2011 RUSSIA VS. CANADA

‘THIRD PERIOD FOR THE AGES’

Flong dominated intersniatiofonuanl OR A NATION THAT dhoictskelyf, iRnusasniatiofonuanl tWdoruorulngdahmJtuednnuiotrirnthgCehtahSmeop2vi0oe0tn0ssUh.inpTi,ohnae lhaardgerlyultehde edaormlyaionn,ofwCasannaodwa, mwheidcahlswfronmf2iv0e05sttroai2g0h0t 9g,oalfdstetrehaakviingthae 1p9re9v0iso.us five-year golAdfsterin w2i0n0n2inganbdac2k0-0to3-,bathcke tfChoaernnasbidlrviaoennrzrtehotrahedesbRtlurosacsikgia,hntsseytehtlaitrnsga, snuefxftertwedo. tIhne20in1d0i,gtnhietyRuosfsilaonssdth, ekeqeupairntgertfihneaml tofSfwthitezinegrlain pspoadwiunmthaeltjougneiothrehroacnkdeyhlelgpeindg of ‘El Nino’ Niederreiter. ThSeo rwoshtaetr wloouklded20g1o1odb,rianngd? itnheVRaluesrsiiaBnrsaghinad, aa vneetweracnoaicnhwotefarLnseabstonioronya, ilwn hbtihecenhcrmhesatdbreiocstnseudcwlceihatoyr weWaphoinles dCuarniandgathheaCdoldosWt atrh. e pStraetveisouosn WJohJCn Ctoarltshoen’sUonviteerdtCiamneuckgsoawl eirne Ssatislkl asteoeon , asthae ifnorsmtaildlmabelnet sqinuadBufoffratloh.e 2W0i1th1 Oothvnoeturasrtaihone,dCbsaonrodafedrafafwrnosamsspStrroeauactmthiceianrlngUly.Sp.,laeysipnegcihaollmyeingatmhesBinoxtinhge RDuayssioap6e-n3e.r when they waxed siaIns thaelmqousatrtgeortfinuapls, ettheagRauins-, trailing Finland 2-0 in the third bEevfgoerneyfoKruciznngetosvoevrtismcoer,ewdhtehre winner. In the semifinal, Russia tnoeepduesdh aSwlaetedegnoainl tion tohve rtthimirde ibneftohre sbheoaotitnogutt.hIenTtrheeKmroenaonr

ftinmael, bCyancarudsahicnrguiSsewditzteorlatnhde r7e-v1eanngdebseamtinfignathl veiUct.So.r4y.-1 in a

So the final was set between Tthhee jcmuagrogdseitarncimakupitdosrCtaafnnroatdmtihaniRnsugsasfnioadr. BthoexiRnugsDsiaaynbs?loLweoaurtn. from that

Sometimes at that

DMITRY ORLOV: (Team Russia

level, you get too emotional.

defenseman)

tTihmeer,ei’tswaalostpgroibnagbolyn.thAet tmhoatst gimetptohrattangot ltdhimngedinalo. ur lives to

We knew we could play

NIKITA ZAITSEV: (Team Russia defenseman)

with them, and that helped us.

We were even keel,

ANDRE TOURIGNY: (Team Canada assistant coach) douormfioncautsedwmasorsetaolflythgeoogda.mWees ionf theamt t,osuornwaemweenrte, mcoanyfbideeanllt. When we arrived at the tournaoemvtehenerytr,bcwoeduynwtwerriaeessn,t’ast lotkhwienegfauavsboeorduitte, twhealtl apsrempoatrievda.tion. We were

For me, the big test was RYAN ELLIS: (Team Canada defenseman)

getting by the United States in

wthaessienmBiufifnfalo. T, ahnedtothuerynahmadent uBsuetdwtehactomtoethoeuitrfaodrvtahnatagaem. e and it felt like 90 percent Canadians in the rink. We felt they were the next-best team bweeslild. Aesloutso, af nuds pwleaykendetwogtehtehmer, Jack Campbell lived in my billet house that year. We played a gwooond4g-a1m. We eagwaeinrsetnt’thceomckayn, dbut we had a healthy confidence.

Canada came into the goldmedal game with a packed crowd of raucous Canadian fans and the tournament’s most dangerous player, center Brayden Schenn.

Team CaSncahdeanins walawsagyosogdo.od in

ORLOV:

that tournament. We lost the first game of the tournament titobtahcekmt,oatnhdemwe. wanted to give building I Ihtawdaesvtehrebleoeundiens,t

ZAITSEV:

because we were kids. It’s the gold-medal game. We were excited.

For us, it was still

EVGENY KUZNETSOV: (Team Russia center)

pretty exciting. Even if the full crowd is against you, you still enjoy it. It’s still loud. That wIt hoalde bdeaeynwaalsosnpgetciimalefosirnuces. Russia had won the gold medal, atondbewaet Chandatdhae, othpepboertsutnteitaym. Half of them were playing in the NHL already. Then we tdoidin’thsotasretftihrsetwtwayo wp erwioadnst.ed

Canada got the ball rolling less than five minutes into the game after Russian defenseman Georgi Berdyukov took a hooking pen

alty. On the ensuing power play, Schenn found Ellis on a crossice pass that Ellis rifled home from the right faceoff dot.

pthlaeywwoarEsldvaejruwyneyiaoepraosr,ntI.hpMelaypyofeiwrdseatrt

ELLIS:

ySTeuaavbrab,rawense, IhJotahrdingaknuywEsbeleiwkrelerJoeanhlidnkeP.6K0. aponelortctheoenfpte.omGweoetttriionpngl.atYyho, atuhtrelewraehdwoelaeasrly tcoarweeinr thhais cgualmein. ated in trying

Every time you tphlaeyreafgearienestisCbaanda,dbae, cyaoustehtihneky

KUZNETSOV:

musa! k(elasuoghmsa)nIyt’spneontalrteieasllyonlike that, but sometimes it happens bgooueactalpuorsneetthtyhehepyaoradwl.weTrahypeslyajuyg,mobtputthwe e wknee’dwhwaveejuosutrhcahdantocewsa. it and

It was Team Canada who struck again, though, as Carter Ashton won a battle in the corner behind the Russian net, then pYlayEedLLgEivDe-aAndT-goUSwithTOLouWis Leblanc. Ashton wristed a shot past goalie Dmitri Shikin to give Canada a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The game wasn’t over. We didn’t play our best, and the ORLOV:

aconadcyhelslecdamateuisnto wthaekreouopm.

Early in the second, Schenn scored to give Canada a 3-0 lead. Shikin was pulled from the Rthuesstiwano tneeatmins sfapveonrt omfoAstnaohf etihme Ducks prospect Igor Bobkov, and second period trading power plays. Heading into the second intermission, Canadian goalie Mark Visentin, a Phoenix Coyotes firstrounder, had stopped all 17 shots he had faced. Russia’s coach, however, was far from rattled.

WE DIDN’T PLAY OUR BEST. THE COACHES CAME INTO THE ROOM AND AKpEretUtyPsol–idD.mHiBteryrwaOgarlisonvm,wTaeadasmafRtuesrsia

KUZNETSOV:

tsheecofnirdsthpeesraioid,,“bTuhtaatf’steirt,ttheis gsauiyd’.s“dIfoynoeu.” gTuhyast’scworheaot nhcee (on Visentin), they’re going to gweitllnoeprevno uspa.”nHdee’sveornyethoifntghose coaches I will always rememt1bhe8erowbreo1cr9aduassntehdaeytcotouhaactahtniimsmseia,syIsiwnga.s But you can actually listen to (BraginG),ehttei’nsgleagnite. arly lead cwaenrebedotrwicnky3.-B0e, tchaeusReutshseiayns ELLIS:

could play high-risk, highreward hockey, because if they went down 4-0, would it really matter? They weren’t on their (defensive) assign

cheating

ambeinttms,obruetwthideye sotpaernte.d to play

At the 2:33 mark of the third period, the Russians got their first goal thanks to an undrafted, unknown 19-year-old winger named Artemi Panarin, who picked up a rebound in the slot and popped it past Visentin.

When you’re punredtetyr 2q0u,icthk.eOgnaemsehcifatn, ocnheange

KUZNETSOV:

agogaolo. Fdrloemad3, -b0utoth3e-1otith’esrstill tehaememhaostitohne. Tmhoamt’senwthuymthanatd ibtsoeugcroaniunasgme tyeoonhut ainspepsvoeencrotkhonelotnwoewxwtahtacth sehveifrty. Othnineg.oIanltchaenNcHhaLn, gifeyou give up that one goal, you’re down a bit, but somehow you get back. It’s like boxing, when you get knocked down, you take your time to get up, you’re sumndaerrt a2b0o, uyot uit’.rWe jhuesnt gyoiun’gr,ego

TsincOgoU,rRgeodIGi,nwNgYe. Y:doAidusn’rs’eot ofnenoetal tsahntihynekpyianngi.c or urgency on the bench. You nbuevt eyrowu awnatnytotuorfeteal msotmoepanic, urgency or concern. We just didn’t step up. We just stayed pthlaeyceoduwrsiethanmdowreeusrhgoeunlcdy.have

AnJgueslet s12KsiencgosndpsicakftpelratyhinegPafon-r arin goal, Maxim Kitsyn, a Los OHL Mississauga, finished off a Kuznetsov rush to make the score 3-2.

TOeRaLmOVC: aWnaedahapdrotobagbelyt gdoiding’t. iwtwhohataqputpoiecnkds,onoeansfe.teSrotemawmeetksicnmorewesd e othescrotreeasmasfteawrtsqustircukgagnlidngth. SZYMON SZEMBERG: (IIHF direcdtour orfincogmmtuhneicatigonosl)dP-amret doaflmgyajmobe was to make sure that the allmstaerdiba,atlhloetns gweettrienginmyfrcormewthtoe cIowunast tphaeymin.gInatthenetiboengitnonitnhge, gI ahmade,tbouwt adtucrhinwgitheocnoemeeybeaocnk wtohfeereaHlols-cistkttaeinrygconCueanantraibndyga. aAnodcffoictuhipaelyes wBuetreinobtvhieoutshlyirdgidpdeyrieoadr,lythoeny. wcoeurledseneoitngb. elieve what they

Less than five minutes later, at 7:29 of the third period, St. Louis Blues first-rounder Vladimir Tarasenko scored to tie the agtam15e:2. 2Eoigfhtthemtihniurtde,sPaafntaerrinthtaalt-, lied his second to give Russia a shocking 4-3 lead.

We had a feeling we could make it. That’s the ZAITSEV:

momentum of the game, we turned it another way. They just lost their confidence. tShZaEtMmBoEmReGn:tuOmnscwe inygoiun hhoacvkeaPeysr,eatahccehoraec’vshe,nrtyoatkheinagllyyoouucrpartneimadceoh-. ofluotosd, gitatdeoseospne’tnm. AanttdeCr aonacdeatlheet the floodgates open by sitting cbanckd.oT,htaots’simthpelywsoirtsbtatchkin. g you

In the NHL, your coaches talk about momentum ELLIS:

and I never fully understood wOnhcaet wit emleoasnt thuenmtilotmhaetngtaume, .it was also like there was nothing swee mcoeudldtodbo.itEevuesr.ything we did

Though Visentin was getting lit up with four goals on just nine shots in the third, he stayed in the Canadian net. pTOroUbRleIGmN. YH:eMdiadrnk’twgaivsenuopt tshoeft ghthoaeadlmsa,otimhmeeynowtuetmrteo. (lteCrgoyiatacnghod)abDlsra.evWaeke (oCnamyersoidne) Itadlikdednoatbfoeuetl it,wbaust on Mark to pay for it. that pusYho.uW’re gwoeirnegatlol imn akbeit ELLIS:

of shock, being up 3-0, then dmoawkinn4g-t3h.eTirhepylagyost, acnodnfIidthenintk wthheeren wthaesyotnoloykfitvheemleiandu.tWeshlenft you don’t have much time, it’s tough to come back.

With 1:16 remaining in the game, Kuznetsov sprung Nikita Dvurechenski for a breakaway, which he promptly buried past Visentin to give Russia a 5-3 lead.

It was the finishing touch on one of the most stunning comebacks in hockey history.

I just rimmed it aorfounrdz.oInteh,raenwdtohuerpguucykwouast

KUZNETSOV:

apnredttsycofarestd..HAeftgeortthaabtrgeoaaklawasy tphraotbtahbilsywahserneawlleyuhnadpepresntoinogd. the DvureIchsteinllsckaing’ot able. lAieftverit,

ZAITSEV:

wthoaut,ldwwe wine. re confident we wOReLkOnVe:wWwhe nwwere sgcooirnegdtothwati,n. epvuemryptehdinegmwoetionaWlley.wWeeredsido tchoeultdoutorncaomenbt.ack and win

I will tell you, Tarasenko and Kuznetsov were

TOURIGNY:

rtoeualglyh dtoamplnaygoagoadi.nTsht eayndwtehrey tleodo,tbhuetwthayo.sPeatnwaorignuwysaswgeoroed, mthueclheaadbdouogt sP.aWnaerdinid. nI ’htakdnow KcouazcnheetdsoavgbaienfostreT.arasenko and

Canada could not come back. The final faceoff came in the defensive zone, with the Russians barely containing their excitement on the bench before streaming off when the final buzzer sounded.

What I like about those moments is you’ll

KUZNETSOV: rheamppeemnbserratrheelyminfoyroeuvrerli.fTeh. Yaotu stoeedgou, tyhsewy’hreo sdo nh’atpkpnyo. wYowu hliavte for those moments. emJuostiocrnasz. iInheasds. nUenvbeerlievable

ZAITSEV:

pferlot bthaabtlywoanyeboeffothre,bitewstadsays of my life. team. They wTerheisvwiratusallsypoeucital

SZEMBERG:

oFninlianntdh.eAqfutearrtehrafti,ntahleaygwaienrset awmanitssaiboonu. Yt oCuancadniatanlksuaplleyroiourcithya, brauctttehr.is Russian team had

For 40 minutes we were in full control, we were

TOURIGNY:

tdhoemgianmatein. Ggievveetrhyeamspaelcott off icqnruetadhriette.srTefihmneaiyfli,nctaahmleayencbdaamtchkeiybnadtcihdke sitidaeg,awineinlotsht eoufirnafol.cBuus taolnittoleur hbiatd...onrotahliontg. Iitnsteheemtaendkliiknetwh e third. If you look at the shots babfletinesrghottwhckeoempd.eiWrfiwoedewswe, Ireewreiondufoludulnl-’t acopnotwroelropf ltahyatogastmaret. Wthe hthaidrd period, too. That was probably Wwheewr erween’ltovsetroyugromodomonenthtuamt . spcoowrienrgpclahyanacnedotnhetyhegiortPaK. sFaromme tehaemre., we were not the

It took a second to rtoeualgihze. Bwehinagt haakpidp,eynoeud.wItowrkas

ELLIS:

ymoeudrawl, haonlde iltifgeeftosrstnhaattchgoedldout of your hands in one 20-minute aplelrbioedtt.eBruint Iththeinloknigt rmuand. eYouus appreciate the ups and downs that much more.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THOSE MOMENTS

IS YOU’LL REMEMBER THEM FOREVER. THAT HAPPENS RARELY – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Team Russia

Canada was consoled with silver medals, but those may as well be coasters compared to the pride of winning gold.

do you wantYtoous’raey?deI’avde.nWevheart

TOURIGNY:

buetesnaggooydoautwthearte. Ffiigvhetminignf-or tyouthrelmifea, nodwsayosuowmaentht itnogtalk ebmutoitniornealiatyndyoruearlhlyeacodoils, not there and you’re not prepared. LYoeussdiosnm’tokrneo, Iwthwinhka.t to say.

I

PYOTR KOCHETKOV: (2019 WJC

watched that game with my

bronze medallist with Team Russia)

onenfottihtroesrfeaemomnielcyme. -bIitnewr-aoi-tul.ilIfdet’tsbimoenecerazy games. It proved something Ifoarlmouorstcofeulnt tlirkyeaInwdatshaptlatyeianmg. tbheactaguasme oef. the emotions in VASILI PODKOLZIN: (2019 WJC

that game, I got that sparAkftoer bronze medallist with Team Russia)

play for the world-junior team wanads pmlayyfafovrorBitreagpilna.yKeur.zTnheatstov rivalry resonates with every ERvuesrsyiaonn. eIt’osfpmreytftay miluycmh aemw-ar. bers watched me at the world juniors on New Year’s Eve. It’s crazy. Probably one of the most important games in my life.

While the comeback was remarkable, the headlines didn’t end with the medal. When the Russians boarded their flight, they were seen as being a little too jubilant and were kicked off the plane, forcing them to stay an extra day in Buffalo.

SZEMBERG:

the bpulaiyldeirnsgleaOaftnvecre tahre nfionalol ngagmeret,htehey responsibility of the IIHF. From Hthoecrkeeiyt’sFeudpetroa tihoenR. ussian

Some guys were already on the plane, myself

ORLOV:

included. I had my headphones on, trying to get some sleep, then my teammates picked me

omuet.wSoemweerpeogpetleutipngankdicktoeld swaiitdhtuhse.yDdoiedsnn’t’twmaanttetor folyr us, gwaevewuesreasntielxl tcrealedbarya. ting. It

I was on the plane, too. And they said we gotta get

ZAITSEV:

ofluyitn. Igtowuatsraigchtut alwlyaby.eWttergnoot to osptheenrdaonndehmavoerefudna.y with each

KalUloZwNeEdTStoOdVr:iInnkRifuysosiua’ryeo1u8’re

Wore1d9i.dIn’ thkenoUw.S.aibt’osu2t1t,hraigt.ht? (laughs) Nobody cares about awthniayttht.hIuintsh.gIinbdkaodtnh.’tAetychjoiunuskpt lwme egeusdsyiedsd walked on the plane, and a few gpboeioonpnglewtosiatbhiedt,lho“eWusde,”dgouorynws’t, htwhaaet-nyt’rteo ecevleerb. Yraotuinkgnao w,iwn.eBwuterIelokviedds tHheesraeisdp, o“Ints’seffirnoem. Goeut rpcizozaachan. d WTbehheaertn’asnhthdee’gscotoeballacicnhkgytuosut, hp“Gelaohyotfotoerl..” sleep at 11, wake up at seven, Aparnaydcbtiinacceakht.”oaTurhdgahatnsdidtauoyanhteiaopdnpa, yethniete’ldl. coach ordered pizza and beer nfhooirgtheutls,..aIWnwdeawhs asedujrutphsrteisppeodeon,ltahttehtehe lntehetaxuntsdthoaeny dwthaeeywpbleafrnoeerme. ,obruetdthruenyk

Me and IIHF pscrheesidduelnetdRtoengeoFtaosMelownetreal

SZEMBERG:

ttChhaeenBnadeexileltnCdseangytarfmoerepa.rWePsesncrgaoumoimnesi-anntod gtmoaamtnaeylkootrfotthFhaeesrteoelpu, nornortatemarbseonwutat, nbthtuetd pablaoyuetrtshaeftsetrateheofgtahmeeR. ussian

Eventually the Russians did wgeatyshohmavee, atnhdeirthgeoyldwomuelddaalsl-. Despite having a great run under Bragin, the team hasn’t won the World Junior Championship again since that incredible 2011 tournament.

more inspiredRuwshsieanwthaesyalcwanays

SZEMBERG:

win gold on North American ibincecA.aTmuhesiersitcwhaae, sbtouputerefnveaecmrtyfebonortdtwhyeams , fkrnoemwCaalnoatdoaf.fans were coming

We played Russian hockey. Lots of skill. The most

ZAITSEV:

ibmuipldorintagn. At tllhoinfgBwraagsint’esatmea-ms awriethreaagllryecaltocsleimtoateea.cWheo’tdhbeer otongeerthooermeivnerthyedhayo,t2el5pgluayisnign acalwrdasysoras oamgreothuipn,ga.sTongetphierc,e. yonutghebtesfo rcelotshee. Ttohuartn’samTheanttm, the most important thing naboot uatbjouuntisoyrsttoeumrsn.aOmf ecnotusr, siet’s wunerhealdpsloaymerasn,ybsuktiwll igtuhyosutand athnaytthclionsge. nWeessh, awdecdoonnfi’dt ewnicne, and that’s why we made the cgomodebgraocuk.pWoef paelsoophlea,dwaerweaelrley all friends. There was a really wgoaosdathcllleitmosagametetehi,enarn.thEdevIertrohyoibnmokd. Iyt that’s why we won.

BOBIGKOOVR