GAME STATS

DAVOS, Switzerland – The 2022 Spengler Cup has ended in the quarterfinals for Canada’s National Men’s Team following a 3-1 loss to Örebro HK on Thursday.

• Chris DiDomenico (Woodbridge, Ont./SC Bern, NL) scored Canada’s lone goal with 6:34 left.
• Nicolas Beaudin (Châteauguay, Que./Laval, AHL) recorded an assist.
• Michael Hutchinson (Barrie, Ont./Henderson, AHL) finished with 27 saves.
• Canada outshot Örebro HK 35-30.

Quotes:

“It’s disheartening. Going into the tournament and looking at our roster, I didn’t think scoring was going to be problem and ultimately it was. We scored two goals, one goal and one goal and it’s hard to win. The guys battled back hard tonight; I felt like the last two periods we had control of the game, but we just couldn’t score and that seemed to be the issue every night. Looking at all three games, we could have won all three. It’s a fine line between winning and losing and it never feels good when you lose.”

- Head coach Travis Green (Castlegar, B.C.) on a disappointing end to the tournament

“It was a really fun experience. It was my first time representing Canada and at 32 [years old] you don’t really think it’s an opportunity that will come around. The guys battled so hard tonight, we had penalty trouble at the start, but guys were blocking shots and working hard. That’s one of the nice things about playing Canadian hockey is you never have to question the effort with guys doing the dirty work and grinding away. It was unfortunate we couldn’t put a couple more pucks in the net, but guys played hard and it was fun to play behind them.”

- Hutchinson on his first experience with Team Canada

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit

GAME STATS

DAVOS, Switzerland – Canada’s National Men’s Team pushed for a third-period comeback but dropped a 2-1 decision to host HC Davos at the 2022 Spengler Cup, leaving it third in the Cattini Group in the preliminary round.

• Brett Connolly (Campbell River, B.C./HC Lugano, NL) scored his third goal in two games late in the second period.
• Thomas Grégoire (Sherbrooke, Que./Lukko Rauma, Liiga) and Wyatt Kalynuk (Brandon, Man./Abbotsford, AHL) had assists.
• Connor Hughes (London, Ont./HC Fribourg-Gottéron, NL) made 22 saves in his Team Canada debut.
• Canada outshot HC Davos 29-24.

Next game:

Canada vs. TBD (quarterfinal) – Thursday, Dec. 29 (9:10 a.m. ET/6:10 a.m. PT)

Quotes:

“I thought as a team game, we played a lot better and a lot more connected, which is what I envisioned our team doing. It’s tough, we got two unlucky bounces to start the game. Give our team credit, they stuck with their game. I really believe we were a better team tonight than we were last game against a pretty good team; that Davos team is fast.”

- Head coach Travis Green (Castlegar, B.C.) on his assessment of the game

“I thought we played okay. It was a tough start; give [HC Davos] credit, they had a really good start, they got their building into it and it was tough to chase again. Now we need to win three [in a row], so I think if our group can get a win and get that confidence, it will be huge. Hopefully we can just regroup. It’s not going to be easy, but with our system and our style of play we just need everybody playing their best the next three games. There’s a confidence in our group we can do that and we’re going to give it everything we have.”

- Connolly on staying positive in the face of adversity

“I think we keep getting better throughout the tournament. The results haven’t been there with guys, including me, we’re just a little bit off on our finish around the net but we’re feeling every period like we’re getting a little bit better. Davos is a good team, they brought in players from around Switzerland to help them out this tournament and they have a good team. The last two periods were definitely ours and after yesterday, regardless we knew we were going to have to play three more games and we have to do that moving forward.”

- Daniel Carr (Sherwood Park, Alta./HC Lugano, NL) on looking ahead

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media onFacebook,Twitter, and Instagram.

GAME STATISTICS

DAVOS, Switzerland – Canada’s National Men’s Team almost erased a three-goal deficit, but the comeback fell a goal short in a 3-2 loss to HC Sparta Prague on Monday to open up the 2022 Spengler Cup.

• Brett Connolly (Campbell River, B.C./HC Lugano, NL) scored both goals for Canada late in the second period.
• Thomas Grégoire (Sherbrooke, Que./Lukko Rauma, Liiga) chipped in with a pair of assists.
• Daniel Carr (Sherwood Park, Alta./HC Lugano, NL) and Cody Eakin (Winnipeg, Man./SC Langnau, NL) had one assist apiece.
• Michael Hutchinson (Barrie, Ont./Henderson, AHL) made 16 saves.
• Canada outshot HC Sparta Prague 30-19.

Next game:

Canada vs. HC Davos – Tuesday, Dec. 27 (2:15 p.m. ET/11:15 a.m. PT)

Quotes:

“I thought the last 40 minutes we played a much stronger game. Collectively, I thought our group came out and you could tell we hadn’t played together, but our urgency level got a lot higher and that needs to be a trademark of our group. You could really see that urgency in the final 40 minutes, and I think if we had another five minutes, we probably would have scored a goal. We have a brand-new team; it’s part of the process of being with a new group, but we expect to get better every day.”

- Head coach Travis Green (Castlegar, B.C.) on tournament opener

“I think we had a tough first period; we battled back hard, but the deficit was too much. I think we outplayed them for probably 50 minutes of the game, but it was that 10 minutes where we struggled and that was the difference.”

- Tyler Ennis (Edmonton, Alta./SC Bern, NL) on not playing a full 60 minutes

“I think we played better as the game went on. It’s tough to go down three on anyone and come back. We had our chances, but we weren’t able to bury one late.”

- Colton Sceviour (Red Deer, Alta./SC Bern, NL) on missed opportunities

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

CALGARY, Alta. – Twenty-five players have been named to Canada’s National Men’s Team, looking to bring home a 17th championship at the 2022 Spengler Cup, Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland.

The roster includes three players who helped Canada to the tournament title in 2019 – David Desharnais (Laurier-Station, Que./HC Fribourg-Gottéron, NL), Chris DiDomenico (Woodbridge, Ont./SC Bern, NL) and Daniel Winnik (Toronto, Ont./Genève-Servette HC, NL). Desharnais and Winnik also represented Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China.

Two goaltenders, eight defencemen and 15 forwards were selected by general manager Shane Doan (Halkirk, Alta.), Tyler Dietrich (West Vancouver, B.C.), director of hockey operations with Hockey Canada and the management group comprised of Ray Whitney (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.), Daniel Brière (Gatineau, Que./Philadelphia, NHL) and Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C./SC Bern, NL). Team Canada head coach Travis Green (Castlegar, B.C.) also provided input in player selections.

“It’s an exciting group of players we have assembled as we begin another quest for a Spengler Cup championship in Switzerland,” said Doan. “Our roster has plenty of experience in short-term competition, including previous Spengler Cups, and significant experience playing in some of the best leagues in the world. We are confident the group we have named today will represent the country with pride and compete hard for a 17th tournament title.”

The Spengler Cup is internationally recognized as the oldest club tournament in the world. Canada won its fourth title in five years and record-setting 16th overall when the tournament was last held in 2019. It was not played in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada is grouped with host HC Davos and HC Sparta Prague for the preliminary round and will open the 2022 Spengler Cup on Dec. 26 at 2:15 p.m. ET/11:15 a.m. PT against HC Sparta Prague. Preliminary-round action wraps up on Dec. 28, with the championship game set for Dec. 31.

Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partner TSN will broadcast all 11 games from the tournament; check local listings for details.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has named the management and coaching staff of Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2022 Spengler Cup, Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland.

Following his role as general manager of Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team in Beijing and management roles at the 2021 IIHF World Championship and 2019 Spengler Cup, Shane Doan (Halkirk, Alta.) will serve as general manager of Team Canada in Switzerland. Ray Whitney (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.), Daniel Brière (Gatineau, Que./Philadelphia, NHL) and Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C./SC Bern, NL) will join Doan as members of the management group.

Behind the bench, Travis Green (Castlegar, B.C.) has been tasked with leading Canada to a sixth-consecutive appearance in the championship game, alongside assistant coaches Scott Niedermayer (Cranbrook, B.C./Anaheim, NHL), Josh Holden (Calgary, Alta./EV Zug, NL) and Ben Cooper (Vancouver, B.C./EC Salzburg, ICEHL).

Canada captured the Spengler Cup championship the last time the tournament was played, in 2019, its fourth title in five years and 16th overall. The tournament was cancelled the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to announce our management group and coaching staff to lead Canada’s National Men’s Team at the Spengler Cup,” said Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of hockey operations. “With Travis, Scott, Josh and Ben behind the bench we will rely on their leadership, and NHL and international experience to help Canada compete for another championship. Shane’s previous experience will be invaluable as he, Andrew, Danny and Ray look to build a championship team in Switzerland.”

Green spent parts of five seasons as head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks (2018-22). Prior to that he coached their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets, for four seasons (2013-17), reaching the Calder Cup Final in 2015. He was also an assistant coach with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Portland Winterhawks from 2010-13, winning the league championship and a spot in the Memorial Cup final as interim head coach in 2013. Internationally, he won the Spengler Cup with Canada’s National Men’s Team in 2007. He represented Canada at the IIHF World Championship on three occasions, winning gold in 1997 and a silver medal in 1996.

Niedermayer will be making his coaching debut with Canada’s National Men’s Team at the Spengler Cup. He currently serves as executive advisor of hockey operations with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. He spent four seasons as a development coach with Anaheim (2016-19) also serving as an assistant coach for three seasons (2012-15). As a player, Niedermayer made his international debut at the 1991 IIHF World Junior Championship, winning a gold medal. He joined the exclusive Triple Gold Club in 2004 after winning the IIHF World Championship to go along with two Olympic gold medals (2002, 2010) and four Stanley Cup championships (1995, 2000, 2003 with New Jersey and 2007 with Anaheim). He also won the World Cup of Hockey championship with Canada in 2004.

Holden is in his fifth season as an assistant coach with EV Zug of the National League (NL) in Switzerland. He played for Canada’s National Junior Team at the 1998 IIHF World Junior Championship and represented Canada four times at the Spengler Cup (2005, 2006, 2010 and 2012), winning the championship in his final appearance.

Cooper is in his second season as an assistant coach with EC Salzburg of the ICEHL and was the head coach of the Herning Blue Fox in Denmark for two seasons (2019-21). Prior to his move to Europe, he was an assistant and video coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers (2017-19), as well as a video coach with the Vancouver Canucks (2014-17) and AHL’s Toronto Marlies (2005-08). He also served as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Victoria Royals for two seasons (2011-13). Internationally, he was the video coach for Canada at the 2009 IIHF World Championship, three IIHF World Junior Championships (2009, 2010, 2011), the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championship, 2009 Deutschland Cup and 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

In addition, the support staff that will work with Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2022 Spengler Cup includes:

• Athletic therapist Doug Stacey (London, Ont./Western University, OUA)
• Massage therapist Andy Hüppi (Schmerikon, SUI)
• Team physician Ben Cameron (Summerside, P.E.I.)
• Equipment manager Blair Smook (Airdrie, Alta.)
• Director of hockey operations Tyler Dietrich (West Vancouver, B.C.)
• Coordinators of hockey operations Hannah Curlock (Calgary, Alta.) and Mitchell Furlotte (Bathurst, N.B.)

Canada is grouped with host HC Davos and Sparta Prague for the preliminary round and will open the 2022 Spengler Cup on Dec. 26 at 2:15 p.m. ET/11:15 a.m. PT against Sparta Prague. Preliminary-round action wraps up on Dec. 28, with the championship game set for Dec. 31.

Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partner TSN will broadcast all 11 games from the tournament; check local listings for details.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It was an unexpected start for Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2021 IIHF World Championship and not the good kind. Losses to Latvia, the United States and Germany put the Canadians in an unfamiliar position – an 0-3 record and a steep hill to climb back into playoff contention, let alone to think about a 27th world title.

In over 60 years of world championship participation, Canada had never started without a win in three games. In fact, it had never started with even two losses. But there had also never been a tournament like the one played in 2021, with COVID-19 restrictions and mandatory quarantine periods, so really it was an unprecedented event all round.

Which is, perhaps, what made it so easy for the Canadians to keep faith that this was an obstacle that could be overcome.

“Being down and battling and [Andrew Mangiapane] coming over and turning things around … we just always believed” says Adam Henrique, the Canadian captain.

From the outside, everything seemed to change with the arrival of Mangiapane. The Calgary Flames forward flew over to Latvia following a disappointing first-round playoff loss and had to isolate for two weeks before joining the team. That meant he watched the first three games, the losses, from his hotel room. By the time he got to the dressing room, the team was down.

But definitely not out.

“Obviously his play coming over was a big addition to the team, but even his impact off the ice, he was a huge morale boost for the group,” Henrique explains. “He’s great in the locker room, he’s a funny guy, always had a smile on his face, a high-energy type of person and I think that really bled through the locker room with all the guys there.

“And his play on the ice was amazing. He became the MVP of the tournament, and we had some chemistry right away … so he is a huge reason we ended up being able to pull through.”

There was no specific moment or game Henrique could remember that things seemed to change, it was more a gradual coming together of the team, with lots of time spent playing cards together with visits outside of the hotel restricted because of the pandemic. But whatever it was, the wins started to come.

Victories over Norway, Kazakhstan and Italy got Canada back to even. But then came the defending champions, and Finland did not seem to want Canada back in the fold. A win and the red and white would be into the quarterfinals; any other result meant the Canadians would need some help.

“We had to play Finland in that last prelim game … we had a chip on our shoulder from losing [the gold in 2019] so we were trying to draw on that,” Henrique says. “To send it overtime and get the point, we still needed the help after that but … I think that’s when we knew we could do this thing.”

Despite taking a 3-2 loss in a shootout, the point still helped. Canada then ran to its room to watch the results of the Germany-Latvia game. If either team won in regulation, Canada would get into the quarters. But if the game was forced to overtime, both Germany and Latvia would advance, and Canada would be eliminated.

Germany scored twice in the first period, Latvia countered in the second but, despite many panicked moments for Canada and its fans, that was the end of the scoring. Canada was through.

“We were definitely keeping track of the standings and knew that our time could be limited so we just had to win our games and cross our fingers that everything else would fall into place which it did,” says Canadian forward Nick Paul. “We just came together as a group and weren’t going to take no for an answer.

At that point, it felt like the team was destined for something great. Canada took down the Russians 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinal – on a Mangiapane goal set up by a terrific play by Troy Stecher – and the Americans 4-2 in the semis. Leaving just those pesky Finns with gold on the line.

The tight first period saw just a Finland goal from Mikael Ruohomaa, but Max Comtois got Canada on the board in the second. Petteri Lindbohm put Finland ahead early in the third before the captain countered for Canada at about the 12-minute mark, sending the game to overtime.

The Cinderella team was approaching midnight, with Paul in the defensive zone taking a faceoff.

“I kind of lost the faceoff,” Paul recalls. “But I read [the Finnish centre] was going to the defence so I put my stick down and [the puck] hit it, so springing a two-on-one with Connor Brown, and I know when you give Brownie the puck he makes good things happen.

“I slid it over to him early and it got mixed up in his skates, but he still made a beautiful pass back and I could have closed my eyes to put that one away. It was right on the tape and there was no goalie in sight.”

Henrique’s memory of the golden goal is a little more succinct.

“Thank god,” he laughs. “It was a defensive zone faceoff and Pauly goes ahead, and you just never see that!

“But it led to the two-on-one … and I can’t even explain the feeling on the bench was relief and we just couldn’t believe it. We had actually won after everything that had happened in the tournament … it will be a moment I will never forget in my hockey career.”

It may not have been the start expected of a hockey nation as renowned as Canada, but the ending certainly exceeded expectations and will likely be a story told a little more often than others.

The greatest Canadian comeback in IIHF World Championship history.

TAMPERE, Finland – Canada’s National Men’s Team is bringing home the silver medal from the 2022 IIHF World Championship after falling 4-3 to Finland in an overtime thriller in the gold medal game Sunday.

After a scoreless first period, Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, Y.T./Buffalo, NHL) broke the deadlock on a second-period power play, firing a one-timer past Finnish goaltender Jussi Olkinuora – the first goal allowed by Finland’s penalty kill in the tournament. That lead stood until the early minutes of the third period, when Mikael Granlund scored back-to-back power-play goals to get the Finns even and then put the hosts ahead, and Joel Armia increased the lead to 3-1 with 5:56 left.

With less than three minutes remaining and the Canadian net empty, Zach Whitecloud (Brandon, Man./Vegas, NHL) brought Canada within one, and Max Comtois (Longueuil, Que./Anaheim, NHL) scored the equalizer with 1:24 left to the send the game to overtime. Mathew Barzal (Coquitlam, B.C./New York Islanders, NHL) was instrumental in mounting the comeback, registering the primary assist on all three Canadian goals.

Sakari Manninen ended the game 6:42 into overtime, leaving Canada with its 16th silver medal and 51st medal overall at the world championship.

“The fact that we were able to come back in two big games shows how much character this team has. We never gave up, we believed in ourselves, and obviously it is difficult to come up short like we did,” said captain Thomas Chabot (Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, Que./Ottawa, NHL). “We have to give Finland a lot of credit, because they are a great team. They play well together and that is a big reason why they were playing against us today.”

Chris Driedger (Winnipeg, Man/Seattle, NHL) was stellar in the Canadian goal, stopping 16 shots before being forced to leave the game early in the third period due to injury. Matt Tomkins (Sherwood Park, Alta./Frölunda HC, SHL) made his IIHF World Championship debut in relief of Driedger, making 11 saves.

A full game summary can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

Following the gold medal game, Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que./Winnipeg, NHL) was named to the media all-star team.

“To lose in overtime when you are short-handed is frustrating. You work so hard all tournament, and to come that close to winning is a difficult thing to fathom,” said Dubois. “I like to win, and that is why I wanted to represent Canada. It is an honour to represent your country, and this team was unbelievable. We gave it everything we had, we went through the ups and downs, but we stuck with it and we were so close to taking home gold.”

“We had great character on this hockey club. Two big games [against Sweden and Finland] where we were down by two goals, and we were able to tie the games in the final two minutes,” said head coach Claude Julien (Orleans, Ont.). “That shows the type of team we had. I am proud of our guys that came over here to represent Canada, and I am so proud of how hard they played all tournament.”

Canada finished the preliminary round in third place in Group A after wins over Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and France. It booked a spot in the gold medal game with a dramatic come-from-behind 4-3 overtime win against Sweden in the quarterfinals and a convincing 6-1 win over Czechia in the semifinals.

Since 1931, Canada has collected 28 gold medals at the world championship, to go along with 16 silver and seven bronze.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

TAMPERE, Finland – A three-goal second period helped Canada’s National Men’s Team punch its ticket to the gold medal game at the 2022 IIHF World Championship in convincing fashion, downing Czechia 6-1 on Saturday.

• Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, Y.T./Buffalo, NHL) led the offence with a pair of goals and an assist.
• Kent Johnson (Port Moody, B.C./Columbus, NHL) contributed one goal and an assist.
• Adam Lowry (Calgary, Alta./Winnipeg, NHL), Mathew Barzal (Coquitlam, B.C./New York Islanders, NHL) and Cole Sillinger (Regina, Sask./Columbus, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Drake Batherson (New Minas, N.S./Ottawa, NHL) chipped in with two assists.
• Cozens, Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que./Winnipeg, NHL) and Ryan Graves (Yarmouth, N.S./New Jersey, NHL) were named Team Canada’s three best players of the tournament.
• Chris Driedger (Winnipeg, Man./Seattle, NHL) made 25 saves and was named Player of the Game.
• Canada outshot Czechia 35-26.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Finland (gold medal game) – Sunday, May 29 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the bronze and gold medal games; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“The Czechs have been good on the penalty kill all tournament, and we were able to capitalize on a few power plays tonight. We are going to take some time and study Finland’s penalty kill, and hopefully come up with a solution for it like we were able to do against the Czechs. We know Finland is strong on special teams, and because of that we are expecting a tough game tomorrow night.”

- Head coach Claude Julien (Orleans, Ont.) on the Czechia and Finland penalty kills

“We have been building on every game and have been focused on getting better every day, and that is a big key to success in a tournament like this. Our coaches have been great in helping us do that, and now we need to be better again tomorrow. We are going to enjoy the win but shift our focus to the gold medal game tomorrow. We know the building is going to be rocking, and the Finns are playing for gold at home, but we need to try to have a strong start and not let [Finland] build momentum from their fans.”

- Cozens on continuing to improve and playing Finland in the gold medal game

“I am fortunate that this is my third [IIHF World Championship], and I know these tournaments come with a number of challenges and a lot of ups and downs. We want our game to peak at the right time, and in that game against Sweden, there were some minutes that we did not play well but we were able to come back when it mattered most. We learned from some of our mistakes and we were able to play a strong game tonight. Tomorrow in front of the [Finnish fans], there is going to be some adversity and we are going to need to battle through it. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves and we know what we are capable of.”

- Dubois on the challenges of the tournament

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

Canada’s National Men’s Team is in the gold medal game at the IIHF World Championship for the third-straight tournament and sixth out of the last seven, but will need to go through host Finland to capture back-to-back world titles.

LAST GAME

Canada trailed Czechia 1-0 early, but after a late goal from Dylan Cozens in that same frame and three in the second period (from Adam Lowry, Kent Johnson and Matt Barzal), Canada never looked back as it finished a a convincing 6-1 semifinal win. Canada spent nearly eight minutes in the first period on the penalty kill, giving up that lone Czech goal near the tail-end of a double minor. Canada didn’t take another minor penalty but did capitalize on its own man-advantage opportunities twice in the second period. Cole Sillinger and Cozens added goals in the third period to round out the scoring and Chris Driedger made 25 saves for the win.

Finland took on the United States in its semifinal, picking up a thrilling 4-3 win to earn its third-straight trip to the worlds final. The Finns fell behind early in the first period before Miro Heiskanen tied it. Finland took the lead in the second, but the U.S. answered back two-and-a-half minutes later. The hosts jumped ahead again at the midway mark of the second period on a goal by Sami Vatanen, and Joel Armia recorded the game-winner in the third.

LAST MEETING

As inferred above, the last time Canada and Finland met at the worlds was the 2021 gold medal game and few Canadians can forget how that one ended – with a 3-2 overtime win that capped off a Cinderella-like run for Canada. Trailing 2-1 with less than eight minutes to go, Canadian captain Adam Henrique scored the equalizer on a power play to force the extra frame, where Connor Brown and Nick Paul worked a two-on-one to perfection to capture Canada’s 27th gold medal.

WHAT TO WATCH

Canada’s top line is nearly unstoppable right now, with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cozens at 13 points each and Drake Batherson sitting on 12. But there is also plenty of depth in Canada’s forward contingent, so stopping one line will not be enough for the Finns.

Finland, on the other hand, boasts the tournament’s top goaltending, with a team save percentage of .949. The penalty kill has been perfect, as in zero goals against and only 16 penalties taken in nine games. The only chink in the man-advantage armour was a goal scored six-on-five when the U.S. pulled its goaltender looking for an equalizer in the semifinal.

A LOOK BACK

It is hard to imagine a more charged battle than Finland and Canada for the world title, as these teams have met in the previous two finals, each bringing home a gold medal.

Historically, Canada has the edge in overall meetings, but is 1-4 in the last five games (that lone win being the gold medal last year). However, the last time Canada did go back-to-back at worlds, in 2016, it was a 2-0 shutout win over Finland to claim the title. Connor McDavid scored in the first, Matt Duchene added the insurance marker in the third and Cam Talbot made 16 saves for the shutout.

All-time record: Canada leads 37-13-2 (W-L-T)
Canada goals: 273
Finland goals: 117

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

Canada’s National Men’s Team comes off a comeback for the ages in the quarterfinals and is ready for the next stage of the medal round at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, taking on Czechia in the semifinals.

LAST GAME

Down 3-0 heading into the third period, Canada stormed back for an unbelievable 4-3 overtime win over Sweden to advance to the semifinals. Ryan Graves got Canada on the board just over a minute into the third period with a blast from the point, and it remained a two-goal game until the final two minutes. Pierre-Luc Dubois got the Canadians within one and Mathew Barzal, on his birthday, scored 30 seconds later to tie the game. Another power play in overtime led to a Barzal-to-Drake-Batherson winner, finishing the unbelievable comeback.

Czechia’s quarterfinal was much more straight forward, as it jumped out to an early lead on Germany and never looked back, finishing with a 4-1 win. David Pastrnak scored on the power play just over two minutes into the game and Roman Cernvenka added another man-advantage marker midway through the first period. David Krejci scored a power-play goal for Czechia in the second, and Jiri Smejkal sealed the win with an empty-netter.

LAST MEETING

The last time these teams met at worlds was also in the semis, with Canada coming out on top 5-1 in 2019. Matt Murray was the star in that game, making 40 saves, while Mark Stone had a goal and an assist. Two other familiar names (i.e. currently playing for Team Canada) also scored in that game: Pierre-Luc Dubois and Thomas Chabot.

WHAT TO WATCH

Canada scored three of its four goals against Sweden with a man advantage (two power-play goals and one with the goaltender on the bench). As the tournament gets closer to the end, being able to score at even strength will be essential. But Canada showed incredible resiliency against a higher-seeded team, outshooting Sweden 19-1 in the second period, despite no goals to show for it, and will be a force to reckon with in the semifinals with momentum on its side.

And as noted above, Czechia also scored three of its four goals while up a man, so special teams will play a special importance in the semifinals. As will shutting down the Davids (Krejci and Pastrnak) – the duo have combined for 17 points. Cernvenka, meanwhile, has 14 points of his own, so there are a few key players to focus on for Canadian defenders.

A LOOK BACK

It’s a deadheat between Canada and Czechia dating back to their first meeting in 1993, with both teams claiming 12 wins and 72 goals each. Canada has had the edge lately, putting up six straight wins.

The closest of that latest stretch was a 2-1 Canadian victory in 2013 . Wayne Simmonds scored in the first period, answered by Petr Koukal six minutes later. Jeff Skinner made an end-to-end rush in the third for the game-winner, with Mike Smith picking up an assist on the play and making 30 saves in the win.

All-time record: Tied 12-12-0 (W-L-T)
Canada goals: 72
Czechia goals: 72