(Ottawa) It was an eventful day for Hockey Canada on Saturday. Although it was supposed to be focused on the successes of the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship, presented in Ottawa, the discussion quickly deviated to the failure of Junior Team Canada.
Posted at 4:12 p.m.
Updated at 5:33 p.m.
The Canadian team saw its journey end prematurely for a second consecutive year with a 4-3 loss at the hands of the Czech Republic in the quarter-final. This is the first time since the introduction of the current format of the World Junior Hockey Championship that Canada has finished fifth two years in a row.
Also read “The inexplicable rout of Junior Team Canada”
“We are disappointed that our national team tournament has already ended, especially given the incredible support from spectators here in Ottawa and across the country,” said Katherine Henderson, President and CEO of Hockey Canada. Canadians expect to see our team play for a medal every year, and we take that expectation very seriously. In the days ahead, there will be moments of reflection and discussions about the next steps in our program. Please know that we share Canadians’ disappointment with this year’s tournament. »
If many wonder if Canada is still the best nation in hockey, for the big boss of Hockey Canada, the answer is obvious.
“We won gold two years in a row in the under-17 category. We won gold at under-18 and the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. Our women are currently the reigning world champions. Our under-18 women’s team will be in action from next week and our senior team is currently number one in the world. Canada remains the number one hockey nation on the planet. »
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Hockey Canada Chairman of the Board Jonathan Goldbloom, President and CEO Katherine Henderson, Senior Vice-President of Revenue, Fan Experience and Community Impact Dean McIntosh , and Senior Vice President of High Performance and Operations Scott Salmond.
The Canadians started strong with a 4-0 win over Finland on Boxing Day before a surprise 3-2 shootout loss to Latvia, an unconvincing 3-0 win over Germany and a loss 4-1 against the United States on New Year’s Eve. The country has scored just 13 goals in five games, combined with far too many trips to the penalty box.
“I understand the anger, I understand the disappointment and I share it,” said Scott Salmond, vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. There should be sellout crowds full of Canadians the next two days, cheering on the home team. It’s our job. I apologize for that. »
“We will review our selection process,” he added. We’re going to look at how we build teams. We will make changes and we will be better. »
Also read “Rout at the World Junior Championship: Hockey Canada explains”
Success off the ice
It was the first time in 16 years that the tournament was presented in a single city. The last time was in Ottawa, in 2009. This edition attracted a huge total of 453,282 spectators, an average of 14,622 per match, a record that still stands. In 2025, more than 300,000 supporters will have attended the various meetings.
“This community knows how to put on a great hockey event, which I think is essential to us having a great event,” said Dean McIntosh, vice president of revenue generation, customer experience and marketing. community impact at Hockey Canada. Beyond that, I think success can be measured in many ways. It’s community engagement. We saw spectators, not only in Ottawa, but from all over Eastern Ontario and around the world, take part in this event. »
It’s not just Ottawa that has benefited from the frenzy of the World Junior Hockey Championship, several communities in eastern Ontario too. Arnprior, Belleville, Brockville, Cornwall, Hawkesbury and Kingston hosted preparatory meetings.
“The photo of the mayor of Arnprior wrapped in a Latvian flag was one of those moments where you think it’s really impressive, to see the impact that a community has on a team and that a team has on a community. […] It is also our responsibility to reinvest these funds into hockey to make it healthier, not only here in Ottawa and in the Eastern Ontario region. »
A lack of French
Hockey Canada had promised to make every effort to ensure that all communications were done in both French and English. If the goal announcements and posters are bilingual, the crowd entertainment is unilingual in English at the Canadian Tire Center and at TD Place.
“We would like to be better at this level in the future,” added McIntosh. We are aware of the issue. We have done good work on several other aspects, but the next step would be for everything to be truly bilingual. »
