Macklin Celebrini dropped back to pass — with a glove in place of a football — and fired towards a sliding Fraser Minten.
Conor Geekie and Nate Danielson were play fighting close by, while goaltenders Mathis Rousseau and Scott Ratzlaff had a friendly grappling match in the corner.
“We’ve been together for a little bit now,” Celebrini said Thursday. “We’re a team of brothers.”
A delayed group picture along with some time away from the rink to be with family and friends offered Canada a brief respite from the enormous expectations that come with pulling on the red Maple Leaf at the world junior hockey championship.
After getting a chance to recharge following a pair of victories to open the annual showcase, things are about to get a lot more difficult.
Canada will march into the jam-packed Scandinavium arena — a building that resembles Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome — against the tournament hosts Friday night in a marquee Group A matchup.
“Skilled, dangerous,” Canadian head coach Alan Letang said of Sweden. “Very, very dangerous off the rush.”
Canada is looking to secure a third straight gold medal at the under-20 tournament for the first time since the country grabbed five in a row from 2005 to 2009, but it’s without some major NHL star power — namely Connor Bedard.
“These games are the easiest to get up for, and have energy and be present in,” said Minten, Canada’s captain and a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect. “It’s just really fun.”
There are about 3,500 red-clad Canucks in Gothenburg for the tournament. Despite those strong numbers, they will be in the minority Friday.
“Crowd’s is going to be electric,” said Letang, who has just one returnee from the 2023 tournament in Montreal Canadiens draft pick Owen Beck. “We’ll see how we handle that pressure, that momentum.”
Rousseau, who looks set to make a third consecutive start, said the belief in Canada’s camp is strong.
“Everybody has the same mindset,” he said. “We’re here to do big things. Everybody trusts each other.”
The Swedes, who were set to meet Germany on Thursday and are viewed as favourites along with the United States, cruised past Latvia 6-0 in their opener.
Canada, meanwhile, topped Finland 5-2 before thumping the Latvians 10-0 on Wednesday. The 17-year-old Celebrini — expected to be the top pick at the 2024 NHL draft — stole the show with a goal and four assists.
“I’ve seen him out-compete, outscore guys two years older than him his whole life,” said Minten, who, like the star centre, grew up in Vancouver. “Come to expect it at this point.”
Celebrini and linemate Matthew Wood are two players with recent experience against Friday’s opponent.
And it wasn’t pretty. Canada lost 8-0 to Sweden at April’s under-18 world championships in Switzerland.
“Bit of redemption here,” Celebrini said. “Only time playing against them, they wiped us. Definitely motivation.”
The Swedes are led by Vancouver Canucks draft pick Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Detroit Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellika, who both play professionally in their country.
Letang said he expects Canada’s defence to be under a lot of pressure, but is confident his group can handle it with support from the forwards.
“Excited for this challenge,” he said. “It’s all the stuff we’ve been preaching.”
One of those blueliners is Ty Nelson.
The Toronto product didn’t make the initial roster, but was summoned from a family Christmas trip in Pittsburgh due to a rash of Canadian injuries.
He drove back to Toronto, flew to Germany and boarded his connection to Gothenburg.
That’s when things got interesting over the weekend.
A windy day on Sweden’s west coast meant the flight from Frankfurt briefly touched down on the tarmac before taking off again and heading to Stockholm.
Nelson’s heart skipped a few beats.
“It was quiet on the plane,” he said. “Everybody was scared. We had to keep the window shade open. I was wishing I could close it. It was scary. We just touched down and right back up. We weren’t expecting it.”
The pilot tried to land again a few hours later — successfully, this time — after a brief stop in the Swedish capital. Nelson, whose absence pushed the taking of Canada’s official picture back to Thursday, was off to join his teammates and try to kick the jet lag.
“Hard to take in,” he said of being at the world juniors. “Growing up as a kid you always want to play in this tournament, especially being a Canadian.
“Having the honour to represent our country, it means so much.”
Now he’s part of a group that’s chasing a dream — and staring down a tough test.
“We’ve become really close,” Celebrini said. “It’s awesome to have that chemistry and have that brotherhood.”
They’ll need each other Friday night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2023.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
