The movie “Groundhog Day” starring the hilarious Bill Murray made me laugh when it came out in 1993. This poor weatherman is forced to relive every day, the day of the year that he hates plus (that of February 2) where he must go to a small village in Pennsylvania to see if the groundhog will see his shadow…
Junior Team Canada just launched its version of Groundhog Day – One Month Early. For the 2nd year in a row, Canada failed at the World Juniors, being eliminated like last year on January 2, like last year by the Czech Republic, like last year by a goal scored in the last minute of play in the 3rd period and like last year after making up a two-goal deficit.
Like last year, Canada was solid in front of the net and on defense, but once again, like last year, it was the offense that was lacking. When rereading my text of January 3, 2024, I raised the lack of attack which… last year had only produced 23 goals in 5 matches! Little did I know that a year later Canada would only score 13 (only 10 by the attackers).
The lack of attack, gross indiscipline (which meant that Canada was by far the most penalized team in the preliminary round), a lack of accountability from most of the players and above all poor management of the team. head coach Dave Cameron ensures that Canada experiences, for the first time since 1996, a second consecutive exclusion from the final four.
It is obvious that the selection of players was the talk of the town from the start. We left out several good offensive elements that there is no need to rename here. But, even if we had swapped two or three players, we have no proof that this team would not have suffered the same fate due to its indiscipline.
After all, there were 10 first-round picks and four more in the making on this team. No reason to lose against Latvia with this kind of alignment even if you are “crooked”! The defeat against Latvia weighs heavily, because if Canada wins this match, as it should have been, it will face Slovakia in the quarter-final and not the Czech Republic. The portrait would most likely have been different…
Dave Cameron is a damn good man. He led this under-20 team to a silver medal in 2011 and the gold medal in 2022. He was also an assistant to Pat Quinn in 2009 when Canada won gold here in Ottawa. He was also on the 2010 coaching team as an assistant with a silver medal. Bringing him back in 2025 for this tournament presented in the national capital was justifiable because of his CV (4 medals in 4 participations) for the leaders of Hockey Canada.
We have to admit now that it was a mistake – one tournament too many… Cameron failed to push the right buttons. From the first bad punishments, he should have sent messages and that was not done. It is difficult to understand that by the 5th game, he had not yet managed to find who formed his first trio and even more difficult to understand his determination to come back with certain players who did not give him much (Easton Cowan in particular ).
What can we also say about this useless video challenge halfway through the 3rd period last night! The rhythm was broken and we also had to lose two minutes of play to use up the minor penalty for delaying the match. They say Canada’s players didn’t have it easy – It’s true! But Coach Cameron also had a tough week at the office.
At least three people from the hockey world pointed out to me this week that the best coach of the Canadian quartet this year was undoubtedly the Franco-Ontarian Sylvain Favreau of the Voltigeurs de Drummondville. However, he was confined to the role of observer in the press box during matches. He had nothing to do with the decision to contest the game in the 3rd period against the Czech Republic and it is not certain that his expertise was put to good use very often.
It is hoped that this poor performance does not slow him down in his rise in the Hockey Canada program. In any case, the day is not far away when he will make the jump to the professionals as Stéphane Julien did before him.
The rest now – It will be done without Dave Cameron who will no longer return with the under-20 program.
Next year the tournament will take place in Minnesota and 9 players from the current edition will be eligible to return with the team. They may not all be there and all available, we will know next fall.
It remains to be hoped that the saying “Never two without three” will not apply for Team Canada Junior 2026 – “Groundhog Day” is an excellent comedy to watch only once every 10 or 15 years.. .
To better appreciate it…
