Was 2016 an off year for team Canada in the World Junior Championships, or is the gap beginning to close between the great North and the rest of the hockey world?
One thing we know for sure, this team lacked discipline. Clashing with Finland, a team with the best power play in the tournament, a team that lives and dies with the penalty, one would think a mature squad would be able to take this into account. Canada took 10 penalties in their 5-2 loss against Sweden in the preliminary round, and were penalized nine times in an eventual 6-5 loss in the quarter-finals.
Jake Virtanen made his mistakes in pivotal moments of the game, taking a slashing and tripping call in one shift while the score was tied. Joe Hicketts made his blunder rocketing the puck over the boards at the other end of the ice to give Finland a five-on-three, who then scored the eventual game winner. Virtanen, being a player that has logged time in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, should know better. A leader in the locker room can’t let his temper get the best of him on a stage that big, while, ultimately, costing team Canada a shot at repeating. It was clear that there was no clear captain for this team. They didn’t have the luxury of a Connor McDavid or a Sydney Crosby all those years ago.
Although Canada failed in 2016, it is difficult to say that we are not the best country in the world at the game of hockey. This was the first time that the red and white had not been able to reach the semifinals in the annual tournament since 1998 … more than 16 years ago. Since the collapse in Buffalo during the 2011 tournament, one that allowed Russia to score five unanswered goals in the final frame while Canada was up 3-0, team C has won a bronze medal in Alberta, a gold medal in Toronto last year, while recording just three non-podium finishes in Russia, Sweden and Finland.
We were all around for the golden age of Canadian hockey, where our juniors won five straight gold medals from 2005-2009.
It becomes apparent that Canada is still, undoubtedly, a success story. But failure happens. Hockey nations are continuing to grow and elite players continue to develop.
During the 2015 NHL draft, eight of the top 20 picks were Canadian. Although this is almost half, it shows how quickly other nations are starting to close the gap. Connor McDavid, Dylan Stome and Mitchell Marner were all selected in the top five, showing that Canadian talent will always be prevalent, but that the level of world talent is growing.
In 2014, seven of the top 10 picks were Canadian, as opposed to three this year. In 2013, there were 12 selected in the top 20 and 18 of the top 30. You can see how other countries are slowly starting to bridge the divergence. But, in the end, we all win. Better players means better hockey, and a more competitive World Junior tournament. 2017 will be yet another roller coaster.
