Canadians Calm Before Puck Drop

You don’t have to look back too far to find the last meaningful game between Canada and Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

In 2009, Jordan Eberle scored one of the biggest goals in Canadian World Junior history, scoring with five seconds left in regulation to tie their semifinal game, before winning in a shootout.  The win catapulted Canada to the finals against Sweden, where they won handily 5-1, capturing their fifth straight gold medal.

This year’s scenario is quite different than in 2009 however, with the only similarities between the two teams being that they played in quarterfinal matchups.

For the Canadians, their games were a lot smoother; easily defeating the Swiss followed by a complete shutdown of the Americans in the semifinal.

The Russians?  Well they barely forced overtime against the Finns before defeating them in the extra frame.  And once again they scored late against Sweden, eventually winning in the shootout.

One intriguing link between their 2009 game and this year’s gold medal match is Canadian defenceman Ryan Ellis.

Ellis – as most Canadians know – was the player who kept the puck in at the blueline in the final ten seconds, setting up the play on which Eberle scored the tying goal.

Having played in what will now be his third World Junior final, Ellis was asked if he’s become accustomed to playing in games when the pressure is high.

“You still get the nerves and the butterflies for sure,” he said.  “I’m just like everyone else, but hopefully we can just come in with a calming effect and hopefully be alright tonight.”

That calming effect is what Ellis and other returnees have brought to the team, becoming a big influence on the 18 first timers, especially going into Wednesday night’s tilt with the Russians.

“I think just being with the guys here, the coaching staff, leaders like Brayden Schenn and Ellis, I think we’ll be ready,” said Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick Louis Leblanc. “We’ve had a good tournament so far and it comes down to the last 60 minutes.”

Schenn believes that it’s not only the leadership that they bring, but that many of the players on the Canadian squad have played in big games before.

“Guys have been in all different situations whether it’s Under-17, Under-18, World Juniors, or Memorial Cup games, and they should be able to use that to their advantage tonight,” the Brandon Wheat Kings forward said.  “It’s going to be a big crowd with a lot of energy in it.  The main thing is staying calm and staying focused.“

Wednesday morning was the first time Canada held a game day skate the entire tournament.  Leblanc felt that it was a great shakeup to their normal routine.

“We didn’t skate yesterday so it’s good to skate this morning, get a feel for the equipment again and see what you need to fix to get ready for tonight.”

Schenn echoed his teammates’ statement, saying they don’t want to be caught flat footed against the Russians.

“[If you] look at USA, they had a day or two off and came out in the first period a little too slow against us,” he said.  “We wanted to get our feet underneath us and thought the pre-game skate would help.”

Whether Canada wins gold or silver, this tournament can be seen as a success for the boys in red and white.  They weren’t expected to make the gold medal game, let alone win the whole tournament.

For the past three weeks, the team has come together – like every year – from individuals to a team with one goal in mind.  So are they upset that it’s coming to an end?

“For sure,” said Leblanc.  “You make great friends for the three we’re together and we’re like a family now.  It’s going to end tonight unfortunately, but hopefully we can finish on a good note and bring back a gold medal to Canada.”