Canada embarrassed by Czechia at the world juniors

They do this because they love the games!

Czechia beat a heavily favoured Canadian team, 5-2, in Monday’s opening match of the 2023 World Junior Championship.

Canada was able to outscore Czechia by 38-26 but it was not enough. Stanislav Svozil led the way for Czechia with a goal and an assist, and though Connor Bedard looked every bit worthy of the first overall pick next summer, it wasn’t enough.

Here are three takeaways and one key criticism from Czechia’s stunning victory.

Connor Bedard’s otherworldly shot on full display

Connor Bedard is the greatest player to enter the draft after Auston Matthews. The 17-year old has a remarkable release, which belies his small stature. Bedard is the runaway favourite to go first overall in a loaded draft class, and though he’s outstanding at weaving in and out of traffic, his release and accuracy are his calling cards.

Bedard’s shot release is amazing because of his incredible bend and flexibility. David Foster Wallace once described Roger Federer’s forehand as a great, liquid whip, and though we don’t want to add to the preposterous hype surrounding the Vancouver teenager, this certainly applies here. There is a fluidity to Bedard’s shot that stands out, and makes him the easiest can’t-miss prospect since Matthews.

As an underage player, Bedard will dominate this tournament. This was to be expected. And we’ll try to highlight other elements of his game in this blog. Canada trailed 3-1. Canada needed an offensive injection. Bedard demonstrated why he is the most prominent player in this tournament and the draft class.

Benjamin Gaudreau’s performance opens up the goaltending competition

Your annual reminder — and one that journalists could use, too — that the players in this tournament are just kids. Benjamin Gaudreau will most likely have better nights ahead of him in his young career. It would be tough to write about this game without mentioning Gaudreau’s rough evening, however.

Gaudreau should be fair. The Canadian blueliners were slow to respond. Gaudreau did not give his team the chance. That is what makes a goaltender a good one. And when Jaroslav Chmelar beat Gaudreau to give Czechia a 5-2 lead, Gaudreau’s night was done, replaced by Thomas Milic.

It’s worth mentioning that Czechia’s Tomas Suchanek entered the tournament as a popular pick to win Best Goaltender and the undrafted prospect should be getting on NHL radars. Although he may be more at home playing for club than country, Suchanek once again outdoes his competition and was crucial in the victory with 5-2.

In a short tournament, there will be variable changes. You just need your goalie’s hot streak to make it to the top. Canada entered the tournament with Gaudreau as the clear-cut starter. Milic seemed to be able to calm things down for Canada, after a tough second frame. That may have been enough to propel him to the No. For now, Milic is the No. 1.

Stanislav Svozil deserves every minute of fame and more

A condensed tournament can make heroes out of people who are not known. Czechia’s Stanislav Svozil and Jaroslav Chlemer deserve all the recognition they’ll get for their standout performances on Monday night.

Svozil was a complete menace. He set up Czechia’s opening goal with a beautiful lateral feed where David Spacek tapped it home for the equalizer. Svozil also got on the board for what stood as the game’s eventual winner, looking like his club teammate Connor Bedard for a second with a picture-perfect wrister. Svozil was the best player for Czechia, although goaltender Tomas Suchanek has an argument, and he wasn’t done after notching two points.

Svozil crushed Canada’s Adam Fantilli with a perfectly timed hip-check that sent the presumptive top-three pick sprawling. And we’ll bet that he’s probably going the topic of several Google searches tonight.

Svozil was a third-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2021, so yes, he didn’t appear out of thin air. Svozil’s game was elevated for one night, but he deserves to be celebrated by Czechia fans and given a first look at the all tournament team.

TSN tries to clean up Hockey Canada’s bad reputation

TSN and Hockey Canada share an inextricable partnership. Hockey Canada relies on TSN’s round-the-clock coverage to accelerate its revenue goals, especially during a year where it is hosting the tournament. And with most of the star-studded prospects taking part in this summer’s rendition, this year feels like nothing more than an avenue for the broken governing body to make up lost income.

Hockey Canada has been revealed to be a national disgrace throughout the calendar 2022 year, after TSN’s Rick Westhead reported that concurrent sexual assault scandals allegedly occurred, involving players from the 2003 and 2018 teams. The board of directors — including the disgraced CEO Scott Smith — have been ousted, but Hockey Canada has yet to show actual remorse. And it was once again evident on Monday night, with TSN laundering Hockey Canada’s attempts at rehabilitating its image.

TSN aired a spot during the first intermission advertising, celebrating Hockey Canada Foundation Assist Fund. It asked viewers to donate their hard-earned cash to an ailing governing body. And if the assist fund doesn’t trigger any alarm bells, it ought to.

A senior Nike Canada executive was seen drinking rounds before an alleged group assault at a London hotel, Ontario in June 2018. This occurred on December 23. TSN’s Rick Westhead previously reported that Hockey Canada settled a multimillion dollar lawsuit in connection with the alleged assault. Former Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell wrote in his October report that the National Equity Fund — which was partly funded by player registration fees across Canada — was approved by Hockey Canada’s board of directors to pay out $17 million to settle and effectively cover up sexual assault allegations.

Cromwell gave evidence in December to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Hockey Canada is still being questioned by the federal government.

Westhead is a top Canadian sports reporter. However, the rest of his team seems to have ignored the lessons from this year’s Canadian public. They seem to pretend that Hockey Canada, an agency of good and trusted by the public, can still manage and oversee minor and senior hockey.

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