Last Wednesday I wrote my column all about Canada being poised to win the World Juniors ahead of Thursday's early morning clash with the Americans. I went out on a limb, and I had good reason to. The Canadians beat the tournaments two other favorites in the US and Russia to wrap up round robin play and had the best team on paper. Ryan Nugent Hopkins was the best forward in the tournament, Jonathan Drouin was the best draft eligible forward and Malcom Subban stopped everything against the Americans, all of Canada's problems in the last two tournaments seemed to be covered by the fact that they had the most guys who would be playing in the NHL if the lockout wasn't going on.
I was however wrong on one thing I never thought I would need to consider from a Canadian junior team: desire.
Yes, people have placed a lot of blame on different people in the past few days since Canada was blown out by the Americans and then handled by the Russians in the bronze medal match. But it all boils down to the fact that Canada came out flat in the opening periods of both games and that their opponents were ready to play big stage games. You don't go down to the point your goalie gets pulled in two straight games if you are mentally prepared when you have a team as talented as Canada's, there is no other explanation.
This tournament has grown a lot over the past five years, the string of Canadian host cities grew the tournament even more than it grew in the Sidney Crosby/Jonathan Toews era with tournaments that had sold out crowds and great atmosphere motivating Canada's rivals to improve their junior programs to a level that could match the Canadians and the Russians. No longer was it going to be a two horse race as was evident with Sweden winning the 2011/12 World Juniors, but still we pressed on as a nation with thinking that this is still a tournament where Canada should be able to show up and get within inches of the gold medal every year.
Except they couldn't. Canada didn't even get close in the semifinal and before you could blink the USA's stellar defensive core was the difference maker as the United States captain McCabe scored two goals on Subban and Canada was down 2-0 and then eventually 4-0 in a game where they weren't just outclassed, they were outworked.
Canada couldn't get the Americans out of their zone, the US arguably beat Canada at the style of play they love so much. Every American rush up the ice that wasn't a clear odd man rush resulted in the puck being dumped into the corner and cycled around the puck as the Americans forechecked and stayed strong on the boards in a style of play that was the ultimate insult to Canadian hockey. it is one thing to get beat by your rival, it is another thing to get completely dominated in the effort department.
We do need to address that the tournament has gotten better, Russia, Sweden and the tournament champions in the US were all great junior teams who were filled with NHL talent themselves, but Hockey Canada's goal every year is to take gold and we are now three years removed from the last time the Maple Leaf was raised to the rafters after a gold medal game and it is time to ask questions.
Canada has never hung its hat on showing up and expecting to win, in past years if the Canadians thought they were the better team (and many times they were, especially in the '90s) they would let you know. Players who were already locks to becoming NHL regulars came out and showed Canada why they were about to become household names. Players on the fringe of becoming pros gave it their all to improve their draft stock at the biggest stage. That wasn't what happened this year, Canada played like they were waiting for the NHL lockout to end and the ones not in the NHL were treating it like a scouting combine. The US just simply had more industry on the ice than the Canadians, the Canadians who had a day of rest that the Americans did not have. The Canadians who beat the Americans 2-1 just a few days prior. It was a stomach punch to watch and the feeling of disappointment will linger in many for weeks to come.
Many people have placed blame on certain players, Malcom Subban came under fire for his goaltending and then his race on twitter the day of the loss, which was appalling, but racism aside it wasn't his fault. The Canadians were already down 2-0 on goals he had no chance on and gave him zero support after his sparkling performances in the last two meetings of the round robin. His replacement in the bronze medal game Jordan Binnington, fared no better and was replaced by Subban before Canada lost in overtime. Goaltending often gets the fall when Canada loses, after all admitting you didn't have the best team or the hardest working one is hard when you are as arrogant as most TSN pundits or talk radio callers, but you don't have crappy goaltending three years in a row if you are the best hockey nation in the world. It just doesn't happen. There are well over 100 goalies in the CHL, by math alone three of them have to be good. It can't be the excuse every year.
For once, it is time to take a step back and admit that some changes might be needed to the CHL and how Hockey Canada develops its Junior program. The answer isn't keeping Europeans out of the CHL game, nor is it in between the posts.
It might just be in developing a new attitude around the country and around the players. Other countries have caught up, in coaching, in development, and the use of allowing its talented young talent to play in their domestic pro ranks.
Hockey Canada needs to take a look and retool, otherwise in Sweden 2013/14, we might be sitting and hearing this column over again.
