The World Junior semi-final between the United States and the Czech Republic will be presented at 7:30 p.m. this evening on RDS and RDS.ca.
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OTTAWA – Ryan Leonard’s face told two different stories after the United States beat Switzerland in the quarterfinals of the World Juniors.
His nose, bandaged, variegated and abnormally inclined, bore witness to suffering and sacrifice.
His mouth, arched so as to form a smile that he tried poorly to hide, expressed satisfaction, pride and a sense of accomplishment.
These two observations should not be complementary. But Leonard, the captain of the American team, is equal parts masochist and torturer. He can play to hurt, but sometimes gives the impression of finding satisfaction in the pain inflicted on him.
This is what we saw in the match against Switzerland. He gave blows, he took some and he asked for more. And when he wasn’t looking for chaos himself, chaos was busy finding him. It was a blocked shot, deflected at an unlucky angle by his own stick, that set him up in a way that, once the initial pang had subsided, seemed to amuse him.
Whether it’s a naturally emotional match against Canada on New Year’s Eve, or a match that’s practically a foregone conclusion against a lesser rival, the choice of first round of the Washington Capitals demonstrates the same intensity. At this World Juniors, he is the perfect leader for a team that has only two obstacles left to win gold for a second consecutive year.
“He is so competitive, he never refuses to go where it hurts,” said his teammate Zeev Buium after the match against Switzerland. He can have the bells rung once, twice, three times, he’ll keep going. »
“When there is a chicane, he is generally not far away,” confirms his linemate Gabriel Perreault. He likes it when things get rough and he’s always there to defend you. It’s good to have a captain like him. »
“He’s a guy who stands up in big moments,” noted James Hagens. I was kidding him on the bench, telling him we probably wouldn’t use his modeling services again after that, but it’s part of his identity. The next time he was there, he was ready to go back. It shows the kind of leader he is. Nothing seems to affect it. »
That’s not necessarily true. Like any player who thrives on chaos, Leonard is prone to going overboard. We saw him in the match against Canada, receiving a penalty for roughness several seconds after the siren announcing the end of the second period. Canada created equality while serving his sentence.
With that costly escapade still in mind, it wasn’t his impactful hits, the shots he blocked or even the two goals he scored that his coach David Carle remembered from his performance against Switzerland. It’s more of a sequence in the third period during which his veteran, after being thrown to the ground by an opponent, wisely moved away from the scene instead of seeking revenge.
“For me, it’s proof of growth in maturity and discipline,” remarked Carle. Ryan is an emotional leader. It’s a trait of his personality that his teammates rally around. But at this precise moment, it was not the time to seek to cause trouble. It made me happy to see that he understood it. The more I get to know him, the more I see a guy in control of his emotions. »
Leonard is also aware that the more he is in control of his emotions, the more people who watch him play struggle to contain theirs. He became enemy number one last year in Gothenburg, where the Americans shattered the dreams of the local favorites. We still talk about his celebration, a kiss arrogantly sent towards the Swedish fans, after a goal which put the icing on the cake in the grand final.
When he was heckled unreservedly during the game against Canada on December 31, he figured it was a normal reaction coming from a highly partisan crowd. When he received his player of the match award to the same boos two days later, he understood that he really hadn’t made any friends in Ottawa.
A reporter suggested to him that he was probably the most hated man in town. He smiled, not even trying to hide his joy this time. “It’s cool to be hated. »
