Why a loss to Finland at worlds is just what Canada needed

As the Auston Matthews vs. Patrik Laine debate rages on, HC at Noon's Todd Hlushko says it's scares him so much that the Leafs may have to pass on Patrik Laine, because he is the real deal.

    So, we lost to the Finns. Don’t jump, Canada. It’s alright.

    The bright side is, Canada finally played a team from a country where weight lifting isn’t the No. 1 sport.

    After 16 straight victories at this tournament — six this year, 10 last year — the goalie didn’t stop any pucks and the scorers didn’t score. Canada drops to 6-1 and gets Sweden in a quarter-final game, which is a blessing.

    This team needed another game against a Denmark like it needs another week in Russia. Gosh, did this tournament start in February?

    Bring on the big boys, that’s what we say. And here are a few other observations from a 4-0 Finnish shellacking:

    • For those who want a larger rink, these games annually put into focus why 200 by 85 feet is so preferable, by my eye. So much of the game is played on the perimeter on international ice, and teams have just stayed on the inside and let Canada work the outskirts of the rink.

    The result was a bunch of puck possession, but very few Grade A Canadian chances Tuesday. And, of course, far less body contact — because the boards are so far away a player must take himself out of position to make a hit. The Euros can have their big rinks. I’ll stick with ours all day long.

    • I’d take Corey Perry on my team any day. He’s a stud — no doubt.

    But he’s also one dirty mother, and showed that side again when he needlessly made contact with Patrik Laine’s knee on a line change. Even colour man Ray Ferraro called it “a garbage play” and he was dead right.

    “No idea what you’re talking about,” Perry said about the incident, when asked after the game. I just never understood how Perry believes that a play like that makes his somehow more valuable.

    • Cam Talbot was poor in Canada’s nets, of that there is no question, but I come back with him against Sweden in the quarter-final. Talbot was strong versus the United States in the opener, then has stood around the rest of the tournament against ‘B’ teams. He is head coach Bill Peters’ best goalie, and he’d be the one I’d play now that we’re down to sudden death.

    • It’s amazing how swiftly the opponent can come to despise Brad Marchand. He is truly the most effectively abrasive star in our game today. I wonder if, like Steve Ott did when he went to the world juniors, Marchand schooled himself on Finnish swear words to help get under some Suomi skin?

    • How can the Oilers be this bad with both Connor McDavid and Taylor
    Hall? They didn’t do any damage Tuesday, but this duo has been Canada’s most dangerous thus far.

    When the season began in Edmonton it quickly became an accepted fact that the two couldn’t play on the same line together; that both want to transport the puck through the neutral zone, so they’re a bad fit. Well, Hall has used this setting to make a point back in Edmonton — he CAN play on McDavid’s left wing.

    I bet he opens the season there next year — assuming Hall is still an Oiler.

    • Laine is like any good young player: He’s got some super skills, only lacking the overall polish in his game that will come with time. Speaking of the small rink, there will be an adjustment period for him next season in the NHL. Canada took away his power-play opportunities from his preferred spot on the ice, and so will NHL opponents next season. He’ll have to find other ways to score, other than using that laser-like shot of his.

    • Across the draw, Artemi Panarin continues to play fantastic. He looks like a guy who has played six seasons of pro hockey. Like a guy, in my opinion, who shouldn’t be eligible for any award with the words first-year player in it. He really looks at home playing for Mother Russia in this tournament.

    • Auston Matthews went pointless in Team USA’s overtime loss to Slovakia Tuesday, and had 3-3-6 in seven round-robin games. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, but it doesn’t put him among the Top 20 scorers at these worlds. You wonder: Does the performance of he and Laine in the medal round truly have any bearing on the Toronto Maple Leafs No. 1 overall selection?

    My bet: None at all.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.