Imagine Going All The Way To Sweden For World Junior Championship Only For Some Dude To Pull A Giant Flag Over You

One of the best times of the year for hockey fans is right now as the World Junior Championship is underway in Sweden.

Unfortunately, some Canadian fans who made the trek to Scandinavia didn't have the best view for part of the game.

That's because right at the start of the 2-time reigning champ's tournament-opening game against Finland, some dude decided that people who paid for tickets and traveled thousands of miles to cheer on their team would want the start of it obscured by a giant flag.

Yes, that's quite the atmosphere. Canadian fans travel well when there is hockey involved.

But I hate that flag move.

There's No Way All Those Canadian Fans At The World Junior Championship Signed Off On The Flag Move

That apparently is known as a "tifo" and started at soccer matches in Italy when the "Tifosi" (fans) would unfurl a flag or banner across the stands.

The visuals can't be beaten. That's not my problem with them. It's the implementation that gives me secondhand rage on behalf of unwitting participants trapped under a flag.

These banners are huge. There's no way everyone in the affected areas signed off on being part of it. Imagine paying for a sat and then without asking some guy just pulls a flag over you so you can't see anything. You'd be irate.

Plus, I wonder how many expensive concession stand nachos (or whatever they sell in Sweden... lutefisk, probably) and pricey beers have been accidentally dumped because of these flags. You've got limbs flying all over the place as people try to pass the flag. I'm sure many kegs worth of suds have been spilled unnecessarily over the years because of this nonsense.

But hey, maybe it did its job because Canada came out charging. They defeated Finland 5-2 for a big group stage win. That's a great way to kick off their quest for a third straight World Junior Championship title.

So, what do I know?

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle