face-off.

But while killing time is fine when you have no commitments, it's not an easy sell if you're a family man.

And the only thing crazier than twiddling your thumbs for five hours waiting for a hockey game?

Bringing along a couple of stir-crazed kids to wait with you.

Population Problem

Even new Canadians get caught up in the excitement of cheering for our lads at the World Juniors. But before the tournament in Ottawa, a lot of those recent arrivals thought a "Tavares" was the make of a Canadian-made automobile.

Toronto is completely multi-cultural and sporting allegiances include everything from soccer to cricket. Brampton and Mississauga also have huge ethnic populations and many people from the two communities have never been inside a hockey rink .

To their credit, both the Battalion and Majors are reaching out to new Canadians. For example, the two teams staged a special game for school kids earlier this year, featuring a 12.00 p.m. face-off on a Wednesday afternoon.

It's a good start, and who knows?

Maybe a few of the kids who took in that noon special will get turned on to the game and end up wearing Canadian colours at a future World Juniors.

Puck Pressure

A few weeks ago, I attended a minor hockey tournament in Burlington.

Looking around, you couldn't help notice that a lot of parents had the haggard look of a battle-weary soldier. Many of them gulped down bad coffee, a few of them snuck a smoke outside the rink, and most of them complained about: A) The referee; B) The coach; or C) Their future Sidney Crosby's lack of ice time.

Still, you have to feel a little sorry for adults who chase their kids around all winter. My two lads aren't old enough to play hockey yet, but one day I'll probably have the same grey skin tone and lengthy list of beefs that serve as the official trademarks of every hockey parent.

Watching all the hub-bub in Burlington, it suddenly struck me; after fighting Toronto traffic all week to get their kids to the rink, the last thing most people want is to spend their Sunday afternoon inside yet another arena watching a junior game.

But the World Juniors?

Staged during the Christmas break, it's one of the few times hockey families can relax a little, as they watch the tournament together and remember what it was about this crazy game they fell in love with in the first place.