It has been five years since a gold medal. Two straight years without any medal. The whispers have become full out cries for Hockey Canada to change their ways. Politics have been blamed for kids being omitted and for the lack of success the past five years. It is one thing for the rest of the world to catch up to Canada in terms of hockey development, it is another thing completely when Canadian players have trouble getting up for big games and crumbling under the immense pressure that comes with playing for the national team.
A Lot on the Line for Canada at the World Juniors
Canada held its collective breath when Connor McDavid suffered a hand injury in a fight earlier this season. It appears he is on track to be ready by Boxing Day when the tournament starts. He is expected to carry the load offensively for Team Canada, certainly a lot to ask of a 17-year-old, but if there is anyone adept at handling the pressure, it’s McDavid.
All eyes will be on him every second of the tournament especially when Canada plays Team USA and McDavid will square off against Jack Eichel, his American counterpart. They have been pitted 1-2 for next summer’s NHL entry draft for the past year, with some thinking Eichel might be as good or better than McDavid. It will be interesting to see how those two players will react to playing against each other.
Goaltending will be under the spotlight, with Zach Fucale and Eric Comrie more or less locked in as the goaltending tandem. Fucale hasn’t had the best of years so far but was excellent in the Subway Series versus the Russians and is no stranger to playing in pressure-packed situations.
Comrie on the other hand has been excellent for the WHL’s Tri City Americans. Goaltending has taken the brunt of the blame these past few years, as the goalies haven’t had any dominant performances and have not inspired confidence with their play. Hopefully Fucale will be hell bent on avenging last year’s performance or Comrie steps up to the plate.
Probably the most concerning habit that has emerged in recent years with Team Canada has been their inability to get up for big games and crumbling under pressure. Last year, Canada was stomped on by a structured, hard-working Finland team and while it is a letdown playing in the bronze medal game, Canada showed little passion unlike the Russians, who were more than happy to have a second chance to play for a medal. 2012 saw the team get off to a concernedly slow start in the semifinal against the Russians before a spirited comeback fell short.
However, 2013 was arguably the most disappointing year in this drought. Armed with players who would have otherwise been in the NHL, this team fell flat on its face. Finishing an embarrassing fourth place, this team had trouble with discipline and had notoriously slow starts, so bad that the semifinal loss to the Americans was over by the second period. The lack of preparation and seemingly lack of fire to start games shouldn’t be a problem. Whether it’s a coaching issue or a sense of entitlement, Hockey Canada has to address this.
Another much talked about issue has been certain kinds of players being left off Team Canada, mostly notably the outspoken Joshua Ho-Sang. A brash, outspoken individual with outstanding speed and exceptional offensive abilities, Ho-Sang has been left off of multiple Team Canada rosters, including the IIHF U-18 team, the Ivan Hlinka, and now the World Juniors. Ho-Sang has been called out for selfishness and not being a team player. But the last few years has seen an absence of top-flight offensive players who can score at will. Ho-Sang will have a chance next year to make the team, but who knows if Hockey Canada will come around.
Talented underagers have been left off the team in favour of 19-year-olds in recent years, as Tyler Seguin didn’t make the 2010 team and ditto Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2011, although he would play for the 2013 edition due to the lockout. 2015 NHL draft prospects Dylan Strome and Mitch Marner weren’t invited to the final camp despite being ranked one and four respectively in OHL scoring and possessing good chemistry with their OHL teammates McDavid and Max Domi, who are virtual locks for the final roster. So if Canada struggles to score and it costs them, it will interesting to see how quickly their names will come up when chastising Hockey Canada.
Playing in the two most populous cities in Canada in Toronto and Montreal, who also happen to be among the most glaring hockey markets in the world, will be a challenge. The expectations are the same as they are every year: gold or bust. Canada is flush with talented hockey players across the country, so the excuse of missing a guy like Aaron Ekblad will hold no weight. Canada will not accept another medal-less year and Hockey Canada certainly doesn’t want to explain what went wrong again.
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