Ekblad was seemingly hurt in North America’s 4-1 win over Finland on Sunday when Leo Komarov shoved him into the boards.
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The game was considered an instant classic, a showcase of speed, skill, scoring and goaltending.
Canada coach Mike Babcock said Team North America was a glimpse into the National Hockey League 10 years from now. As a coach that means you go out and take care of what you can control, because scorebaord watching sucks. “Obviously, it’s nice to be a part of it – two teams with a great history”.
Team Canada will have their hands full with Bobrovsky, who is on top of his game and looking as good as any goalie in the National Hockey League.
Team North America, an explosive mix of US and Canadian players 23 and younger, scored two goals in the opening 95 seconds of the game but Sweden did not panic and twice erased two-goal deficits to force overtime.
Both teams won their semifinal game to advance to a one-game winner-take-all final in Montreal.
“It’s just an expectation to win”, forward Logan Couture said of Canada’s ability to perform on the big stage.
The reborn World Cup of Hockey has produced one semifinal matchup of traditional superpowers – Canada vs. Russian Federation on Saturday – and another on Sunday pitting Sweden against Team Europe, which didn’t exist until a few weeks ago and appeared destined for a short lifespan after two ugly exhibition losses. “Three games in four days”.
Three years after their impressive win, the Soviets looked even more dominant through the round robin portion of the 1984 tournament. They went on to smother their rivals in an impressive 6-3 win, finishing the round robin with a ideal record and dropping Canada down to fourth place. It took a late goal by Doug Wilson to set up overtime, where Paul Coffey’s lunging breakup of a Soviet 2-on-1 set the stage of Mike Bossy’s sudden death victor.
Canada went on to sweep Sweden in the final to claim the tournament.
Berglund scored the equalizer early in the third period.
This time, the favorites took care of business.
It was all systems go for this explosive group of American and Canadian Under 24’s that has captured the imagination of the hockey universe.
“Yeah, no matter what happens this afternoon, I think we can be proud of ourselves”, North America star Connor McDavid said Thursday before Russia’s 3-0 win over Finland sealed Team North America’s fate. He even got some revenge against Canada at an global tournament over a decade later.
Team Canada general manager Bob Clarke wasted no time in advising Hockey Canada executives on the direction the program needed to head. “We predicted that the competition would be better than any global tournament to date, that it would have a big-event feel”. “I was just thankful it got up”.
Everyone in the Press Box last night knew what North America had to do. “Ultimately though we want to have the opportunity to play Canada and try and move on in this tournament”. But they don’t make the game feel new. They managed just one goal in three games here. He’s not happy with the team’s performance – no one associated with Team USA is – but Johannson believes the media and those most vocal with their concerns may have had their minds made up before the tournament started. He could shoot from the blueline – and raised his stick to do just that – but instead, he whipped a pass along the ice to Vincent Trocheck, whose backhand returned the puck to the net.
Meanwhile, the Czechs dropped their opener 4-0 to Finland, then fell behind by the same score to Sweden. “While Aaron would have liked to stay with his teammates at the World Cup of Hockey, we respect the decision for him to continue his evaluation and rehabilitation in Florida with the Panthers’ team doctors”.
Ultimately, though, to erase the North American team altogether would be a bad decision.
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You wouldn’t think it would be possible to get Canada-Russia on a Saturday night and be disappointed, but here we are.
