GDT: Quarter Finals: Canada vs Czechia; Jan. 2, 2025; 19:30 EST

[llwyd]

... would have won easy if we fielded the A-team instead of C

Of course! Either Canada simply wins (and it so often does) - or then are the moral winners, cheated or sabotaged by refs, circumstances, own coaches, star signs, tides, wind direction etc etc etc

 

[Tuoppi]

Canadians are so afraid of the Czechs that they wouldn't include them in the four nations face off.

 

[TonsofPuppies]

I’ve never seen a bigger group of complainers. The country that claims this sport gets beat on their home soil, and all you do is point fingers, blame the refs, blame the coach, blame the players. Its a pretty embarassing look and I’m glad your face got smashed with humble pie.

Maybe, just maybe, other countries are catching up. I know its hard to admit.

As a Canadian who was rooting for Czechia because this team is just completely unlikable, top to bottom, this is a comment that makes no sense to me.

Who are fans supposed to blame, exactly? lol The refs were bad, but I don't think that's the reason Canada lost. IIHF reffing Is usually bad. Anyone who has ever watched an IIHF event knows this, including every player on the team who grew up watching this tournament. They should know better, especially since they had already been burned several times earlier in the tournament with undisciplined, bone headed plays.

Which leads me to my next point - the players. Not only were they incredibly stupid and bone headed in the discipline department, they were completely inept in terms of actually playing up to their skill level. Yes, Canada didn't field their best roster and Hockey Canada's poor decisions usually have detrimental consequences on the outcome for the team, but even with a poor roster, Canada should not be losing to Latvia, under any circumstance. They scored two more goals than Kazakhstan in the round robin. Do you really think that Kazakhstan has caught up to Canada in terms of developing forwards in ice hockey?

Lastly, the coaching. It was atrocious. Dave Cameron is one of the worst coaches in junior hockey and the reasons why were on full display throughout the tournament. Very stubborn and slow to make changes. The PP was atrociously bad from day one (even during the pre-tournament) and it took him halfway through the round robin to make any sort of personal change. Yes, that's only two games where the results count, but this is a 7 game tournament, not an 82 game NHL season. You have to make changes quickly if the results aren't there. His deployment of players, like playing Bonk on as a PPQB, which isn't a role he does for his regular junior team, is completely baffling. Not giving McKenna enough ice time, even though was one of the few forwards generating any sort of offensive output when he was on the ice. His complete lack of emotion behind the bench. His refusal to bench players who refused to stop taking dumb penalties. I could go on and on, but you get the point. Cameron sucks.

So yes, the refs were bad, the players performed poorly and the coaching was atrocious. Combine the three and this is the result you get. It's absolutely true that other countries are catching up. No sane person would ever deny this. And that's a good thing. Makes the tournament more intense and interesting. But to pretend like this team and result is indicative of where Canada stands currently in terms of player development as a nation is laughable.

 

[kudymen]

We should not forget that Canada missed a lot of great players and would have won easy if we fielded the A-team instead of C

We should not forget they deliberatelly chose not to then.

 

[Jukurit]

Czechia is Canada's kryptonite.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

Idk, maybe try bringing our best players, and practicing, and not taking 40,000 penalties.

We also didn´t have our best players(Benák, Mrtka) and still won, imagine if we had them, it would be total debacle for Canada we would maybe even beat Swedes...

 

[swissdude]

Europeans have been coming over here since the 1990s and playing in the CHL. Americans, that's fine, because our boys play in their NCAA leagues too, and there are a few American cities in the CHL. So it is a fine give and go there. But not with Europeans. We get nothing in return (other than the suits get a lot of extra money for having them here). Imagine a system where only Canadians could train and we only taught Canadians how to play the game. Sort of a secret system. Kind of like how the Soviets used to do it with their training methods back in the day.

Don is it you? Well but then you consequently should remove all europeans from the NHL, guess that would improve the on ice product a lot and you finally get back your game where goons beat themselves to dementia. Yes get rid of the soft euros we would like to see them play on our prime time lol

 

[Fatass]

Average forwards, which is what Canada had mostly, need a play driving D man to generate offence. Not selecting Yakumchuk was a massive mistake. Canada needed his offensive game.

 

[Reality Czech]

I mean your username tells me you should not be neutral here

Ok I admit I was rooting for the Czechs

 

[GettingYourMoms]

Ok I admit I was rooting for the Czechs

Rooting for Czechs is like rooting for future Blues. Reality just Czechs.

 

[Hallonbroder]

This is a very silly comment.

Latvia is not catching up. Canada achieved miles under potencial. Blaming the refs is BS & players are who they are but Hockey Canada & the Coaching staff should definitely be under intense scrutiny.

Canada almost always has the best talent pool to pick from and this year more then usual. The results this team had were terrible. It's not like we lost in the final to the USA in overtime. This was an embarrassing performance.

Do you actually think this was a well built team that played to its potencial? Do you think that this is just the new normal of international Hockey?

Honestly?

I don't think so. Just shrugging our shoulders and accepting it seems pretty dumb.

Czechia has a great hockey program. Sometimes you just lose. Stop whining. Stop acting like losing a kids tournament is the end of the world

 

[Reality Czech]

Europeans have been coming over here since the 1990s and playing in the CHL. Americans, that's fine, because our boys play in their NCAA leagues too, and there are a few American cities in the CHL. So it is a fine give and go there. But not with Europeans. We get nothing in return (other than the suits get a lot of extra money for having them here). Imagine a system where only Canadians could train and we only taught Canadians how to play the game. Sort of a secret system. Kind of like how the Soviets used to do it with their training methods back in the day.

In fairness, these guys know how to play hockey before coming to Canada. They're just benefiting from playing with better competition. Maybe they also benefit from the coaches and training staff, but you act like Canada is teaching them some secret martial art or something like that lol.

I guess the benefit for Canada is higher quality of play in the CHL, which benefits everybody.

 

[Hallonbroder]

Hockey is Czechia's game.

Looking forward to see the Canadians outrage when the Czech fans hold upp houndreda of signs saying that one year

 

[Reality Czech]

Rooting for Czechs is like rooting for future Blues. Reality just Czechs.

True, there's some nice overlap going on right now with all the recent draft picks. I live in Prague so of course I'm a Czech fan, but as an American I have to support my country in the semis. I guess it's a win-win situation knowing one of the two will be in the finals.

 

[Hallonbroder]

Make Canada Soviet again! This is so sad and hilarious at the same time that I'm pissing my pants.

“TheY tOOk OUr JuuuuuBS!”

 

[Silky Johnson]

Czechia has a great hockey program. Sometimes you just lose. Stop whining. Stop acting like losing a kids tournament is the end of the world

Who's whining?

It's correct to ask questions about the team underperforming.

Stop being a troll and suggesting that losing to the Czechs in ten 1/4 finals is a terrible result for any Canadian National team.

 

[Vipers31]

Europeans have been coming over here since the 1990s and playing in the CHL. Americans, that's fine, because our boys play in their NCAA leagues too, and there are a few American cities in the CHL. So it is a fine give and go there. But not with Europeans. We get nothing in return (other than the suits get a lot of extra money for having them here). Imagine a system where only Canadians could train and we only taught Canadians how to play the game. Sort of a secret system. Kind of like how the Soviets used to do it with their training methods back in the day.

Who‘s giving the suits that extra money? Are us Euros paying them so we get lesser talent over here? Are fewer Canadian fans going to games without the thrill of seeing these weird barbarians? Is there a secret cabal moving money around to harm Hockey Canada specifically? I want to learn more about this!

 

[DeeQ]

Europeans have been coming over here since the 1990s and playing in the CHL. Americans, that's fine, because our boys play in their NCAA leagues too, and there are a few American cities in the CHL. So it is a fine give and go there. But not with Europeans. We get nothing in return (other than the suits get a lot of extra money for having them here). Imagine a system where only Canadians could train and we only taught Canadians how to play the game. Sort of a secret system. Kind of like how the Soviets used to do it with their training methods back in the day.

Lmao. Make Canada great again!

 

[John Price]

 

[bobber]

Stick a pin in it. Canada wasn't in this from the start. As the tourney wore on things got worse. You can't paint it any other way. They picked the wrong group from the top down with the exception of the goalies. As Canadians we have to realize the other teams in this tournament are skilled. There are no free lunches anymore. HC needs a different paradym.
9 players are eligible to come back next year. Nine that made no difference this year. Maybe get back to a 19 year old team. Bigger and stronger and more experience.

 

[Prettyisland]

Stick a pin in it. Canada wasn't in this from the start. As the tourney wore on things got worse. You can't paint it any other way. They picked the wrong group from the top down with the exception of the goalies. As Canadians we have to realize the other teams in this tournament are skilled. There are no free lunches anymore. HC needs a different paradym.
9 players are eligible to come back next year. Nine that made no difference this year. Maybe get back to a 19 year old team. Bigger and stronger and more experience.

Idk man Gavin McKenna had some crazy play making sequences this tournament. I’m sure he will be absolutely dominant next tournament.

 

[bobber]

Idk man Gavin McKenna had some crazy play making sequences this tournament. I’m sure he will be absolutely dominant next tournament.

McKenna is an exceptional player. He will be there next year. Can the powers that be find anyone to compliment him? HC big wigs couldn't run a popsicle stand at this point in time.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

I feel like you could have had a similar result with no coach or one of the players doing double duty as player coach. 2 years in a row the bench boss seemed in over his head.

 

[Czechboy]

Beating Canada is nice and all, but the truly important thing that happened here is that the Czechboy Curse has been lifted by the universe. Finally.

There seemed to be only three certainties in life up till yesterday: death, taxes and the Czechs losing if Czechboy declared ahead of a game where the Czechs’ opponents were considered favourites that the Czechs would prevail (while otherwise without fail underplaying the Czechs’ chances against absolutely everyone).

Now a whole generation of Czech hockey fans can finally go to sleep knowing that the Czech team is not necessarily destined to lose every game where Czechboy picks us to beat a favourite.

This was hilarious.
Just so you know. I have USA as big favs in semis.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Happy they lost , make the game affordable , our best athletes don't play hockey.

But it's also funny that they have a bunch of kids who didin't make the team way more dynamic than what they went with lol what idiots