Men's Ice Hockey World Cup of Hockey 2016

[intoronto 6,408]

Wow what an ending!!!

[mihamiha 124]

very good resistance from europe "renegades".

congrats to canada

[hckošice 15,520]

Final Serie - Game 2

Canada - Team Europe  2-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hckošice 15,520]

Marchand the hero for Canada

Scores winner short-handed with only 43.1 seconds left

Canada had its hands full with Team Europe but prevailed late in game two.

 

Brad Marchand took a little drop pass from Jonathan Toews, waited, and drilled a wrist shot to the stick side of Jaroslav Halak, beating the goalie with only 43.1 seconds remaining in regulation time to give Canada a 2-1 win over Team Europe and capture its second straight Wold Cup championship.

It was a game dominated more by Europe than Canada, and the visitors led 1-0 for most of the game until the final three minutes.

Patrice Bergeron had tied the score on a power play at 17:07, deflecting a Brent Burns point shot past Halak, who was sensational.

Sidney Crosby, who led the tournament in scoring, was named MVP. Marchand, unexpectedly, led all scorers with five goals. Crosby had ten points while line mates Marchand with eight and Patrice Bergeron with seven finished 1-2-3 in scoring. Crosby was in on ten of the team's 24 goals while the line combined for a total of 25 points.

Both goalies were sensational and made key saves with the game hanging in the balance.

"I saw Toews come over the blue line and back them up," Marchand described. "I think they had two forwards and one defenceman, so they're a bit uncomfortable there. He made a great drop pass to me, and I just wanted to get a shot on net. Fortunately it went in."

Mike Babcock has now run the table on tournaments. He has won gold at the World Juniors, World Championships, and Olympics as well as the Stanley Cup and now World Cup. 

"I thought we played a really good game...again," said Europe's captain Anze Kopitar, fighting back tears. "I'm really proud of how we played. Everyone thought we'd be the laughingstock of the tournament, and we went all the way to the finals. We gave Canada a pretty good run."

The Europeans scored the only goal of the first period on a nice series of passes off the rush. In the end, Andrej Sekera dished off to big Zdeno Chara on the left side, and he buried a high shot over the glove of Carey Price.

With that all-important first goal, Europe played stifling defence in the Krueger style circa the Swiss national team years. Players blocked shots with Stanley Cup finals devotion, and Halak was perfect in goal.

"I am so proud of the players, and I think tonight was the best game any team has played against Canada in this tournament," Krueger said. "I think Team Europe proved that if players are committed to each other, they can compete against anyone."

Canada should have tied the game early in the second period. On an early power play the puck squirted free to John Tavares to the back side of the play, and with a wide open net he hit the post. It’s a shot he might never miss again, but on this occasion he did.

It wasn't so much that Canada pressed and couldn't generate offence as it was that Europe played flawlessly with and without the puck. The defence got to shoot-ins quickly and moved the puck out of their end quickly, and when Canada had the puck it had little time to think before a European was on him.

But as time ticked down, Kopitar took a penalty, and that's when Bergeron's tip started the comeback.

Canada has now won six of eight Canada Cup/World Cup events since the event began in 1976, losing only in 1981 to the Soviets and 1996 to the U.S.

 

[hckošice 15,520]

Final Serie - Game 2

Canada - Team Europe  2-1  HIGHLIGHTS

 

[phelps 8,285]

so, the first big event of the hockey season is over...

 

as I wrote in the past, I was never really convinced about this tournament for many reasons (the 2 "all-star" teams, the period of the year in which it has been played - in full pre-season training, with players out of shape and mainly trying to avoid annoying injuries for the upcoming NHL season), but I have to admit that I was wrong big time...

 

we had a wonderful tournament, with most players giving 100% out of themselves, the 2 "improbable" teams playing a lot better than expected also under a tactical point of view and fast-paced amazing hockey games...

 

speaking of the 2 games of the final series, game #1 was played definitely better and was also more entertaining than game #2 for what concerns the level of play, but it was also less even, with Canada showing how stronger than the rest of the World they are...

 

Game #2, instead, was a lot slower, more tactical and with all the poor shape of players (except for goalies, with Halak and Price simply phenomenal once again) coming out all of a sudden, but, on the other hand, it was closer and tighter and left all of the excitement for the last few minutes, when Canada found the way to overcome the European "renegades", who definitely deserved the "stage win" more than the hosts...

But when you are the best, you always find that "plus" that saves you even when you look done and gone...

 

Now let's hope not to have to wait 4 more years to see this kind of hockey, even if the news about the NHLers to take part into the 2018 Winter Olympics are worse & worse day after day...

 

By the way, I can't wait for October 12th and the new NHL season to start...I'm really sick for hockey...

Edited September 30, 2016 by phelps

[JoshMartini007 2,765]

Sadly I don't think the NHL players will go to the Olympics outside of a few that might beg their teams to release them. 2022 will seem likely because it will be held in China.

 

Outside of the general level of play it pretty much will kill Canada and US's chances at winning.