TSN Hockey Reporter Mark Masters reports from the World Junior Hockey Championship in Edmonton. Team Canada held an off-ice meeting and media availability on Tuesday ahead of the gold-medal final against Team USA.
This is the longest a Team Canada has ever been together and tonight they have a chance to go down in history as one of the greatest World Junior teams ever.
“You obviously look at the skill the team has but, beyond that, over the past 51 days we’ve been together we’ve developed a bond within the group and that’s special,” said defenceman Jamie Drysdale. “I can honestly say that all these guys are my brothers now.”
Team Canada has not trailed for a second at the tournament and has yet to allow a five-on-five goal while outscoring the opposition 41-4.
“A big part of it is the time we’ve spent together,” said forward Cole Perfetti. “We’ve been together since mid-November. Even through the [18 days in] quarantine we were doing a lot of stuff together, a lot of team bonding. At a normal World Juniors you see guys come in in mid-December and have two weeks to get ready and we had a month and a half to get ready for this and we used that to our advantage. We’ve come together nicely and we’re a real tight group now and I think that’s real big for our chemistry and success so far.”
Canada smothered the Russians right from puck drop on Monday. If they replicate that performance tonight, can they be beaten?
“That’s a good question,” said centre Quinton Byfield with a smile. “No, I don’t think so. We had an unbelievable game and we need to keep building off each game.”
The job is not done and head coach Andre Tourigny was channeling his inner Phil Jackson this morning reminding everyone that despite all the hard work so far “it doesn’t mean a thing without the ring.”
“I like their feeling this morning,” Tourigny said of his players. “We’re composed. Nobody’s overexcited or whatever. We’re in the right place mentally right now.”
Tourigny served as an assistant coach at four previous World Juniors, suffering heartache in Saskatoon in 2010 when the United States beat Canada in overtime of the gold-medal game. He was there one year later when Canada blew a third-period lead in Buffalo against the Russians. He was in Ufa, Russia, during the NHL lockout in 2013 when the last Canadian “Dream Team” failed to reach the podium.
And Tourigny was also on the bench last year in Ostrava, Czech Republic, when Canada stormed back from being down 3-1 in the third period to beat Russia in the final.
“A big reason why we had success is we stayed with it and never changed anything whatever the adversity,” Tourigny recalled. “If we start to want to enjoy the moment now, we’re in trouble. We’re in big, big trouble. For us, it’s to stay in the present. We have a lifetime to enjoy that game and a lifetime to remember that game.”
Familiarity between USA and Canada promises an instant classic
Most of the players in tonight’s gold medal game between Canada and the United States have battled at the under 17s and the under 18s. TSN’s Mark Masters has more on how the familiarity between the two teams should provide another classic confrontation.
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Standing in the way of Team Canada tonight is Team USA.
“What else can you ask for,” said Byfield. “You’re playing the U.S. in the gold-medal game. It’s probably the deepest rivalry in hockey … It was pretty tough falling asleep last night just thinking about the game and all the situations and just dreaming about everything that could happen.”
Team Canada has six players back from last year, including Byfield although the Newmarket, Ont., native didn’t get a shift in the gold-medal game. He’s been waiting a year for this chance.
“I’m definitely excited to get my first shift and get involved right away, get a hit and make a play or something and then a quick change,” he said. “Want to get that first shift under my belt and I think the rest of the game will come to me after that.”
Byfield didn’t play in the final last year, but he was taking notes.
“I had the best seat in the house,” he said. “It was unbelievable to watch the comeback and how much effort we put in and all the sacrifices we made in that game. The drive that we had to come back was unbelievable to watch.”
After watching last year’s final, Byfield eager for his first shift tonight
Quinton Byfield is a returning player from last year’s gold medal winning team, however he didn’t suit up for the final against Russia. He joins Mark Masters to talk about his anticipation for his first shift, why they need a repeat performance of their semi-final and if he’s been able to get any rest in the last 24 hours.
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The fashionable Byfield didn’t have any special outfit in mind for tonight.
“Honestly, I feel like people are expecting me to bring something out, but I only brought three suits and I’ve shown them all off,” he said. “I’ll wear the one I wore last game and I’ll go with that.”
His good friend Connor McMichael was the one making a statement with his attire on Tuesday morning, sporting red and white socks with Maple Leafs on them. On the bottom of each sock it says, “Good Luck Sock.”
The London Knights sniper said the socks were a gift from his girlfriend and he also wore them on Monday when he scored in the semifinal win.
McMichael has now scored in all five knockout-stage games he’s played at the World Juniors.
???????? Connor McMichael wearing his “Good Luck Socks” today
“I’m sure the whole island will be up and rolling,” said Bay Roberts, N.L., native Dawson Mercer. “It’s an exciting time with the support back home. It’s a late start time for them at 11 p.m., but the next morning I’m sure they’ll be happy with the outcome (smile).”
Last year, Mercer played a fourth-line role and was roommates with Akil Thomas, who also filled a depth role before emerging as the hero in the gold-medal game. In an interview with TSN last month, Thomas predicted big things for Mercer in Edmonton.
“I think he’s got an important goal this year,” Thomas said. “I’m calling it now.”
Told about that prediction this morning, Mercer made it clear he’s comfortable in the big moment.
“I love playing in big games like this,” the Chicoutimi Sagueneens forward said. “Every player wants to be put in this situation. When I get my opportunity, I’ll do my job every time I step on the ice. I want to make sure I have a positive impact.”
Rivals from the Rock: Mercer, Newhook bring Newfoundland pride to World Juniors
For the first time since 1992, two players from Newfoundland have made it to the World Juniors. And Alex Newhook and Dawson Mercer helped lead the charge for Canada in the opening win combining for four goals and three assists. The pair actually grew up as rivals. Mercer is from tiny Bay Roberts and Newhook from St. John’s, but now the “Baymen” and the “Townie” are reunited and feeling the love from back home.
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Boston College teammates Alex Newhook and Spencer Knight will be facing off tonight. Does Newhook have an idea for moves that will work on the Team USA goalie?
“I’ve got a little bit of a playbook, being with him for two years, so we’ll see how it goes,” the St. John’s native said with a smile.
Knight laughed that off saying he wasn’t sure what Newhook had in mind. The pair have been in touch during the World Juniors via the Boston College group chat.
“He’s an awesome guy,” Knight said. “Everyone loves him and he brings a lot of energy to the lineup at BC and so that’s what I know he’s probably bringing to their lineup.”
After missing a game, Newhook admits he had some pent up energy
Alex Newhook admits he had some extra pent up energy to start their game against Russia after he missed their quarter-final and it resulted in a goal on his first shift. He also talks about how he’ll turn his focus to the gold medal game on Tuesday.
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Team USA may have a source of information on Team Canada goalie Devon Levi. The Northeastern University freshman leads the tournament with a .975 save percentage.
“I know one of our guys here, Sam Colangelo, is roommates with him [at school] and says he’s a really good goalie,” Knight noted.
Nobody has been able to solve Levi at this year’s tournament.
“Every game feels the same,” Levi said. “I try to play every game the same way whether it’s a Junior A game, a midget game or one of these games and I’ve been able to be consistent, because I’ve been able to feel consistent going into the games.”
Levi, a seventh round pick of the Florida Panthers, listens to music quite a bit on game days, including during intermissions. What’s on his playlist?
“I listen to songs that I’ve been listening to throughout my hockey career,” he said. “Just some good music to get me pumped and get my mind off things. Some of the songs I’ve been listening to since my midget days and they sort of bring me back to times when I played well and I guess it sort of gets me into a zone and fired up.”
The rest of the team steers clear of Levi on game days, including Tourigny.
“I stay as far away as I can from this guy,” the coach told TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. “He’s focused. He’s in his bubble.”
Panthers goalie prospects Levi, Knight face off with gold on the line
Canada’s Devon Levi and USA’s Spencer Knight were both drafted by the Florida Panthers, but will be on opposite sides tonight as the Canadians and Americans battle for gold. Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro have more on the matchup in the crease tonight.
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It’s been mostly radio silence between Wisconsin Badgers teammates Cole Caufield and Dylan Holloway during the World Juniors with one exception. The Team Canada forward sent birthday wishes to the Team USA sniper when he turned 20 a couple days ago.
“Going back to Wisconsin one of us isn’t going to be too happy,” Holloway said.
Does he have any trash talk in mind when he’s on the ice with Caufield today?
“I got some stuff that I could throw out there, yeah,” he said with a smile. “Probably nothing I could say on camera though.”
Holloway ready for the ‘trash talking’ with Wisconsin teammate Caufield
Dylan Holloway plays alongside American Cole Caufield for the Wisconsin Badgers, but the Canadian says the two have had minimal contact with one another since the start of the tournament. Now they get set to square off in tonight’s gold medal game and Holloway says he has some trash talk ready for his ‘enemy’.
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The championship game will pit the top scorers at the World Juniors – Canada’s Dylan Cozens and Trevor Zegras of the United States – against each other. They are tied with 16 points apiece entering the final day of the event.
“Dylan’s an unbelievable player,” said Zegras, “Kind of been going at it with him and that group for a long time now so it’d be nice to stick it to him and win this thing.”
What’s the key for Team USA tonight?
“A lot of energy,” Zegras said. “Get the puck low, grind’em and put the puck in the back of the net.”
Cozens, who scored Canada’s first goal in the gold-medal game last year, wasn’t available to the media this morning.
Gold medal game to feature a battle of the tournament’s best in Cozens vs. Zegras
There are a ton of storylines to watch entering the gold medal showdown between Canada and USA, but none more intriguing than the matchup between the top two forwards in the tournament: Dylan Cozens vs. Trevor Zegras. Bob McKenzie joins James Duthie to assess the highly-anticipated clash, and weigh in on another interesting matchup between the pipes.
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Team Canada winger Jakob Pelletier was at it again last night. After setting up Cozens for an empty-net goal, the Val d’Or Foreurs winger leaned over to kiss his linemate’s helmet at the bench. Pelletier did the same thing to Holloway after he assisted on his goal against the Finns on New Year’s Eve.
Tourigny was asked who, other than the always chatty Bowen Byram, had stepped up as a vocal leader.
“It’s Pelletier hands down,” Tourigny said. “He’s the only one who can challenge Bo in terms of being vocal. He talks a lot, brings a lot of energy and is positive and really focused. He brings a lot in the room.”
Pelletier reveals practice yelp, discusses energetic personality, Cozens’ leadership
Jakob Pelletier admits that he is ‘the kind of guy who wakes up in the morning and it’s on,’ and he revealed his famous yelp that can be heard during practice to Mark Masters. The Canadian winger also spoke about the chemistry has progressed within the team and the leadership that Dylan Cozens has provided.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
