Race to Brandon reaches stretch run

To steal a line from 80s hair band, Europe: It’s the Final Countdown.

It’s fitting too, because the song can still be heard at junior hockey rinks across the Canadian Hockey League and might even be played at one of the three league finals that begin this week.

So what better time than now to talk a little junior puck, in Yahoo! Sports’ inaugural, all-encompassing CHL chat?

In the Ontario Hockey League, the CHL’s top-ranked Barrie Colts are facing off against the defending OHL and Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires. The Spitfires, along with top NHL prospect Taylor Hall, are the No. 3-ranked team in the country.

In the Western Hockey League, there’s another battle between the two best teams in the league with the Eastern Conference champion Calgary Hitmen taking on the best team from the Western Conference, the Tri-City Americans.

In the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, you’ve got an old-school geographic rivalry pitting two teams from New Brunswick against each other with the CHL’s No. 2-ranked Saint John Sea Dogs versus the Moncton Wildcats.

Joining us in the CHL Chat:

Our anonymous NHL scout who covers the WHL

Cam Moon, former WHLer and play-by-play man with the Red Deer Rebels

Scott Briggs, Sea Dogs beat writer at the Saint John Telegraph-Journal

Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports Jr. Hockey Editor

Neate Sager, Yahoo! Sports’ Buzzing the Net CHL blogger extraordinaire

Mikael Lalancette, QMJHL reporter for Le Soleil

Join us here Wednesday, April 28th at 2 p.m. for all the puck talk you'll need to get ready for Brandon.