Team Canada bowing out in the quarterfinals of the World Juniors sent shockwaves across the country as it was the first time in history they exited at the same stage in two consecutive years. There was a lot of talk regarding the selection committee and the players they sent, with some even considering there needs some change in Hockey Canada.
They were beaten thrice in the tournament, a shock loss in their second game to Team Latvia, another preliminary round loss to eventual champions Team USA and the quarterfinal exit against Team Czechia.
On TSN’s Overdrive Bryan Hayes, Jeff O’Neill and Jamie McLeann discussed Team Canada’s failure at the IIHF World Junior Chamipionships. As per Hayes, a change was imminent in the way Hockey Canada was selecting its players. He predicted it to happen in the next 14 months in the lead up to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and if the national team suffers the same humiliation.
Hockey Canada management was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism from not just the analysts but the general audience as well. They held a press conference with their top executives to address the recent loss. CEO Katherine Henderson gave a short message about their future plans.
She also added that senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations Scott Salmond will try his best to not repeat a similar effort at the World Juniors.
Team Canada’s next assignment will be the national team’s participation in the 4 Nations Face-Off with stars like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon amongst their ranks.
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