Eliminated. A word never heard when Canada plays the world junior tournament on Canadian ice.
But that’s what happened on Wednesday.
Finland scored with 47 seconds to go in the third period to send the game to overtime, and then defenceman Toni Utunen scored in OT to beat Canada 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
“You don’t plan for things like this, two kind of fluky goals that win a hockey game,” Team Canada coach Tim Hunter told TSN. “We’re all disappointed because we all care. I know it’s here in Canada, but it’s not easy winning this tournament.”
Finland will face Switzerland in Friday’s semifinal.
But that’s it for Canada, who will go medal-less for the first time in the 13 times the country has hosted the tournament for the world’s best junior-aged hockey players.
Ian Mitchell of the University of Denver scored in the second period for Canada. Finland got a lucky bounce to tie the game with 47 seconds to go. Eeli Tolvanen, who had been frustrated all game and all tournament, shovelled the puck at the net, where it bounced off the side of the netting and then bounced off Aleksi Heponiemi’s shin pad past goalie Michael DiPietro to silence the Rogers Arena crowd and force overtime.
“It was one of those bad bounces of the game,” said DiPietro. “Tough one to swallow. Whether it’s a small ounce or a big one doesn’t really matter. We lost.”
Max Comtois failed to score on a penalty shot in the extra frame while defenceman Noah Dobson’s stick broke on a one-timer with the Finland net wide open from his angle. Canada lost possession of the puck as a result, with Utunen the beneficiary.
Would-be hero: For the first 59 minutes, DiPietro was the hero.
Fans even chanted “DiPietro” late in the second period after the Canadian goalie made repeated saves to preserve a 1-0 lead. DiPietro, a third-round pick of the Canucks in 2017, was giving Vancouver perhaps fans a taste of what the future might hold.
At the end of the game, his head hanging as he fought back tears, they chanted his name again.
The theme: Finland coach Jussi Ahokas played the underdog card, calling Canada the favourite with all the pressure in having to win on home ice. Hunter didn’t mind it at all, saying his players have grown up in an environment that breeds winning hockey.
Canada has won medals the previous 12 times the tournament was held here: Five gold, five silver, two bronze. The last time any team has won back-to-back gold medals was a decade ago, Canada in 2008 and 2009.
The last time Canada failed to make the semifinals was 2016, losing to Finland in Finland.
The game: The first period was scoreless as Finland outshot Canada 11-7. The Canadians seemed nervous, as if they felt the pressure of the moment, early in the game. They dropped sticks and flubbed passes, creating easy turnovers for Finland. But the Finns have struggled offensively in the tournament, and DiPietro did the rest.
Ian Mitchell got the only goal of the second period. Morgan Frost started the play in the neutral zone with a steal and spin pass to Barrett Hayton to set up Mitchell, who joined the rush. But again, Finland outshot Canada 12-8 and DiPietro had to make a number of saves, with Nashville prospect Tolvanen his favourite victim.
Trends: Canada scored the first goal for the fifth game in a row at the tournament. The first four had come early in the first period. This one case early in the second after a scoreless first period … Canada’s power play, three-for-15 coming in good for seventh in the tournament, did not score in three chances …Canada’s penalty kill, which allowed three goals on 13 shots coming in to be rated fifth, did not allow a goal on two chances.
Juggled lines: With Canada struggling a bit offensively against Russia, Hunter juggled his lines coming into the game with right wingers Nick Suzuki and Brett Leason switching lines.
End of the line: Maple Leafs prospect Rasmus Sandin and Team Sweden suffered an early exit from the tournament, losing 2-0 to Switzerland. The last time Sweden didn’t score a goal in a world junior game was Dec. 26, 2006, against Canada. Sandin finished the tournament with two goals.
Since 2008, the Swedes are 48-0 in the preliminary round, but 13-15 in medal round games in that time.
Kevin McGran is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @kevin_mcgran
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In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.
Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.
With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.
Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”
“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.
The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.
When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.
“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”
MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.
MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.
The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.
The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.
Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.
STUDIO SHORTAGE
The film industry is cramped in Montreal.
According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.
With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.
Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »
« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.
She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.
« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.
There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.
« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.
Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.
For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.