Canada’s show of force sets tone for tournament
Hunter’s crash-and-bang game plan took starch out of skilled U.S. team in opener
When the Canadians were in trouble against the Americans in their world junior opener, they pulled the game back with old-fashioned body contact.
Kevin Bahl believes that early show of force will have a ripple effect the rest of the tournament.
“I remember (Alexis) Lafreniere blew somebody up, then it was, ‘OK, I’m jumping up and going to blow somebody up,’” the six-foot-seven, 240-pound defenceman and New Jersey Devils prospect said. “Then, the puck got deep and (Joe) Veleno was like, ‘OK, I’m running a couple of guys.’ We had a three-minute stretch where we were just dominating them. We’ve got the speed, and if we add that physicality into our game, they don’t even want to touch the puck.
“The U.S. basically quit during that span. We’re built for it. We just have to keep on doing it.”
The Russians, up next Saturday, won’t be surprised by it. One of their keen observers noted that Canada was starting to look like a Dale Hunter-coached team.
“Obviously, (Hunter) himself played that physical and honest hockey,” said Igor Larionov, the legendary forward serving as a Russian assistant here. “It’s typical kind of Canadian style. They’ve got some skill, too, and some creative forwards and mobile defencemen.
“It’s all good.”
Each of Canada’s five returning players remember how a New Year’s Eve loss to Russia cost them first place in the group at the last world juniors in Vancouver. That forced them to play a quarter-final with Finland, and ultimately, an early exit.
This rematch couldn’t come fast enough. “That’s what you want,” Canadian captain Barrett Hayton said. “Two good rivalries to start. It’s good to jump in and get that taste.”
The Russians are close to desperation mode. They spent a good chunk of Friday mulling over their goaltending options.
Yaroslav Askarov, the anointed No. 1 and best NHL goaltending prospect since Carey Price, was pulled after two periods in their loss to the Czechs. The Canadians have already proven they could beat a good netminder by hanging five goals on American Spencer Knight.
“He’s a 17-year-old kid,” Larionov said. “Things happen at this age. We’re all supportive. We don’t have to have to put pressure on him. It’s a tough position to be the goalie, especially at 17 and playing the first game of the tournament. You’re not starting against Kazakhstan or any team. First game is usually tough. We feel confident about him and he’s a good kid.”
The Russians’ biggest challenge is to recover their swagger. Shutting down Alexis Lafreniere, the Canadian scoring standout against the U.S., would be a good first step.
“I saw him a little bit (Thursday) and a couple of times in the Quebec league,” Larionov said. “He’s a good hockey player. We’ve got to pay attention a little bit, but we don’t have to be afraid. We also have some skilled guys, and we have to bring our best against them.”
They’ll try to knock the Rimouski Oceanic star off his game. That’s no secret, either.
“Every year, (the Russians) are really good,” the 18-year-old said. “We’ll have to be ready. They’re skilled and fast and they’ll come back hard.”
The annual six-game Canadian Hockey League Canada-russia series is a cornerstone in shaping the two rosters. It also gives the players an idea what to expect, a month and a half before they meet.
That was the original indicator of the physical test to come.
“We (hit them there and) I don’t think they were too happy about it,” Canadian forward Ty Dellandrea said, “so we’ll see what we can do (Saturday). It’s another great rivalry for us. The U.S. is probably No. 1, but I’d say close behind them is Russia.”
Both teams are walking a tightrope at the moment.
The Russians took too many penalties against the Czechs and surrendered a pair of power play goals. They need to stay out of the box.
The Canadians have already announced their intentions.
But they need to keep it welltimed.
“We can’t force it,” Canadian assistant coach Andre Tourigny said.
“Our players want to play that Canadian way. We want to be physical because that’s part of our game, but make sure we stay legal. It’s staying under control.”
That’s not always easy to do when Canada and Russia clash.
“It’s been a long time ago since I played (in it),” Larionov said, “but it’s still Canada-russia. It brings the best out of both systems. It should be a fun game.”
One thing is certain. People will get hit.