Supertalants lost to yesterday’s schoolchildren in front of their own fans.
Which only did not write out compliments to the national team Canada, who arrived at the MFM-2023. It is even called stronger than the 2005 MFM team, which included Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron and Ryan Getzlaf.
The current Maple Leaf roster consists of future superstars and already heavily involved players in the NHL. For example, Shane Wright already has 9 matches in the North American league. And 19-year-old Dylan Gunther has 21 games and 11 (3+8) points. In addition, they were joined by the favorites of the future draft: Connor Bedardwho is predicted to be number one and a career no worse than that of Connor McDavid, as well as Adam Fantilli – he should be taken immediately after Bedard.
With such names, it was fair to expect the Canadians not to lose a single match at home. However, in the very first game, the Maple Leaves sensationally lost to the Czech Republic, which looks much more modest.
Canadian fans are furious with such a game of compatriots. But Canada played against the Czech Republic, and not the Russian team, where there are hockey players like Matvey Michkov.
The match started perfectly for the Canadians. Already in the middle of the first period, the Seattle player Wright managed to convert the majority. It seemed that a team with so many talents in the roster would begin to smash the opponent. And five minutes later, the Maple Leaves hit again. True, the judges noticed the violation and canceled the goal of the Canadians.
After this episode, the Canadians simply stopped playing, giving the initiative to the opponent. At the same time, the Maple Leaf players began to treat the game too imposingly, as if they had already won. This was clearly seen in the moment with the first goal of the Czech national team. David Shpacek accelerated to the near post and closed the pass. At this time, Fantilli, who is predicted to be the second pick in the draft, calmly followed his opponent with his eyes.
Czech hockey players did not stop and after almost 30 seconds took the lead. But even then it seemed that after the first break, the Canadians would take the ice collected and be able to turn the game around. However, the Maple Leaves continued to suffer: in the first minute of the second period, the Czech team scored again.
No matter how the match turned out, still the main star of Canada, Bedard, could not fail to excel. And right after the third puck of the Czechs, he made his compatriots believe in a comeback. This moment was supposed to turn the tide of the meeting, but the Canadians were again summed up by indiscipline. Maple Leaf forward Zack Dean has earned a 5-minute suspension.
The Czechs did not even think about letting go of the game. At the same time, they did not even look back at their gates, but only thought about the attack. Soon they managed to knock out the opponent, punishing him for being rude: the Europeans converted the majority twice in 30 seconds.
Even a difference of three goals did not seem hopeless for the super-talents from Canada. They still had 20 minutes in the third period. But instead of gnawing out victory, the Canadians continued to retire. In the final period, they spent six minutes in the minority and could not even close the gap. And all because of the brilliant game of the Czech keeper Tomas Suchanek, who coped with even the most difficult shots. It is interesting that he managed to be noted in the protocol: Suchanek was recorded with an assist in the fifth goal of the Czech national team.
The Europeans looked like a single team that wants to win. But the Canadians were selfish, wanting to show themselves better before the draft. Therefore, the sensation took place. Canadian fans, who had been waiting for their compatriots to go all the way to gold medals undefeated, went berserk after the game.
The Czechs deserve it. This is perhaps the worst Canadian performance I have seen in this tournament. Yes, worse than losing 0-6 to Russia in 2020. Too many attempts to show themselves, especially in the first period. Meanwhile, the Czechs were focused on winning the game, says jaysornotandhawks
“Apparently, they played in the All-Star Game, and not at the MFM,” writes kjny2.
“Our boys have been humiliated, this is ridiculous,” Showtime98 comments.
“The problem is that these guys are more focused on making beautiful cuts out of their heads than on the team victory itself,” shotzoflead94 ironically says.
“If I hear again that (on paper) this is the best team in Canada for a long time, I’ll just turn off the game,” Grizz709 was upset because of unjustified expectations.
Canadians took to the ice, thinking that victory was already in their hands. And all because they have a large number of stars and players claiming a high pick in the draft. They simply would not be able to go out so relaxed for the match against Russia. After all, the same Michkov is listed on a par with Bedard. It looks like the Maple Leaves just relaxed at the tournament, which takes place without their main rivals from Russia.