Canada Are World Champions in Hockey… Again » The Typewriter

Whether or not you were a fan of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) new world cup of hockey format, especially of the best-of-three finals series, chances are you were captivated by the final period of play in game 2 of the final between Team Canada and Team Europe. The Europeans put on a valiant effort in both games, but it would ultimately be the Canadians that would finish on top in dramatic fashion.

Team Canada managed to hold off the Europeans for a 3–1 win in game 1 of the best-of-three finals and it looked as if the Canadians, undefeated in 14 games of international best-on-best competition prior to the start of the final, were on their way to another international championship. Canada had previously won both the 2015 and 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World championships, 2016 being Canada’s 26th championship since the tournament’s inception in 1920. Canada also won the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic titles.

The European team, composed of a mix of NHL experienced veterans yielding from Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, France, Denmark, Slovenia, and Norway, shocked many throughout the tournament. They began by shutting out the eventually win-less American team 3–0 followed by a close 3–2 overtime win a heavily experienced Czech team. They lost their final group stage game 4–1 to Canada.

Despite an imperfect record, the Canadians did not take the Europeans lightly. They were led by NHL veterans like Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, and Jaroslav Halak of the New York Islanders. They proved too much to handle for the Canadians in game 1 of the finals, forcing and then taking advantage of countless Canadian turnovers. But Canada held on for a 3–1 win with over 18,000 Canadian fans in attendance at the Air Canada Center in Downtown Toronto.

The Europeans, seeking retribution and wanting to push the series to a deciding game 3, jumped out to a 1–0 lead in the first period of game 2. The game stayed that way for almost its entirety. But it wouldn’t be a Team Canada title win if there wasn’t some last minute heroics. Those heroics came in the form of Boston Bruins teammates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Bergeron found the back of the net with just under three minutes left in the third period. Defenceman Drew Doughty took a penalty almost immediately after, allowing the Europeans to have a one man advantage for the final two minutes of play.

With everyone expecting the game to go to overtime, Brad Marchand lined up perfectly from a pass from Jonathan Toews to fire the puck into the net with a thunderous slap shot with just over forty-seconds left. A championship winning goal, let alone the fact that it was completely unexpected and scored while short handed, sent the sold-out Toronto arena into a frenzy of jubilation and relief. The Europeans tried their best to equalize but as the final seconds ticked away, the Canadians held their ground.

The dramatic fashion in which the game ended is without a doubt the most memorable moment of this tournament. For Canadian fans, it’ll be up there with other legendary moments such as Sidney Crosby “golden goal” from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Final, Marie-Phillipe Poulin’s overtime winner from the women’s tournament of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and of course Paul Henderson’s 1972 Summit Series winner over the Soviet Union.

Canadians are also hoping that the World Cup can become a regular spectacle every four to five years. One that has always lacked in hockey was a real world championship. the IIHF does hold a world championship every year, but it is played in the early summer when NHL playoffs are still going on, leaving some of the best players of multiple countries unable to take part.

An expanded format could also come in handy for future editions of this competition. Adding more teams instead of a conglomerated European team could increase international viewership and extend the elimination round. Many were also upset when the U-23 North American team took away what some regarded as the best prospects from both the Canadian and American teams.

Making these changes and opting for a more traditional world championship could also have an effect on TV ratings. While just under 2.3 million people in Canada watched game 2 of the final, its nothing compared the ratings achieved by the Olympics. An example being the 2010 Men’s final against the United States from the Vancouver Olympics. over 26 million Canadians, just above 2/3 of the total population of Canada, watched at least part of the game.

Yet, plans for the next World Cup aren’t even in the works yet and the NHL’s current focus is negotiating with the International Olympic committee about the participation of NHL players in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics so only time will tell whats in store for fans for the next World Cup.

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Originally published at typewriterintl.com on October 1, 2016.