Jake Vold of Airdrie and Tanner Milan from Cochrane shouldn't have to look far to find someone to swap hockey stories with in Las Vegas, eh!

Not only is the city home to the new Las Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL but Vold and Milan will have seven other Canadians close at hand to talk frozen surfaces with who have all qualified for the National Finals Rodeo starting tonight (December 7th). 

That makes the largest contingent from north of the 49th parallel to qualify for the NFR since 1994.

You can bet that Vold, Milan and the rest of the Canadian cowboys won't be thinking much about hockey during their time in Vegas.  Instead, they'll be thinking about lining their pockets with U.S. cash and trying to win a World Championship.

Vold heads into the rodeo in 9th place in the world, having won $112,160.63 while Cochrane's Milan is 8th in the steer wrestling standings with just over $84,000 won.

The other Canadians who've made the cut for the NFR include Vold's fellow bareback rider Orin Larsen and Milan's steer wrestling cohort Scott Guenthner as well as bull rider Jordan Hansen, saddle bronc riders Clay Elliott, newly crowned Canadian champion Layton Green,  and defending world champion Zeke Thurston.  Another defending world champion, Jeremy Buhler gets in as a heeler in team roping. 

The first performance of the National Finals Rodeo goes tonight at 6:45 pm at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.  The rodeo wraps up December 16th. 

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