Canada Storms to Ice Hockey Gold After Russian Staredown

(ATR) Team Canada cruised to its first International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship title since 2007, defeating Russia 6-1 in the final.

In pre-game warm-ups, the defending world champion Russians stared down the two-time defending Olympic gold medalist Canadians, a tactic that seemed to backfire considering the lopsided contest.

"I thought we got a little extra motivation from the Russian team today. Their stare down in warm-ups was exactly what we needed," said Canada head coach Todd McLellan. "You don’t vote for the extra motivation, but we got it and our guys grabbed it. It wasn’t a 3-2 win, it was a 6-1 thrashing."

The Russians did not remain on the ice for the Canadian national anthem as is customary during post-game proceedings. They returned upon its conclusion to receive their silver medals.

Led by veteran superstar Sidney Crosby and a talent-laden roster of youth, Canada dominated the 17-day tournament, posting an unblemished 10-0 record.

"They love hockey, it’s great energy in the building and every game was full,"Crosby said of the fanatic Czech fans at Prague’s O2 Arena. "We’re lucky to be here and win it. They’ve put on a great event over the past few weeks."

"He’s the best player in the world and was a big part of it," said Matt Duchene about his teammate Crosby. "He was a cherry on top to a team that already believed had a really good chance of winning this tournament."

"We’re Canadians, and this is our game. We’ve proved it over the past year-and-a-half, winning in Sochi, World Juniors and now here."

Crosby became the 26th member of hockey’s exclusive Triple Gold Club, winning Olympic and world championship gold and an NHL Stanley Cup title.

The United States shut out tournament host Czech Republic, 3-0, to claim the bronze medal.

The 79th edition of the tournament, which competes for exposure with North America’s National Hockey League playoffs, benefited from the inclusion of NHL stars like Crosby, Czech legend Jaromir Jagr, Russians Evegeni Malkin and latearrivals Alex Ovechkin and Slovenian Anze Kopitar, among others notables.

"Even though we didn’t win a medal, it was something special," said Jagr, a five-time Olympian, who advised it was his final game playing for the Czech national team.

A new tournament attendance record of 741,690 spectators over 64 games was set, besting last year’s mark from Minsk, Belarus. Prague’s O2 Arena offered a seating capacity of more than 17,000, while the CEZ Arena in Ostrava held around 8,800.

McLellan and the tournament’s leading scorer Jason Spezza conveyed nothing but positives about the tournament’s return to the Czech Republic for the first time since 2004.

"We enjoyed the environment. The hotel that we stayed in felt like an Olympic village keeping the athletes together," McLellan said. "We got to meet people and experience other countries‘ traditions. The organizing committe did a great job.

"Prague is a beautiful city with great people and Jagr coming back and playing will leave an everlasting mark here."

"It was a special tournament," Spezza said. "You can tell the passion of the Czech fans, people were all wearing jerseys and singing. The atmosphere was amazing and it was a great experience."

Fasel on Success of World Championship, 2016 Tournament, 2018 Olympics

The overall success of the Czech Republic-hosted world championship, the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, and next year’s tournament in Russia were among the topics addressed by IIHF president Rene Fasel at a weekend news conference held at Prague’s O2 Arena.

"Hockey and smile, this is the slogan of this championship and what more can I say," Fasel said, addressing a room of international hockey journalists.

"Fantastic arena full of people. They enjoyed it. They were smiling. You go outside and see a lot of Czech fans and other fans coming here from all over the world."

"We had not one single problem in the fan village, and they were drinking tons of beers," Fasel said. "No issues, no fights, no police, nothing.

"On the ice, we had not one single concussion and this has never happened beforeat the world championship."

Fasel also gave a brief update regarding ongoing discussions pertaining to NHL players participating in PyeongChang 2018.

"We had some discussion with POCOG. Mr. Cho, the president, was here the first week, and we had some discussions with him," Fasel advised.

"We also started some discussions with the IOC and with the NHL and [NHL Players Association].

"Personally, I think it will be more difficult than the last time.

"Vancouver 2010 was a no-brainer for the NHLPA, Russia also is a hockey country,

but ... Korea [is] not a hockey country.

"Also, the time zone makes it a little more difficult, but we will work on that and do our best to have the best in Korea," advised Fasel, the president of the IIHF since 1994.

Fasel suggested that the NHL and NHLPA have at least until September 2016 to decide if they will allow players to participate in the 2018 Games.

Regarding the 2016 IIHF World Championship to be held in Russia, Fasel confirmed that the semifinals and medal games will be contested in Moscow’s brand new Arena of Legends, which will be inaugurated on May 25. The modern building will have a seating capacity of 12,000 spectators.

Fasel also noted that the decision was taken to move games from the KHL’s SKA Ice Palace to the Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg. The arena needs renovation, but with a lesser seating capaicty of 7,000, it will be easier to fill considering the hosts will be placed in the Moscow group.

The hockey chief said also advised that discussions about having one group play in Sochi took place. However, it was ultimately decided that St. Petersburg wouldserve as a better location.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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