If the Canadians show up at the rink Wednesday with bags under their eyes, looking like they haven't slept in days, blame Steve Downie.
"He's trying to learn to play guitar right now," Ryan Parent, one of the team's accomplished axemen, said on Monday. "He has it in his room and just plays it forever.
It's pretty funny."
Funny for Parent, perhaps.
But not so amusing for Andrew Cogliano, who rooms with Downie at the world junior hockey tournament in Leksand, Sweden.
Cogliano has been subjected to countless hours of ill-struck catgut since his pal was introduced to Korstappan Hotel's resident acoustic guitar a week ago.
"Cogs hasn't slept much," said Downie, offering virtually no sympathy. "I'm awful.
I'm no good at it, but it's slowly coming around.
"Parent's been trying to teach me how to play a couple songs. He's really good.
(Tom) Pyatt's really good, too. If I have trouble with something, I just go to them. We sit around all day, so you might as well do something.
"
Cogliano was excessively diplomatic when asked about Downie's, ahem, progress. Since they're linemates on the ice, maybe he doesn't want the winger second-guessing his hands.
"He plays it all night," Cogliano sighed.
"He plays in the morning, too . . .
he's not the best, but he's all right."
Parent discovered the old six-string in the hotel's sitting area, when they arrived Dec. 26.
He picked it up and soon discovered Pyatt and Luc Bourdon share a love for the instrument. None of them brought theirs over from Canada, so they happily passed the old beater around.
"I'll play pretty much any song," said Parent.
"Whatever the guys say. They just throw out songs -- mostly older stuff, some of the new songs that guys know.
"We have wireless Internet here, so we can pull up the tabs on the computer and look at the music that way.
It's pretty good."
Pyatt is versatile with his repertoire, while Bourdon is partial to heavy metal.
"Maybe 10 years ago, I started playing and I've just kept it going," said Bourdon.
"When I was back in junior, it was something to do when I was away from home. I was playing a lot."
Pyatt was inspired to play when he was about 14 years old, after watching his dad -- former National Hockey Leaguer Nelson Pyatt -- show his chops.
"It was pretty amazing," said Pyatt. "I was always a big music fan, too, so I tried it. I didn't get into it too seriously, I just kind of played once in as while.
But this past year I've been playing a lot more.
"Back in Saginaw, it's a good thing to relax to. You sit on the bed, play a couple songs and it just relaxes you.
"
Tragedy struck the team Sunday when a guitar string broke while Parent was playing.
A movement was afoot Monday to locate a replacement, but don't be surprised if some players go to head coach Craig Hartsburg and ask him to derail that effort.
With fresh strings, there's no telling how much damage Downie might do.
Heck, even with five strings, he continued strumming away.
"He only has one song that he plays, er, tries to play," said Bourdon. "All he's done since the beginning is three chords from Tom Petty's Free Fallin'.
He doesn't have it at all."
Added Pyatt: "He's across the hall from me so I can hear him wailing on it all day, trying to get the strumming down. It was kind of funny at the start but he's getting better.
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