CAPTAIN SAYS CANADA ‘HUMBLED’

Captain Barrett Hayton and the rest of Team Canada know their collective skill simply won’t be good enough to win games at the world junior hockey tournament. “Maybe coming off that big win (against the U.S.), we felt a little too good about ourselves,” Hayton said. “It’s something we’re going to have to learn the hard way. Humbled is a great word for it. We weren’t very sharp but at the same time, we have to give (the Russians) kudos for the way they played.” Yes, humbled indeed, suffering the worst-ever loss, 6-0, by Canada at the tournament in its history. And earlier, Hayton apologized for being “lost in the moment” when he failed to follow international hockey protocol and left his helmet on during the Russian national anthem. The Russians noticed and, as payback, refused to acknowledge him in the handshake line.

Ryan Pyette