Well, Canada’s tournament got off to a bit of an ugly start. Yes, they won their opening game, in an almost historic fashion, but I’ll be honest, it was tough to watch. Germany was playing for the second night in a row and had just 14 skaters due to COVID-19 issues. On the best of nights, they likely wouldn’t have been very competitive but even I didn’t think that this game would go the way that it did.
Canada’s 16-2 drubbing of Team Germany sparked a debate around sportsmanship. Should Canada have taken their foot off the gas and not racked up 16 goals? The simple answer to that question is no. This isn’t a house league tournament and while Canada should certainly have respect for their opponents, they also need to prioritize winning, getting their goal differential up, and making sure they shake off the rust that comes with only having played a handful of games over the last ten months, which most of their players have.
For me, it’s pretty hard to find something bad to say about Canada’s game. Yes, you could say took too many penalties, including a major penalty from Braden Schnieder, but when a team wins by 14 goals, it’s hard to critique them. It’s also hard to pull specific positives from a game where they dominated the way that they did. Still, there are a few things that stood out to me.
It seems like every year Canada has a player who comes from the bottom of the lineup and finds a way to make a big impact. In last night’s game, it was Phil Tomasino, who was a healthy scratch in their pre-tournament game against Russia but was added in after Kirby Dach was injured. Tomasino, who finished fourth in scoring last year in the OHL, made an immediate impact in the opener, scoring Canada’s second goal of the game while adding another goal and an assist later on.
The scoring depth of Canada is just incredible and that was certainly on display in the first game. I thought Dawson Mercer, who was the extra skater at points during training camp, was excellent as well. He ended up with four points on the night.
Dylan Cozens was fun to watch as well. He had six points and made finding the back of the net look rather easy.
Confidence should not be an issue as they head into their second game of the tournament tonight against Slovakia and while their opponent tonight will have a full lineup, I don’t think tonight’s game will be very close. It likely won’t result in a 14 goal lead for Canada at any point, but I’m expecting to see them dominate once again tonight.
Slovakia opened up their tournament by upsetting the Swiss 1-0. Not a major upset, which is what they’ll be looking to do tonight against Canada, but a win nonetheless. Of course, the star of a 1-0 win is often the goaltender and that was the case on Friday for Slovakia as Simon Latkoczy was very good, making 28 saves.
Offensively, Roman Faith got the lone goal while both Simon Nemec and Michal Mrazic grabbed assists. I suspect that creating offence is going to continue to be a struggle for Slovakia as we move through the tournament.
Their opening game win will go a long way in making sure they don’t play in the relegation round, but they aren’t much of a threat to do more than just make the medal round.
WHAT I’M EXPECTING
Honestly, I think we’ll see something similar to what we saw yesterday in Canada’s opener against Germany. I really don’t think Slovakia has the ability to keep this game close. Canada just should by at least more than five once again, unless we get a legendary goaltending performance from whoever’s between the pipes for Slovakia.
THE OILERS PROSPECTS
Dylan Holloway didn’t really stand out too much. He almost got a goal early in the first period and ended the game with one assist. Aside from a few moments where he zipped up the ice and showed off his speed, I really didn’t notice him too much.
Phillip Broberg had an incredible tournament-opening performance in Sweden’s 7-1 dismantling of the Czech Republic. The Oilers first-round pick picked up three assists and was clearly one of the best players in both the offensive and defensive zones. Whether he was carrying the puck around the perimeter of the offensive zone, or breaking up a rush, he was noticeable and impactful. Team Sweden has the day off but Broberg will look to pick up where he left off on Monday when they play Austria.
Canada wasn’t the only team to blow out their opponent on Boxing Day. In fact, every game was a blowout. The Swedes started off the day by winning 7-1 against the Czech Republic, while Team USA took down Austria 11-0. Trevor Zegras had four points and eight shots on goal while Brett Berard, Matthew Boldy, and Alex Turcotte all had three points. Dustin Wolf had to make just ten saves in the shutout.
Today, we should see some closer games. At noon, Finland will look to improve the 2-0 when they face Switzerland. The late-game tonight, which starts at 7:30 pm, will see Team Russia, who’s 1-0-0 on the tournament, face the Czech Republic.
WJC CONTENT IS SPONSORED BY HOCKEY CANADA
The 2021 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship is back in Alberta from December 20th – January 5th, and for the first time ever, the tournament will feature a province-wide online 50/50 raffle in support of the Hockey Alberta Foundation. Albertans will have the chance to win jackpots that are bigger than ever with every game day having a maximum of up to $20 million! Tickets can be purchased online or from your mobile device within Alberta starting at 9am each day at hockeycanada.ca/5050 with the winning ticket being announced daily. The World Juniors tournament and online 50/50 program will give Albertans an opportunity to leave a historic legacy with all proceeds staying in the province and supporting Hockey Alberta Foundation and the Hockey Canada Foundation.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
