GOOD AS GOLD?
Canada could easily emerge victorious at the world juniors this year — and it could just as easily come away with nothing again
As part of a hockey-crazed nation, we don’t collectively pound our chests with pride anymore when it comes to the world juniors.
No, we’re too busy chewing our fingernails down to the nubs in a sign of coast-to-coast angst.
Since the late Pat Quinn led Canada to the title at the 2009 tournament in Ottawa, Canada has captured gold just once, that coming two years ago thanks to a dramatic 5-4 victory in Toronto. And while home ice advantage proved to be key in that particular event, playing on home soil did not result in titles in 2010 (Regina/Saskatoon) and 2012 (Calgary/Edmonton).
How will Canada fare in the 2017 edition, which begins on Boxing Day in Toronto and Montreal? Here is a breakdown of why Canada might — and might not — win.
WHY CANADA MIGHT WIN BIG “MO”
If you buy into the theory of “Mo” — as in “Momentum” — Team Canada accrued plenty of it in their pre-tournament games. A 5-0 victory over Finland Monday was followed by an equally dominating 5-0 decision over the Czech Republic on Wednesday, results that should help cure the butterflies churning inside the guts of first-time players.
The most pleasing aspect of those wins for coach Dominique Ducharme most assuredly was they didn’t allow a goal in 120 minutes, the type of stingy defence he hopes will carry over into the actual tournament.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
“Unfinished Business.” It is a phrase you keep hearing from captain Dylan Strome.
Over and over again. It has become the unofficial mantra of Team Canada 2017, with Strome and the other four returnees — Mathew Barzal, Julien Gauthier, Mitchell Stephens and Thomas Chabot — still haunted by the disappointment of not even advancing deep enough to play for a medal at the 2016 event in Helsinki, Finland.
“It wasn’t the result we wanted last year, but we’re excited to be back,” said Chabot, the Ottawa Senators blue line prospect who plays for the Saint John Sea Dogs.
In the minds of these five, it’s time to make amends from the shortcomings of 12 months ago.
HOME COOKING
What does playing on home soil mean? Here’s what Connor McDavid had to say after his Canadian squad beat Russia 5-4 in the 2015 gold medal game at the Air Canada Centre, which may have been the most raucous we’ve ever heard and seen the Bay St. arena since it opened in 1999.
“Crazy,” McDavid said at the time. “The crowd out there was unbelievable. They were with us every step of the way. Such a loud building. Just standing on the blue line and singing the national anthem with 22 of my good buddies. The crowd. It’s hard to explain.”
It’s the type of snapshot Team Canada 2017 will be yearning for. This much we know: there will be no shortage of energy and support coming from the stands.
“CAPTAIN CATALYST”
If anyone has a deep chip on his shoulder, it’s Strome. Sent back to the OHL’s Erie Otters by the Arizona Coyotes late last month, Strome is the only top-five selection from the 2015 entry draft not playing in the NHL.
While McDavid (1st overall pick, Edmonton Oilers), Jack Eichel (2nd, Buffalo Sabres), Mitch Marner (4th, Toronto Maple Leafs) and Noah Hanifin (5th, Carolina Hurricanes) remain with their parent clubs, Strome is transforming his frustration into motivation. The message he continues to pound into his 2017 teammates: there are no shortcuts in this event.
“I want to stress to the young guys how hard this tournament is,” Strome said. “I want them to know every game is important — otherwise you might end up with a tougher matchup in the quarters and semis than there needs to be ... It’s all there in front of us. But to be successful, we cannot take anything for granted.”
Obviously there will be no resting on one’s laurels under Strome’s leadership — and that’s a key for Ducharme and his coaching staff.
“Last year left a bitter taste,” Strome said. “Nothing I can do to change that except go out and hopefully lead Canada to a gold medal.”
SPOTLIGHT DELIGHT
Pressure? What pressure? Obviously the fact this tournament means more to Canadians than it does to hockey fans in any other country puts Team Canada directly under the glaring spotlight. How the players handle it will determine whether it ends up being a positive or a negative.
Here’s the advice 2015 goldmedal winner Nick Ritchie, now of the Anaheim Ducks, had for the 2017 edition:
“There’s a lot of pressure, but if you embrace it and just play hockey, you’re good to go,” Ritchie said earlier this week.
By adopting such a glass-halffull attitude, Team Canada will have a much easier time concentrating on all the stuff that matters on the ice instead of all the stuff that doesn’t off it.
WHY CANADA MIGHT NOT WIN THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY
For whatever reason, Canada has just four medals at this event in the past seven years — the lone gold, along with silvers in 2010 and 2011 and a bronze in 2012.
“Canada’s struggles at this event recently have been puzzling,” a longtime scout told Postmedia. “The men’s team has dominated at the past two Olympics and at the World Cup in September, so it’s not like the Canadian product has sagged at all levels — just the junior one. It’s hard to figure out why.”
It’s a dilemma Hockey Canada president Tom Renney hopes can be solved over the next two-plus weeks.
CLOSING THE GAP
Canada’s recent struggles at the World Juniors is a reflection that this country is no longer the dominating presence it once was at the junior level, with the rest of the field having closed the gap.
Consider the outstanding showing by Finland on the international stage this year, capturing gold medals at the under-20 and under-18 levels and winning silver at the men’s world championships. The Canadians will enter as the +100 betting favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. But history dictates it best beware: the competition is closing in.
MISSING IN ACTION
Sure, pretty well every team in the tourney will be missing talent, whether it be due to injury or because NHL teams have opted to keep their junior-eligible players. Still, it’s hard not to think of the juggernaut Team Canada would be if it had all its potential stars at its disposal.
Consider the list of eligible players who will not be lacing up for Team Canada: McDavid (Oilers), Marner (Maple Leafs), Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers), Jakob Chychrun (Arizona Coyotes), Lawson Crouse (Coyotes), Anthony Beauvillier (New York Islanders) and top 2017 prospect Nolan Patrick (upper body injury). That’s such a rich cache of raw skill that won’t be wearing Canada’s red-andwhite for the holidays.
NET PAINS
While not solely to blame for Canada’s recent hiccups at the World Juniors, the numbers show the lack of dominant goaltending for Canada has been an issue.
Think about this for a moment: From 1982 to 2009 — a span in which Canada won 10 gold medals — a Team Canada puckstopper won the award for the best tournament goalie 10 times. That’s no coincidence, people.
Fast forward to recent rocky times, a period where there were zero best goalie awards.
One sliver of optimism this time around: goalies Carter Hart and Connor Ingram posted backto-back shutouts in pre-tournament wins.
“You just have to stay dialed in the whole time and just be totally engaged for a full 60 minutes,” Hart said.
Maybe. But those two victories matter little when the games that count kick off on Boxing Day. Canada arguably hasn’t had a dominant goaltending performance since Carey Price in 2006. It’s a trend Hart and Ingram will attempt to change.
SPOTLIGHT FRIGHT
As mentioned earlier, the pressure of wearing that Maple Leaf can be a positive or negative.
If Canada fumbles and bumbles its way out of the gates, a sense of national fretting will blanket this country with every passing shift. That’s a lot of weight to put on the pressure of any teenager.
“I wish I could forget it,” Strome said when asked about 2016 in Finland. “It’s not a good feeling. So many people in your country and your family and friends watch the games ... I’m still not over it.”
Such are the high expectations an entire country puts on these kids, right or wrong.
“The true test comes when the tournament starts and we face more adversity and different situations,” coach Ducharme said.
How Team Canada handles the white noise might play as big a role as how they play on the ice.
The men’s team has dominated at the past two Olympics and at the World Cup in September, so it’s not like the Canadian product has sagged at all levels — just the junior one. It’s hard to figure out why.