TAMPERE, Finland – A three-goal third period helped Canada’s National Men’s Team win gold at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, downing Germany 5-2 in the gold medal game at Nokia Arena on Sunday.

Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) netted the game-winner off a rebound just under five minutes into the third period, his second goal of the game and fourth in three contests, to give Canada its 28th gold medal at men’s worlds.

“This feels really good. We have been in Europe for a month and have waited for our moment to play for a gold medal, and it is really special to win in front of our friends and family that travelled here,” Blais said. “Our group built chemistry so quickly and it feels like we have played together for a long time, and we are excited to bring this gold medal back home to our fans.”

Canada fell behind 1-0 just over eight minutes into the game before Blais, who was named Player of the Game, buried a one-timer off a Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL) pass to tie the game. Germany responded with a goal 13:47 into the middle frame before Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) redirected a puck past German goaltender Mathias Niederberger on the power play to equal the score at 2-2 before the end of the second.

After Blais gave Canada the lead early in the third, Tyler Toffoli (Scarborough, Ont./Calgary, NHL) and Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL) added goals to secure the win and give Canada its 51st medal overall at the IIHF World Championship.

“I could not be more proud of this group. We battled through a lot of adversity and doubt to get to this point, and this win is so special,” Toffoli said. “We have such a close-knit team that came together quickly, and we always believed in each other. Everyone bought in and we played a great game today, and I am incredibly happy to be going back to Canada with a gold medal.”

Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) capped off a stellar tournament with a 21-save performance. A full game summary can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

Following the gold medal game, MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) was named Best Defenceman of the tournament and was selected to the media all-star team. Crouse, Montembeault and Weegar were also named Team Canada’s three best players of the tournament following the semifinals.

“The commitment of everyone on our team was unbelievable. We knew we had to come here and play for each other and commit to a team game. We came here to represent Canada and make our country proud, and I am so blessed to be a part of this group,” said head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL). “Our players wanted to win so bad. They wanted to bring a gold medal back to Canada, and when you have that mindset you can accomplish great things, and we did that tonight.”

Canada finished the preliminary round in second place in Group B after wins over Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Czechia. It booked a spot in the gold medal game after a 4-1 win over Finland in the quarterfinals and a 4-2 win over Latvia 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.

For the fourth-straight tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Team will play in the gold medal game at the IIHF World Championship; it will face Germany on Sunday in Tampere, in search of its 28th world title.

Last Game

Canada came from behind to earn a 4-2 victory over Latvia in its semifinal Saturday. Jack Quinn, Adam Fantilli and Scott Laughton scored third-period goals to complete the comeback, and Sam Montembeault made 20 saves to earn his fifth win.

Germany posted a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over the United States on Saturday to qualify for the final. Frederik Tiffels was the overtime hero, scoring his second of the game at 7:32 of the extra period after Marcel Noebels tied it with 1:23 left and goaltender Mathias Niederberger on the bench for an extra attacker. Niederberger finished with 30 saves, including six in overtime.

Last Meeting

Canada and Germany met last year in the prelim opener in Helsinki, with the Canadians downing the Germans by a score of 5-3 . Pierre-Luc Dubois finished with a pair of goals and Kent Johnson scored the game-winner. Logan Thompson turned aside 18 of 21 shots for his first career Team Canada win.

What to Watch

Canada was down two of its key penalty killers in Joe Veleno (suspension) and Ethan Bear (injury) for the semifinals, but that wasn’t an issue as the Canadians killed off all six Latvia power plays, improving its penalty kill to 93.1% (good for second in the tournament). The PK unit will need to be good again in the final; the Germans have scored six power-play goals in the tournament and are clicking at a 25% success rate.

The Germans entered the knockout round as the eighth-ranked team out of eight quarterfinalists after going 4-0-0-3 in preliminary round. But none of that matters now. First, they knocked out first-place Switzerland with a 3-1 win in the quarters before handing the United States its first loss of the tournament in the semis. J.J. Peterka has led the Germans offensively, collecting 11 points (5-6—11) to rank third in the tournament scoring race. In the crease, Niederberger has played all but one game, entering the gold medal game with a 1.98 goals-against-average and .910 save percentage, while making the third most saves (163) – 59 of which have come in the playoffs.

A Look Back

Canada holds a big lead in the head-to-head history, winning 21 of 24 meetings (with two ties) and outscoring the Germans 111-33.

It has been 93 years since the Canadians and Germans met for gold at the IIHF Worlds; at the 1930 tournament – the first time the event was held apart from the Olympic Games – Canada (represented by the Toronto CCMs) downed the host Germans 6-1 in Berlin to claim its fourth-straight gold.

All-time record: Canada leads 21-1-2 (2-0 in OT/SO)

Canada goals: 111

Germany goals: 33

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

TAMPERE, Finland – A three-goal third period helped Canada's National Men's Team punch its ticket to the gold medal game at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, doubling up on co-host Latvia 4-2 at Nokia Arena on Saturday.

• Adam Fantilli (Nobleton, Ont./University of Michigan, Big Ten) scored the eventual game-winner, a highlight-reel goal just under nine minutes into the third period.
• Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL) chipped in with an empty-net goal and an assist.
• Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) and Jack Quinn (Cobden, Ont./Buffalo, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL), Jake Middleton (Stratford, Ont./Minnesota, NHL), Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL), Milan Lucic (Vancouver, B.C./Calgary, NHL) and Justin Barron (Halifax, N.S./ Montréal, NHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) made 20 saves.
• Canada outshot Latvia 36-22.

Next Game:

Canada vs. United States or Germany (gold medal game) – Sunday, May 28 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“The Latvians battle hard, they are physical and they played really well today. We stuck with it and needed some character after they scored the first goal, and I think the boys did a great job. [Quinn] scored a big, big goal for us, and Fantilli’s goal will be a highlight for a long time. There was no panic on our bench, and I think the commitment from our team was exceptional today.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on today’s semifinal win

“It was a special moment for me. I grew up watching Milan Lucic my whole life, and for him to give me a great pass before my goal was pretty cool. It is a pretty surreal feeling to score a big goal that helps get us to the gold medal game, and it would mean a lot for everyone in our locker room to leave Finland with a gold medal. We all came here to represent our country as best as we can, and the best way to do that is by winning, so hopefully we can do that tomorrow.”

-      Fantilli on his goal and the opportunity to play for gold

“The puck just kind of popped out to me after a great forecheck by Crouse. I was just trying to bank it off any part of the Latvian goalie, and luckily the shot hit the perfect spot and went in.”

“This game shows that we have a lot of resiliency and that we believe in each other. We knew we were going to face some adversity today, and we were able to stick with it and stay calm, and in the end we got rewarded. We know how we need to play tomorrow to be successful, so we just need to reset and get focused on what we need to do to leave with a gold medal.”

-      Quinn on his game-tying goal and today’s game

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

For the eighth tournament in a row, Canada’s National Men’s Team is into the semifinals at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, facing upstart Latvia on Saturday for a place in the gold medal game.

Last Game

Canada earned a 4-1 win over co-host Finland in its quarterfinal on Thursday. Jack Quinn, Sammy Blais, Michael Carcone and Tyler Toffoli each found the back of the net, and Sam Montembeault made 27 saves in another terrific performance for the Canadian goaltender.

Latvia rode home-ice advantage in Riga, defeating Sweden 3-1 to advance to its first-ever semifinal. Arturs Silovs backstopped Latvia, turning aside 40 of 41 shots, and Rihards Bukarts tallied three assists, while Miks Indrasis and Janis Jaks finished with a goal and a helper each.

Last Meeting

Fifteen days ago, on the opening night of the preliminary round in Riga, Canada earned a tournament-opening 6-0 win over the co-hosts. MacKenzie Weegar finished with a goal and two assists, Peyton Krebs had two helpers and Montembeault posted a 23-save shutout.

What to Watch

Since its back-to-back losses to Switzerland and Norway, Canada has turned it around at both ends of the ice, outscoring its opponents 7-2 over the last two games. The line of Lawson Crouse, Scott Laughton and Jack Quinn have been especially dangerous since coming together for the first time against Kazakhstan; the trio has recording 14 points over the last five games (Crouse – 4-1—5; Laughton – 0-4—4; Quinn – 1-4—5). Overall, the Canadians have spread out their offence, with 14 players having scored goals thus far.

There is no arguing that Silovs has been the tournament’s busiest goaltender. The Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) netminder has played in all but five minutes for Latvia, posting a 2.00 goals-against-average and .925 save percentage while leading the tournament with 200 saves through eight games. With the Latvians sitting in the middle of the pack with 24 goals, they’ve relied on Silovs while winning close contests – other than a comfortable 7-0 win over Kazakhstan in the prelims, the quarterfinal win over the Swedes was the first by more than one goal.

A Look Back

Canada and Latvia have met 14 times at the IIHF World Championship, with Canada winning 12 and tying one.

Historically, Canada has dominated the matchup, outscoring the Latvians 77-16. Prior to the 6-0 win mentioned above, the last time the Canadians scored six goals against the Latvians came in a 6-1 win to open the 2015 world championship . Jason Spezza finished with two goals and an assist, Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two helpers and Mike Smith made 16 saves for the win in Prague.

All-time record: Canada leads 12-1-1

Canada goals: 77

Latvia goals: 16

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

TAMPERE, Finland – Canada's National Men's Team has booked its spot in the semifinals at the 2023 IIHF World Championship after defeating co-host Finland 4-1 at Nokia Arena on Thursday.

• Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) netted the eventual game-winner just past the midway point of the second period.
• Jack Quinn (Ottawa, Ont./Buffalo, NHL), Michael Carcone (Ajax, Ont./Tucson, AHL) and Tyler Toffoli (Scarborough, Ont./Calgary, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL), Jake Neighbours (Airdrie, Alta./St. Louis, NHL), Justin Barron (Halifax, N.S./Montréal, NHL), MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) and Jake Middleton (Stratford, Ont./Minnesota, NHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) was spectacular in goal, making 27 saves and earning Player of the Game honours.
• Canada outshot Finland 31-28.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Latvia (semifinal) – Saturday, May 27 (7:20 a.m. ET/4:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“[Montembeault] made a lot of key saves for us. [Finland] had breakaways and grade-A chances, and Sam stood tall. He was our best player tonight, and when your goalie is playing that well, it is a good recipe for winning games.”

“We tried to play with speed on the forecheck to disrupt the Finns’ timing. They are so strong on pucks, they are heavy and protect the puck well. We wanted to be really aggressive when they had the puck and take possession away from them as quickly as possible. Finland possessed the puck a lot tonight, but I feel like we put them under pressure as soon as they touched the puck. Our penalty kill was also really good, and that was a key for us. [Finland] has some elite players, and we did a great job to contain them and kill those penalties.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on the play of Montembeault and getting the win

“Our team played great tonight, and you can see how much we have grown since the start of this tournament. We knew it was going to be a tight game today, and that third goal from Carcone was huge for us and it took some weight off our shoulders. We played a great third period and managed the puck really well.”

“This is a great group. Our goal coming into this tournament was to win a gold medal, and we knew we were going to have to work hard tonight to beat Finland in front of their fans. We are one step closer to our goal, and now we are looking forward to the semifinals.”

-      Montembeault on the team’s performance and playing for a medal

“We need to keep doing what we have been doing the past two games. We need to be hard on the forecheck and stick to our systems. We have been playing well defensively and blocking a lot of shots, and we need to keep that up. We have a great goalie that we have a ton of confidence in, and we are going to bring our best game against Latvia.”

-      Blais on facing Latvia in the semifinal

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

It’s on to the playoffs at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, and Canada’s National Men’s Team looks to get the job done in the quarterfinals against the co-host Finland on Thursday in a rematch of the last three gold medal games.

Last Game

Canada earned a 3-1 win over Czechia in its preliminary-round finale on Tuesday. Tyler Myers scored the game-winner, Peyton Krebs and Lawson Crouse added goals of their own and Canada piled up 44 shots on goal to clinch second place in Group B.

Finland wrapped up its prelim schedule with a 7-1 win over Denmark on Tuesday. Bjorn Hannes finished with a goal and two assists, Mikael Seppala added three helpers and the Finns scored the game’s first seven goals en route to the win.

Last Meeting

Canada and Finland faced off last year in Tampere for the gold medal, with Canada falling 4-3 in overtime . Mathew Barzal recorded three assists, including two in the third period to help send the game to overtime, while Zach Whitecloud, Dylan Cozens and Max Comtois provided the offence.

What to Watch

Canada hasn’t been shy when it comes to getting shots on goal, its 270 shots led all teams during the preliminary round. Leading the charge in the shots department is captain Tyler Toffoli, who racked up 29 shots in seven games, averaging 4.14 per game. With the Finns allowing the third-most shots against (211), Emil Larmi could be seeing a whole lot of rubber.

It wasn’t busy (the Finns took just 14 penalties, second-fewest in the prelims), but Finland’s penalty kill has been one of the best in the tournament. The co-hosts allowed just one power-play goal against in those 14 opportunities, negating 92.86 percent of its shorthanded situations. Only Latvia (19-for-20, 95.0%) was better. It also has one of just four shorthanded goals (Juho Lammiko scored a man short against the Danes), so special teams will be key for the Finns.

A Look Back

The two countries are very familiar with each other at the world championship, with Thursday’s game marking their 54th matchup.

Prior to last year’s meeting for the gold medal, Canada and Finland met in the final in 2021, where Nick Paul scored 6:26 into overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory and its 27th world title, and in the 2019, when Shea Theodore scored the lone Canadian goal in a 3-1 loss in Bratislava .

All-time record: Canada leads 37-14-2 (3-3 in OT/SO)

Canada goals: 276

Finland goals: 121

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

RIGA, Latvia – Canada's National Men's Team wrapped up the preliminary round at the 2023 IIHF World Championship with a win, downing Czechia 3-1 at Arena Riga on Tuesday to finish in second place in Group B.

• Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL) opened the scoring on a first-period power play and was named Player of the Game.
• Tyler Myers (Calgary, Alta./Vancouver, NHL) netted the eventual game-winner just over four minutes into the third period.
• Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal.
• Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL) chipped in with a pair of assists.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) made 16 saves.
• Canada outshot Czechia 44-17.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Finland – Thursday, May 25 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT – Nokia Arena)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“The past two games did not go the way we wanted, so we wanted to play a hard game tonight and play well defensively. I am certainly happy about the progression of our team. We were strong on the forecheck and won a lot of battles. We were not as good as we needed to be in the second period, but we came back strong in the third and were able to get a lead early in the period. I am happy about our compete level and the speed we had off the rush.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on today’s win

“We really set the tone and established the way we wanted to play in the first period. We got away from that a bit in the second, but we dialed things back in in the third and found a way to put the puck in the net. That has been a bit of a missing ingredient for us in this tournament, but we got a big goal [from Myers]. We need to keep playing the way we did in the first period of today’s game. The quarterfinal is going to be a fun game and it will be pretty electric in front of the Finnish fans, but it is a challenge we are ready for.”

-      Krebs on today’s game and the quarterfinal

“It was good for us to get to this level of play in our last game of the preliminary round. The first and third periods were our best two periods we have played all tournament in my opinion. We did not really like our game in the second, but I am glad we came out in the third and responded the way we did. We need to carry that play and mindset over to Finland.”

“[Finland] plays a really hard game and they are not going to give you much, so we are going to have to work hard for every inch on the ice. It is going to be fun playing against the Finns in Finland because we know the arena is going to be buzzing, and we are excited to get [to Tampere].”

-      Myers on the final preliminary-round game and playing Finland

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

With a place in the quarterfinals secured, Canada’s National Men’s Team is back on the ice at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, looking to close out the preliminary round with a win Tuesday against Czechia.

Last Game

Canada dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to Norway on Monday. Lawson Crouse scored with 12 seconds remaining to tie the game and Milan Lucic also found the back of the net, but Canada lost its second in a row.

Czechia is coming off a 4-2 loss to unbeaten Switzerland on Sunday , in what was a showdown for first place in Group B. Roman Cervenka scored a goal and set up another from Dominik Kubalik, while Marek Langhamer made 23 saves.

Last Meeting

The two teams clashed a year ago in the semifinals, with Canada earning a 6-1 win . Dylan Cozens finished with two goals and an assist, Kent Johnson tallied a goal and a helper, and Drake Batherson added two assists. Chris Driedger turned aside 25 shots for the win as the Canadians scored the game’s final six goals.

What to Watch

How will Canada respond after a pair of losses? On their own, neither provide cause for panic – it lost a close one-goal game to the first-place Swiss and ran into a hot goaltender against the Norwegians – but with just one game left before win-or-go-home hockey begins, the Canadians know they need to get back on track. Of course, a year ago they dropped back-to-back games at the same point in the tournament and ended up in overtime in the gold medal game, and fans remember the infamous 0-3 start at the 2021 tournament in Riga, which finished with Canada’s 27th gold medal. So two losses do not make a tournament.

The duo of Kubalik and Cervenka have been a dynamic one-two punch for Czechia, leading the tournament scoring race with 12 and nine points, respectively. Kubalik’s eight goals also leads all players. In his 10th world championship, the 37-year-old Cervenka is wearing the ‘C’ for the third time and brings a record of success on the international stage, having already won gold at the 2010 world championship and bronze in 2011 and 2022.

A Look Back

Canada and Czechia have been evenly matched through 25 contests at the IIHF World Championship, with the Canadians just edging the Czechs 13-12 (each team has one of its wins in extra time). After a run of eight losses in nine games from 1999 to 2006, the Canadians have won nine of the last 10.

Four of those 25 games have come with a medal on the line, with Canada winning one – way back in 1995, Iain Fraser scored the winner early in the second period as the Canadians claimed bronze with a 4-1 victory.

All-time record: Canada leads 13-12 (1-1 in OT/SO)

Canada goals: 78

Czechia goals: 73

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

RIGA, Latvia – Canada's National Men's Team dropped its second-consecutive game at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, suffering a 3-2 shootout loss to Norway at Arena Riga on Monday.

• Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) tied the game with 12 seconds remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime.
• Milan Lucic (Vancouver, B.C./Calgary, NHL) opened the scoring for Canada just over eight minutes into the second period.
• MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL), Jake Middleton (Stratford, Ont./Minnesota, NHL) and Michael Carcone (Ajax, Ont./Tucson, AHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
• Tyler Myers (Calgary, Alta./Vancouver, NHL) was named Player of the Game.
• Joel Hofer (Winnipeg, Man./St. Louis, NHL) made 21 saves.
• Canada outshot Norway 33-23.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Czechia – Tuesday, May 23 (9:20 a.m. ET/6:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“[Norway] plays well defensively, and we knew that going into the game. They have averaged about two goals against per game, so we knew they were going to defend really well. We did not play fast enough to get on the inside on them, and against a team like that you need to attack the inside of the ice to create scoring chances.”

“Adversity is part of this tournament. If you cannot overcome adversity, you will not have a good chance of winning. We are going through some adversity right now, which will help build character among our team. Tomorrow will give us another indication of where we stand as a team. We know we have qualified for the quarterfinals, but our focus is still on getting better every day and it will be good to get back at it in less than 24 hours.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on the challenges of Norway and facing adversity

“We have to give Norway credit. They played a hard game and locked us up pretty well. For us, we are working hard but we need to be realistic about the areas we need to improve. I do not think we need to make drastic changes, but we need to simplify things a little bit. We need to get more pucks to the net, crash some bodies in front of the other team’s net and make it hard on their goalies. It was not the result we wanted tonight, but we have a chance to come out tomorrow, improve our game and finish the preliminary round strong.”

-      Myers on today’s game and continuing to improve 

“We need to play better. All these teams here play so well defensively, and we need to find a way to get higher-quality scoring chances. It is a quick turnaround for tomorrow’s game, and it is a short tournament, so we need to learn from what we did wrong tonight and get ready to play the Czechs tomorrow. It is going to be an important game for us.”

-      Crouse on creating better scoring chances

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