What’s this? A tournament that isn’t the World Junior, but features past and future NHLers? It can only be the Spengler Cup!

Game Five, saw the last of the Torriani group, with Geneve-Servette HC and HC CSKA Moscow battling for top spot in the group.

Even though CSKA’s goal scorers were all former NHLers in Alexander Frolov, Alexander Radulov and Sergei Fedorov, it was two goals from former Ottawa Senator and Boston Bruin, Kaspars Daugavins, that got Geneve-Servette over the line in Overtime, to finish top of the Torriani Group.

Game Six. The final group game. Team Canada vs. HC Davos. Winner finishes top of the group. Loser faces the third placed team in the Torriani Group, the Rochester Americans in the next round. As hosts, Davos have home ice advantage, and it shows, as they managed to hold off Team Canada 3-2 to finish top.

The Knockout stage is quite unique in the Spengler Cup, as all six teams involved in the competition, are still active, and all have a chance of winning. How it works, is that the top team from each group gets a bye, whereas the second team in each group, plays the third team in the other group. For example, HC Davos won the Cattini Group, so they advance to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the HC CSKA Moscow (2nd in the Torriani Group) and HC Viktovice Steel (3rd in the Cattini Group).

The other side of the draw sees Geneve-Servette HC get the bye, and advance to the semi finals, where they will face the winner of the Team Canada (2nd in the Cattini Group)/Rochester Americans (3rd in the Torriani Group) matchup.

Both Quarter-Finals will be played on December 29, the Semi Finals on December 30 and the Final, December 31. All dates are based on Central European Time.

Ah, the Spengler Cup. Lying in the dust of the World Junior, Davos, Switzerland holds the invitation-only tournament that first started in 1923.  The teams representing the 2013 edition are:

HC Davos – Play in the Swiss National League A, and also host the Spengler Cup every year.Team Canada – Made up of Canadians playing in Europe, and the American Hockey League (AHL). Won the tournament in 2012 thanks to locked-out NHLers.
Rochester Americans – The Sabres’ AHL-affiliate represent the AHL, and will compete in the tournament for the second time since 1996.
Geneve-Servette HC – Also compete in the Swiss National League A.
HC Vitkovice Steel – Representing the Czech Extraliga.
HC CSKA Moscow – Representing the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)

Geneve-Servette HC, HC CSKA Moscow and the Rochester Americans, make up the Torriani group, whereas HC Davos, Team Canada, and HC Vitkovice Steel, make up the Cattini group. The name of the groups come from Swiss hockey players Richard ‘Bibi’ Torriani and the Cattini brothers, Hans and Ferdinand.

Servette trounced the Americans 5-0 in the first game, thanks to two goals from former NHLer Matthew Lombardi, with fellow former NHLers Kaspars Daugavins and Cody Almond also getting on the scoresheet.

Team Canada defended their title with a 5-4 victory over HC Viktovice Steel in Game Two. Goaltender Chris Mason, a former NHLer, now playing in Italy, got the win in a squad that includes Alexandre Bolduc, Glen Metropolit and Jim Vandermeer. All of which have applied their trade in the National Hockey League during their career.

Game Three and the Rochester Americans give a much better performance, but still go down 4-3 to HC CSKA Moscow. CSKA, lead by multiple Stanley Cup Champion, Sergei Fedorov, Team Captain and former Nashville Predator, Alexander Radulov, and former NHLer Oleg Saprykin.

Game Four, and the hosts HC Davos, start their campaign with a 5-1 win over Vitkovice. Finalists from 2012, Davos will play Team Canada to see who will top their group in a rematch of the 2012 final.

The other game before the final round begins, will be Geneve-Servette HC, taking on HC CSKA Moscow.

It may not be the World Junior, but it is broadcast on TSN, so you Canadians have no excuse for missing it.