WORLD JUNIORS NOTEBOOK
EDMONTON – Canada may have finished the preliminary round undefeated, but teen star Connor Bedard says he and his teammates have more to give as they move on to elimination games at the world junior hockey championship.
The Canadians (4-0-0) sit at the top of the standings as they prepare to take on Switzerland (1-3-0) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
“I think our goal is still to get better every game,” Bedard said.
“Finland’s going to be one of the top teams and what we showed (on Monday) was pretty big for us. And we want to continue that momentum into Wednesday.”
Bedard’s play has been a highlight for Canada so far in the tournament.
The 17-year-old forward from North Vancouver, B.C., opened the scoring for the host nation in its 5-2 victory over Latvia and has put up at least one point in every game (three goals, four assists).
An early favourite to be the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft, Bedard is simply a special player, said captain Mason McTavish.
“There’s so many highlights of him,” he said. “He’s elite and his shot is just crazy.”
Canada trailed just once during the preliminary round, when Czechia – the country commonly known as the Czech Republic – opened the scoring in their round-robin matchup on Saturday. The Canadians roared back for a 5-1 victory.
In order to see their tournament continue, the team needs to top the Swiss on Wednesday.
Switzerland clinched its quarterfinal berth with its lone win of the tournament so far, a 3-2 victory over Austria.
EDMONTON – Empty seats have been a staple at the unusual world junior hockey championship in Edmonton this month – and Hockey Canada says scandals surrounding the organization are, in part, holding fans back.
While the tournament usually sees thousands of avid hockey lovers turn out for each game, the average attendance for the tournament’s 20 preliminary round matches was 1,319.
Hockey Canada said there are “a few reasons” people have opted to stay home for the rescheduled 2022 tournament.
“First, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed this tournament to August,” the organization said in a statement Tuesday. “And second, there is understandable scrutiny from Canadians of Hockey Canada and the culture of hockey.”
Criticism of Hockey Canada loomed large as the 10-team tournament began on Aug. 9.
The national sports organization has come under fire in recent months for its handling of sexual assault allegations levied against members of two former world junior teams.
The allegations prompted parliamentary inquiries and the federal government has frozen its funding of the organization.
Big-name sponsors – including Telus and Canadian Tire – followed suit, leaving the ice at Rogers Place free of ads and the surrounding boards devoid of the usual logos.
“Our focus is ensuring the players who have trained for the past several months can compete on this important stage – and for the fans to enjoy a positive experience,” Hockey Canada said.
The first day of the tournament saw three games, none of which cracked 1,000 fans. The biggest draw was a matchup between the U.S. and Germany where attendance was recorded at 829.
Canada played its first game the following day – a 5-2 win over Latvia – in front of 2,779 people. No attendance was reported for a bout between Switzerland and Sweden at 12 p.m. local time the same day.
The crowds slowly swelled as the tournament progressed, with a crowd of 5,204 watching Canada’s final preliminary round game, a 6-3 win over Finland on Monday.
More than 1,500 tickets were available on Ticketmaster on Tuesday for Canada’s quarterfinal game against Switzerland on Wednesday.
(Canadian Press)
