So what went wrong with coach Don Hay's Canadian junior team this time around? Are these sort of competitions simply cyclic? Sometimes Russia wins. Sometimes it's Canada. Occasionally, the United States wins. The Czech Republic hasn't won since 2001. The Finns haven't been crowned junior champs since 1998. Sweden hopes to end a gold-medal drought against Russia on Thursday that dates back to 1981. Or were there other problems with this Canadian team.
CALGARY -- This was supposed to be a time of celebration for Canada's national junior program.
It was the 30th anniversary for what Hockey Canada calls its program of excellence and many of the past players and coaches have been in Alberta this week to celebrate the success of previous years.
There were some of the faces of yesteryear, including Theo Fleury and Pat Quinn crammed with their colleagues into the players' benches at the Scotiabank Saddledome and honoured during the first intermission of
Canada's 6-5 semifinal loss to Russia on Tuesday.
This defeat halted a 10-year Canadian streak of visits to the final at the world junior championship and now the program of excellence has gone three years without a gold medal.
When Canada loses on the international hockey stage, the stench of defeat hangs around for a few days and gets dissected.
So what went wrong with coach Don Hay's Canadian junior team this time around? Are these sort of competitions simply cyclic? Sometimes Russia wins. Sometimes it's Canada. Occasionally, the United States wins. The Czech Republic hasn't won since 2001. The Finns haven't been crowned junior champs since 1998. Sweden hopes to end a gold-medal drought against Russia on Thursday that dates back to 1981.
More talented
In the past Canada has won because its teenagers were more talented, better prepared, could physically intimidate their opponents and usually received the best goaltending in the tournament.
Well, they weren't more talented this year. They didn't appear prepared to deal with the Russians transition game. They couldn't intimidate the tough-minded Russians, and Canada's goaltending wasn't as good as it needed to be either.
There will be excuses trotted out like the Canadians were handcuffed because their top teenage talent is in the NHL, like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, Ryan Johansen and Jeff Skinner. But this has been a problem that Canada has dealt with for years and yet has won.
There also was the fractured ankle to robust forward Devante Smith-Pelly, loaned by the Anaheim Ducks, in the tournament opener that no doubt hurt Canada in the physical department. Others may point to the flu bug that made its way through the Canadian players and coaching staff.
Problems with the Canadian game
Some will say that this group of Canadians only came up a goal short in a hard-fought game. But the comeback likely hid some of the problems with the Canadian game at this level. Besides, as everyone saw in Canada's game against the Russians, desperate hockey can only get you so far.
What happened in the first 48 minutes of the game?
Well, Canada had no answer for Russia's dynamic transition game. An explosive team like Russia tries to create turnovers in its own end to sprint the other way. The Canadians needed to play spot-on hockey in the offensive zone.
The Canadians did not control the puck along the boards from the hash-mark on down. They made too many ill-advised passes into the middle and this was exactly what the Russians wanted in order to transition the puck the other way.
In Russia's quarter-final win in overtime against the Czech Republic on Monday, the Czechs didn't have a good first period, but they found their way in the second and third frames by cycling the puck and patiently waiting for offensive chances.
They also got an incredible performance from goalie Petr Mrazek. The Canadians did not get incredible goaltending nor did the defence in front of netminders Scott Wedgewood and Mark Visentin help the cause.
Canada could have helped themselves in the late-going by winning a few face-offs in the offensive zone, too. But this may be nit-picking too much.
Canada has plenty of skill at the junior level. Maybe it's time that the junior program play more of a skill game. The other countries don't get intimidated anymore by the Canadian junior's physical approach.
Canada's skill and desire certainly won out at the senior level at the Vancouver Olympics. Maybe it's time for the program of excellence to start a new chapter.
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Team Canada players, left to right, Tanner Pearson, Mark Scheifele, and Freddie Hamilton react to losing to Russia on Tuesday night in their semifinal matchup. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
