VANCOUVER – One by one, the kids raced to their seats by the glass. Rogers Arena was still relatively empty on this Sunday afternoon, but as the group of young hockey players from the Burnaby Junior Islanders filed in, things got loud.



They all sported No. 13 Islanders jerseys as well – perhaps an odd sight so far from Long Island, but not especially. Everyone – from the kids to their parents to a host of other folks who have played a role in Mathew Barzal’s rise from Vancouver youth hockey standout to Calder Trophy candidate – was here to watch Barzal’s current team practice a day before his first game home as an NHLer.



“Honestly,” his father Mike said in a bemused tone, “We hoped maybe he’d have a chance to play a few games in the NHL one day. Never anything like this.”



To those of us in the lower 48, especially in Islanders country, Canada is simply the hotbed of hockey. We may all assume...