Alan Letang was on the edge of his seat as an assistant coach in the press box.
The final of last year’s world junior hockey championship saw Canada lead underdog Czech Republic 2-0 midway through the third period in Halifax before a pair of goals stunned the hosts.
The Canadians reset, kept their nerve and scored in overtime to secure a second straight gold medal.
Now in the top job, Letang knows just how close that team came to settling for silver.
“We remember the good side,” Canada’s head coach said Monday afternoon at Scandinavium arena. “They remember the disappointment.”
Team Canada wins gold at the 2023 World Juniors
Canada wins its second-straight gold at the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax with a 3-2 overtime victory over Czech Republic.
The stakes won’t be as high when the nations meet in Tuesday’s quarterfinal at the under-20 tournament, but the same principles that got Canada over the line some 12 months ago still apply.
“The small details, the small mistakes magnified,” said Letang, who has one returnee in forward Owen Beck. “Minuscule things that make a difference.
“I’m sure [the Czechs] remember.”
‘Sticking with it’
Canada finished second in Group A at this year’s event.
The hockey powerhouse — minus seven players in the pros or unavailable due to injury/illness — finished the preliminary round with Sunday’s unconvincing 6-3 victory over Germany that was tied 3-3 with 12 minutes left in regulation.
“Sticking with it,” Canada captain Fraser Minten said of the mindset through two frustrating periods. “We were gonna come out on top if we kept the momentum.”
“Grew up,” added defenceman Maveric Lamoureux. “We know the kind of team we are.”
Letang also knows what the Czechs, who have six players back from last year and pushed the top-seeded United States to a shootout in the round robin, will bring Tuesday.
“It feels hard,” he said. “But it hasn’t even started yet.”
Czech Republic head coach Patrik Augusta, who wasn’t part of last year’s staff, will lean on his veterans.
“They could smell it,” he said of the 2023 gold-medal game. “I’m sure it hurt.”
The other quarterfinals are U.S.-Latvia, Sweden-Switzerland and Slovakia-Finland.
Forward help on the way
Canada should know by the time the players get off the bus Tuesday whether or not Matt Savoie will dress.
The winger skated Monday for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury Friday.
Savoie was on the ice with Conor Geekie, ejected 11 seconds into Sunday for an illegal check to the head, and Jagger Firkus, a forward summoned from the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors as a potential replacement.
“Looked fine, moved around real well,” Letang said of Savoie. “We’ll see.”
Canada got some good news when the International Ice Hockey Federation’s disciplinary panel announced Geekie wouldn’t be suspended after the big forward was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for an illegal check to the head on the first shift against the Germans.
Geekie called :11 seconds in and the play is under review. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WorldJuniors</a> <a href=”https://t.co/vzreiJjzLH”>pic.twitter.com/vzreiJjzLH</a>
Macklin Celebrini, the 17-year-old centre projected to go No. 1 at June’s NHL draft, rescued Canada in that one by scoring twice and drawing penalty that set up the game-winning goal.
“Really competitive,” Minten said. “He’s got the skill, but every shift he’s really driven to make something happen.
“His hands move just as fast as his feet and his brain.”
Celebrini with the equalizer!<br><br>Celebrini crée l’égalité!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WorldJuniors</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MondialJunior?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MondialJunior</a><a href=”https://t.co/WPEuXA6b8v”>pic.twitter.com/WPEuXA6b8v</a>
Augusta has been impressed by Celebrini, who’s in a four-way tie for second in tournament scoring.
“Smooth,” he said. “Can beat you one-on-one in a flash, but we have to be ready for every player.”
Division in the Bonk family
One of those players on the Canadian squad is defenceman Oliver Bonk, the son of Czech-born former NHLer Radek Bonk. The younger Bonk was born in Ottawa, but spent a chunk of his childhood in dad’s homeland.
“Always fun watching,” Oliver Bonk said of Canada-Czech Republic games. “Division in the family, but right now it’s just full Canada.”
Radek Bonk was at a Hockey Canada function New Year’s Day where players introduced their parents to the team.
“He was getting excited,” Minten said with a smile. “He was saying, ‘You better win or we’re never gonna be able to go home.”‘
Canada expects a tough, hard-working opponent Tuesday with a quarter of Czech Republic’s roster having felt last year’s bitter disappointment.
“They’ll be hungry,” Letang said. “That’s why you push. If you get to come back, you remember how hard it is and everything that it takes.
“We’re trying to convey that to our guys.”
Firkus circus
The 19-year-old woke up Saturday to a call from Hockey Canada.
He packed his bags, drove to Regina, hopped a flight to Toronto, grabbed a connection to Copenhagen, Denmark, and got a lift from a staff member up the Swedish coast.
“Adventurous,” Firkus said of his trek to Gothenburg.
The winger was cut from selection camp and has no guarantee he’ll play unless Savoie or another teammate is ruled out.
“I’m a Canadian,” Firkus said when asked if he had any second thoughts. “I’m probably the biggest fan of the team right now.”
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
