An Unlikely Place for Hockey

Thanks to the TweetNHL feed on Twitter, we learn of a fantastic hockey tournament in Israel. And like the sport's roots in North America, Canada is at the center of the movement.

The tournament, formally dubbed the World Jewish Ice Hockey Championships, is being held at Canada Centre in Metulla. While the hockey might not be NHL- or even minor league-worthy, it certainly appears entertaining.

"The senior teams have drawn talent from major junior hockey, elite European leagues, college teams and the American Hockey League. Canada's goalie, Josh Tordjman, played part of last year for the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes," says the story from the Globe and Mail.

This isn't the first edition of the tournament, either. That was held in 2007 and won by the United States' team.

The Caps haven't had a connection to the tournament. However, former captain Jeff Halpern did gain some publicity for not playing on Yom Kippur in 2005, which turned out to be his last season with the team. Halpern also played on several U.S. teams in international tournaments (held in more traditional venues).