It wasn’t looking good for Canada’s National Men’s Team. Twenty minutes into its preliminary game against Sweden at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, the Canadians were being outshot 14-5 and found themselves facing a 3-0 deficit.

Needing a jolt – not to mention a goal – Canada got both from 19-year-old Aaron Ekblad. Early in the second period, the team’s youngest player – who two games earlier became the youngest defenceman to ever score for Canada – fired home a loose puck through traffic to get his country on the board. Over the final 40 minutes Canada outshot its Scandinavian rival 34-18 and outscored it 6-1. Tyler Ennis, who had the game-winner, was the oldest of the six goal-scorers.

He’s 25.

“I’m not sure when we started [putting the team together] that we were thinking about age,” says Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations and national teams. “We were just thinking about taking the best players and fortunately when you look forward in our program we got a lot of good young players.”

Head coach Todd McLellan agrees that age was never a consideration.

“We just knew that these players were very capable of playing at a high level,” he says. “Most of the players were leaders and offensive leaders on their teams, and we had to put the group together so that the whole was more important than the parts.”

Veteran presence was added in the form of Jason Spezza, Brent Burns, Dan Hamhuis and Mike Smith.

“They had a big role in settling the team down when it needed it,” says McLellan. They also served as key decision-makers for the team, he adds, having a voice on things like workload and days off. “We wanted to have them participate in the direction of the team.”

While the core of the team ended up being chronologically young – 16 of the 23 players were 25 or younger – it was far from inexperienced. Cumulatively the core had won medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship (10), Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament (11 – all gold), World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (seven), IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship (four) and Olympic Winter Games (one), not to mention a Spengler Cup (Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin).

That Program of Excellence experience played a key role in preparing them for the big stage in Prague. It also may have provided a little extra motivation.

“Interestingly enough there’s a lot of guys who’ve been through the program who didn’t win,” says Salmond. Many players had international experience and knew the expectations that came with wearing the maple leaf, but recent gold medal droughts at the World Juniors and world championship had left them wanting more.

“From the day we got that team together there was a feeling from the players that they wanted to get it done,” says Salmond. “I thought as much as anything that was motivation for our players, guys who’d been disappointed before at the World Juniors, guys who’d been to the world championship and lost and being we’re not going to let that happen this time.”

The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is a major event in Europe, with nearly 160 individual broadcasters and more than one billion viewers. “It’s a huge stage. The players understand what that’s all about and they want to win,” says Salmond. “At the end of the day they’ve got the experience through the NHL or our programs to do that.”

The younger players also had veteran leaders to rely on. “What they were able to capture from those veterans is that experience of being in the tournament,” says McLellan. “How it’s supposed to feel now, what happens next, when does it get tough, when does it get easy.”

A big part of the experience of the world championship is helping players become better, says Salmond, and that comes from being around those who’ve been there before, those who’ve had success there (Burns, Hamhuis and Spezza have six medals between them) and those who’ve had long NHL careers.

“The reason the [younger] guys are good players is because they’re smart,” says Salmond, “and smart players will gain as much knowledge and experience as they can from the players around them.” Many of them, even though they’re only 23 or 24 years old, are leaders on their NHL teams; however, says Salmond, “this time, I think they kind of turned themselves over to our older leadership group and looked for direction from them.”

Spezza and Burns were named Top Forward and Top Defenceman, respectively, by the IIHF Directorate, but their younger teammates also made their mark in Prague.

Taylor Hall joined Spezza and Burns on the media all-star team. Ryan O’Reilly and Duchene were among the tournament leaders in the face-off circle, each winning two-thirds of their draws. Sean Couturier finished plus-13 and was never on the ice for an even strength goal against. Seguin and Hall ended up first and third in goals scored. Ennis showed off skill and speed on a wraparound that proved to be the gold-medal-winning goal versus Russia. And Jordan Eberle, Hall and Duchene were second, third and fifth among the tournament scoring leaders.

“We’ve gone through the Gretzky-Lemieux era and the Sakic-Blake-Iginla era,” says McLellan. “When I look at this group I think this is the next generation of Canadian teams.”

This year’s Team Canada finished 10-0 at the world championship, winning every game in regulation. It was the third gold medal won by a men’s team on the international stage this season. Between worlds, the World Juniors, U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup and IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship, Canada went 28-1.

The future of Canadian hockey is bright thanks to its young stars.

“Not that long ago people were questioning Canadian hockey and were we developing talented players and were we skilled enough,” says Salmond. “I think we’ve answered those questions this year.”

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Hockey Canada and eBay.ca will launch the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship auction on Saturday, May 9 at 8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT. Up for auction are game-worn jerseys from Canada’s National Men’s Team.

The jerseys up for grabs are Team Canada’s 100th anniversary jerseys worn exclusively at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Prague and Ostrava. The colour of the jersey will be determined following Canada’s final game at the world championship.

Canada’s National Men’s Team 23-player roster includes three who helped Canada win gold at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games (Crosby, Duchene, Hamhuis, Smith), 11 who have previously played at a world championship (Burns, Crosby, Duchene, Eberle, Giroux, Hall, MacKinnon, O’Reilly, Schenn, Smith, Spezza) and 14 who represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship (Barrie, Burns, Couturier, Crosby, Eakin, Eberle, Ekblad, Ennis, Giroux, Hall, Jones, MacKinnon, Schenn, Spezza).

All proceeds from the sale of game-worn jerseys will go to the Hockey Canada Foundation, whose mission is to promote and foster accessibility to the game of hockey. Proceeds of this auction will support Hockey Canada Foundation initiatives that help ensure Canada remains at the forefront in the development and promotion of amateur hockey as well as creating access to the game.

The auction will last 10 days, closing May 18, 2015. Shipping will commence for paid items the week of June 15, 2015.

For more information on Canada’s National Men’s Team and Hockey Canada, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_men. 

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada and eBay.ca will launch the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship eBay auction Friday, May 16 at 8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT. The jerseys up for auction are worn exclusively by Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Minsk, Belarus. Fans have the chance to own a Team Canada jersey worn by James Reimer, Morgan Rielly and Alex Burrows, among others.

Canada’s 23-player roster includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards, featuring six players with world championship experience and 17 players with previous international experience. The roster also includes a number of standout NHL rookies from this past season. That includes Nathan MacKinnon, Sean Monahan, Morgan Rielly and Mark Scheifele, as well as Jonathan Huberdeau, the Calder Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL’s top rookie in 2012-13. Six players, including captain Kevin Bieksa, Troy Brouwer, Jason Garrison, Justin Peters, Ben Scrivens and Joel Ward, are making their international debut at the world championship. 

All proceeds from the sale of game-worn items will go to the Hockey Canada Foundation (HCF). The foundation’s mission is to support Hockey Canada by promoting and fostering accessibility to the game.. Proceeds of this auction will support HCF initiatives that help ensure Canada remains at the forefront in the development of amateur hockey across the country.

The auction will last 10 days, closing Monday, May 26, 2014. Shipment will commence for paid items the week of June 9, 2014.

The 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship runs May 9-25 in Minsk, Belarus. All of Canada’s games will be broadcast on TSN/RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcasters. Check local listings for game times in your area.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada  and www.twitter.com/hc_men .

Former Hockey Canada president Murray Costello has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, in recognition of his contributions to the development of hockey across the country, particularly to Canada's National Junior Team and Canada's National Women's Team.

The prestigious appointment was announced Sat., June 29 by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the centrepiece of the country's honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country. The Order of Canada’s motto is DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (They desire a better country).

The Officer of the Order of Canada award recognizes a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.

A former professional hockey player with the NHL's Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, Costello went back to school and became a lawyer following his on-ice career. He served as president of the Canadian Hockey Association from 1979 through 1998, and was a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Board of Directors in Toronto for 17 years. He was himself inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006. The South Porcupine, Ont., native went on to serve in a variety of roles with the IIHF, including auditor for eight years, as well as member of the disciplinary committee for another eight years, member of the statutes committee for four years, and chairman of both the medical and junior committees.

Calgary, AB — The 2007 IIHF World Men’s Championship gold medalists will be honoured at a Celebrity Classic Gala Dinner and Golf Tournament June 25th and 26th, hosted by The Canadian Hockey Foundation. The World Junior Championship gold medalists and World Women’s Championship gold medalists will also be honoured at the same event.

This is the first time Calgary will host this annual two-day event.

The Gala Fundraiser Dinner, which is sold out, will be held at the TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary, AB, on Monday, June 25th. This year’s honorary chairmen are Harley Hotchkiss, and Doc Seaman. Hockey Canada will be honouring Canada’s three 2007 World Championship hockey teams – the World Junior Championship team, World Women’s Championship team and World Men’s Championship team – with a championship ring ceremony. Other well known Team Canada alumni and hockey personalities will be in attendance. The Gala Fundraiser Dinner will be hosted by Gord Miller and Pierre McGuire of TSN.

On Tuesday, June 26th, this year’s honorees from Canada’s National Teams will captain and sponsor teams at a celebrity golf tournament at the Heritage Pointe Golf Club. This 27-hole championship course is located in the beautiful Pine Creek Valley. The Celebrity Classic Golf tournament is also sold out.

The Canadian Hockey Foundation looks to raise nearly $1 million in revenue with this event. Funds will be used for the Foundation’s endowment program to preserve Canada’s hockey heritage, continue our winning tradition, and support the future development and delivery of Hockey Canada programs, projects, and activities. Hockey Canada programs include projects such as: skill development, training for coaches, continued growth of female hockey, player/parent education on hockey’s core values of respect, responsibility and pure enjoyment of our game, and providing opportunities for new Canadians and underprivileged youth to participate in organized hockey.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced that two-time Olympic gold medallist Rick Nash (Brampton, ON/Columbus, NHL) will serve as general manager of Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Nash was selected by Doug Armstrong (Sarnia, ON/St. Louis, NHL), management group lead for Canada’s National Men’s Team, Ryan Getzlaf (Regina, SK/Anaheim, NHL), player relations advisor and Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of hockey operations and high performance.

“Rick is an outstanding person to lead Canada’s National Men’s Team at this year’s world championship, as he brings a wealth of international and NHL experience from his playing career and his time as an executive,” Armstrong said. “We are excited to work with Rick and begin building the staff and roster that will wear the Maple Leaf in Czechia and help us defend gold this May.”

Nash most recently won a silver medal as assistant general manager of Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2022 IIHF World Championship. He is in his third season as director of player development with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and previously spent two seasons (2019-21) as the team’s special assistant to the general manager. As a player, he represented Canada at the Olympic Winter Games in 2006, 2010 and 2014, winning gold in 2010 and 2014. He also wore the Maple Leaf at four IIHF World Championships, winning one gold medal (2007) and two silver (2005, 2008), and won a silver medal at the 2002 IIHF World Junior Championship. Professionally, he played in 1,060 NHL games over 15 seasons with the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins, amassing 805 career points (437 goals, 368 assists).

Additions to the management group, as well as the coaching staff, support staff and roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship will be announced at a later date.

Canada will open the tournament against Great Britain on May 11 at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 26. Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Team will play pre-tournament games against Austria at Steffl Arena in Vienna on May 5 and Hungary at the MVM Dome in Budapest on May 7.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Men’s Team and the 2024 IIHF World Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

TAMPERE, Finland – A three-goal third period helped Canada’s National Men’s Team win gold at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, downing Germany 5-2 in the gold medal game at Nokia Arena on Sunday.

Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) netted the game-winner off a rebound just under five minutes into the third period, his second goal of the game and fourth in three contests, to give Canada its 28th gold medal at men’s worlds.

“This feels really good. We have been in Europe for a month and have waited for our moment to play for a gold medal, and it is really special to win in front of our friends and family that travelled here,” Blais said. “Our group built chemistry so quickly and it feels like we have played together for a long time, and we are excited to bring this gold medal back home to our fans.”

Canada fell behind 1-0 just over eight minutes into the game before Blais, who was named Player of the Game, buried a one-timer off a Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL) pass to tie the game. Germany responded with a goal 13:47 into the middle frame before Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) redirected a puck past German goaltender Mathias Niederberger on the power play to equal the score at 2-2 before the end of the second.

After Blais gave Canada the lead early in the third, Tyler Toffoli (Scarborough, Ont./Calgary, NHL) and Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL) added goals to secure the win and give Canada its 51st medal overall at the IIHF World Championship.

“I could not be more proud of this group. We battled through a lot of adversity and doubt to get to this point, and this win is so special,” Toffoli said. “We have such a close-knit team that came together quickly, and we always believed in each other. Everyone bought in and we played a great game today, and I am incredibly happy to be going back to Canada with a gold medal.”

Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) capped off a stellar tournament with a 21-save performance. A full game summary can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

Following the gold medal game, MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) was named Best Defenceman of the tournament and was selected to the media all-star team. Crouse, Montembeault and Weegar were also named Team Canada’s three best players of the tournament following the semifinals.

“The commitment of everyone on our team was unbelievable. We knew we had to come here and play for each other and commit to a team game. We came here to represent Canada and make our country proud, and I am so blessed to be a part of this group,” said head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL). “Our players wanted to win so bad. They wanted to bring a gold medal back to Canada, and when you have that mindset you can accomplish great things, and we did that tonight.”

Canada finished the preliminary round in second place in Group B after wins over Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Czechia. It booked a spot in the gold medal game after a 4-1 win over Finland in the quarterfinals and a 4-2 win over Latvia in the semifinals.

Since 1931, Canada has collected 28 gold medals at the world championship, to go along with 16 silver and seven bronze.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For the fourth-straight tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Team will play in the gold medal game at the IIHF World Championship; it will face Germany on Sunday in Tampere, in search of its 28th world title.

Last Game

Canada came from behind to earn a 4-2 victory over Latvia in its semifinal Saturday. Jack Quinn, Adam Fantilli and Scott Laughton scored third-period goals to complete the comeback, and Sam Montembeault made 20 saves to earn his fifth win.

Germany posted a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over the United States on Saturday to qualify for the final. Frederik Tiffels was the overtime hero, scoring his second of the game at 7:32 of the extra period after Marcel Noebels tied it with 1:23 left and goaltender Mathias Niederberger on the bench for an extra attacker. Niederberger finished with 30 saves, including six in overtime.

Last Meeting

Canada and Germany met last year in the prelim opener in Helsinki, with the Canadians downing the Germans by a score of 5-3 . Pierre-Luc Dubois finished with a pair of goals and Kent Johnson scored the game-winner. Logan Thompson turned aside 18 of 21 shots for his first career Team Canada win.

What to Watch

Canada was down two of its key penalty killers in Joe Veleno (suspension) and Ethan Bear (injury) for the semifinals, but that wasn’t an issue as the Canadians killed off all six Latvia power plays, improving its penalty kill to 93.1% (good for second in the tournament). The PK unit will need to be good again in the final; the Germans have scored six power-play goals in the tournament and are clicking at a 25% success rate.

The Germans entered the knockout round as the eighth-ranked team out of eight quarterfinalists after going 4-0-0-3 in preliminary round. But none of that matters now. First, they knocked out first-place Switzerland with a 3-1 win in the quarters before handing the United States its first loss of the tournament in the semis. J.J. Peterka has led the Germans offensively, collecting 11 points (5-6—11) to rank third in the tournament scoring race. In the crease, Niederberger has played all but one game, entering the gold medal game with a 1.98 goals-against-average and .910 save percentage, while making the third most saves (163) – 59 of which have come in the playoffs.

A Look Back

Canada holds a big lead in the head-to-head history, winning 21 of 24 meetings (with two ties) and outscoring the Germans 111-33.

It has been 93 years since the Canadians and Germans met for gold at the IIHF Worlds; at the 1930 tournament – the first time the event was held apart from the Olympic Games – Canada (represented by the Toronto CCMs) downed the host Germans 6-1 in Berlin to claim its fourth-straight gold.

All-time record: Canada leads 21-1-2 (2-0 in OT/SO)

Canada goals: 111

Germany goals: 33

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

TAMPERE, Finland – A three-goal third period helped Canada's National Men's Team punch its ticket to the gold medal game at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, doubling up on co-host Latvia 4-2 at Nokia Arena on Saturday.

• Adam Fantilli (Nobleton, Ont./University of Michigan, Big Ten) scored the eventual game-winner, a highlight-reel goal just under nine minutes into the third period.
• Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL) chipped in with an empty-net goal and an assist.
• Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) and Jack Quinn (Cobden, Ont./Buffalo, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL), Jake Middleton (Stratford, Ont./Minnesota, NHL), Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL), Milan Lucic (Vancouver, B.C./Calgary, NHL) and Justin Barron (Halifax, N.S./ Montréal, NHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) made 20 saves.
• Canada outshot Latvia 36-22.

Next Game:

Canada vs. United States or Germany (gold medal game) – Sunday, May 28 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“The Latvians battle hard, they are physical and they played really well today. We stuck with it and needed some character after they scored the first goal, and I think the boys did a great job. [Quinn] scored a big, big goal for us, and Fantilli’s goal will be a highlight for a long time. There was no panic on our bench, and I think the commitment from our team was exceptional today.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on today’s semifinal win

“It was a special moment for me. I grew up watching Milan Lucic my whole life, and for him to give me a great pass before my goal was pretty cool. It is a pretty surreal feeling to score a big goal that helps get us to the gold medal game, and it would mean a lot for everyone in our locker room to leave Finland with a gold medal. We all came here to represent our country as best as we can, and the best way to do that is by winning, so hopefully we can do that tomorrow.”

-      Fantilli on his goal and the opportunity to play for gold

“The puck just kind of popped out to me after a great forecheck by Crouse. I was just trying to bank it off any part of the Latvian goalie, and luckily the shot hit the perfect spot and went in.”

“This game shows that we have a lot of resiliency and that we believe in each other. We knew we were going to face some adversity today, and we were able to stick with it and stay calm, and in the end we got rewarded. We know how we need to play tomorrow to be successful, so we just need to reset and get focused on what we need to do to leave with a gold medal.”

-      Quinn on his game-tying goal and today’s game

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.