Being Canadian, we get excited about it. We take a lot of pride in wearing the Canada jersey. A lot of us were stoked for it. We have a chance to surprise some people.

With the election out of the way, the attention is now on the Bank of Canada. We're still at the early stages of a hiking cycle, which is moderately supportive of the Canadian dollar.

Obviously, this hurts. It?s a huge letdown. For people in Canada, if we?re not there in the final, we?re not a success.

What part of Canada are you from, honey?"

"THE LEFT PART," said Jay.

Can I see some ID?"

"WE DON'T HAVE ID," said Jay, loudly. "'CAUSE WE'RE CANADIAN. WE DON'T USE ID...THERE. AND THAT'S WHY WE LOOK SO YOUNG. 'CAUSE WE'RE CANADIAN."

Doug stiffened. Jay sounded crazy. Doug tried looking extra sane to even things out.

That's the first time I've had back-to-back starts in the big leagues. Obviously, there's a comfort factor.