Anaelle Jutras-Plante
To start off with a little historical side… official ice hockey started in Quebec, Canada and is our national sport as well as one of our prides. The first indoor hockey game took place on March 3rd, 1845 in Montreal. The sport gained more and more popularity, but the NHL was only created on November 26th, 1917 (during World War 1…). The “Original 6” were the; Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, and our very own Montreal Canadians and Toronto Maple Leafs. Even though hockey isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it is a vital part when talking of the sports in our country and one cannot deny all the blooming talents we have and all the exploits we achieved. Hockey is a sport that has brought countless Canadians together and has always managed to bring a smile to our faces. It’s easy to say that hockey is many Canadians' love.
World Juniors:
The main thing going on for hockey right now is the World Juniors that take place during the holidays every year. Canada’s team is a promising one this season, said to be one of the best in its history. While the team is filled with many talented players, there’s only 2 words to say… Connor Bedard. He has been nothing short of sensational this tournament. I am far from being alone when expressing the joy of watching him play. In the quarter-finals, anyone who was watching got chills when he scored the winning goal in overtime and got to witness his never before-seen talent. At only 17 years of age, Connor Bedard has, in only 2 tournaments, beaten the all time Canadian record for most points at the WJC with 32 points where he is without a doubt the best player present, playing with others two years older. He is also the all-time goal leader with nothing less than 15. As for this tournament alone, Connor broke both the points and assists Canadian record with respectively 14 assists and 23 points. Even our best players in the NHL never achieved such dominance in the tournament, especially not at such a young age. If you have a chance to watch him play, you definitely should. He’s the type of guy that doesn’t come around twice.
Now let’s talk of Joshua Roy, a local pride. Joshua Roy is the Phoenix Sherbrooke’s star player and has signed a contract with none other than the Montreal Canadiens last year, playing a few games with them at the beginning of the season. In the World Juniors, Joshua has played beautifully, leading Canada to the finals with 2 goals and 2 assists against the US in the semi-finals. Not only that, but Joshua Roy won 1 of the 3 most helpful players in Team Canada alongside his friend Connor Bedard (of course) and Logan Stankoven as well as reaching Jonathan Huberdeau at the list of the top Quebec scorers in the World Junior Championships with 19 points.
Also to note that Tyson Hinds, from our team in Sherbrooke, also played very well in the tournament and was an important part of the team.
Canada went to the finals more times than we can count, so it was no surprise that they went again this year. Canada opened the score with a bardown, one-timer goal from Guenther with 12:41 played in the first period. Shane Wright scored our 2nd 4:35 into the second with a beauty of a backhand on his 19th birthday. Unfortunately, Tchequia scored two goals in the third period, tying things up. The game had to go to overtime, where Guenther scored the winning goal on a two on one with a pass from the one and only Joshua Roy, giving Canada their 20th gold medal in the WJC, with 46 tournaments having taken place. If we include the 10 silver medals and 5 bronze ones, Canada has won medals in approximately 74% of the championships, which is a mindblowing amount. One thing's for sure, Canada is a team you don’t want to cross.
Connor Bedard won the MVP of the tournament this year, without any surprise. After the victory, Connor was interviewed and his response demonstrated his admirable humbleness. “I don’t want to talk about myself right now. We’re not talking about me. We just won the biggest tournament in the world and, man, I love this team, I love this country.” Well Connor, Canada loves you…
Montreal Canadiens:
While there are 7 Canadian hockey teams in the NHL, I will be talking about the most popular and most loved one; the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs’ star player this year is Cole Caufield. Cole might not have blown our minds away as much as Connor Bedard, but he is certainly on fire with 22 goals and 31 points as of January 4th. Not only has Cole Caufield, also nicknamed Goal Caufield, stolen all of our hearts, he has had an incredible season, almost making us want him to slow down because the lower we end in the ranking, the greater our chances are to win the lottery for first pick so that we can draft the aspiring star… you know it; Connor Bedard. (No, I will never stop praising him).
The Montreal Canadiens have recently acquired another player that has charmed many, and left others confused by how Xhek can sound like Jack… none other than Arber Xhekaj, also nicknamed Wifi. Arber’s playing style is very physical but he also demonstrates talent on the ice. He was a nice catch for the Montreal Canadiens.
As for the controversy in the Montreal Canadiens, Nick Suzuki was made Captain this year at only 23 years of age but he has served the title admirably. As for our first pick overall, Juraj Slafkovsky, the opinions vary across the fans as to whether it was a good choice or not but Juraj made things worse for himself when he got suspended for 2 games earlier this year. This being said, the rookie has shown genuine desire to be liked by the Montreal Canadiens’ fans and does not take this opportunity lightly. His dedication is one that can be admired.
This being said it is important to state that the majority of the extremely talented players are from Canada even if they don’t play with a Canadian team, like the superstar in the NHL right now; Connor McDavid, and of course Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos, not to mention Wayne Gretzky, considered the best hockey player of all time. And for those curious, the 6 other Canadian Teams that are also very interesting and filled with strong players are the; Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and of course we can’t forget the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Edmonton Oilers contain Connor McDavid, a hockey sensation at the present. As of January 5th, Connor has 33 goals and 42 assists for a total of 75 points making him the leader in goals, assists, and points. They also have Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, ranked 8th overall with 48 points; 19 goals and 29 assists.
The Vancouver Canucks have the Canadian, Bo Horvat, number 4 on the ranking for most goals scored this season with an impressive 28.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have quite a few very talented Canadian players such as William Nylander (tied in 15th place for points leader), John Tavares, Jason Spezza, Jake Muzzin, Tyson Barrie, Morgan Rielly and the fan favourite, Mitch Marner. Mitch Marner is number 19 in the rankings with 14 goals and 30 assists for a total of 44 points. Mitch Marner was the 12th player in NHL history to reach an extraordinary streak of 23 games with points which was the longest streak in 7 seasons as well as the longest for the Maple Leafs in 105 years.
As for goaltenders, we have lost our famous Carey Price (at least for now), but Tristan Jarry, although not playing in one of our 7 teams, is a Canadian himself. With the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tristan ranks as number 10 for goalies with GA/G(Goals given per game) of 2.75 and an SV% (Save percentage) of 0.918 which is pretty good indeed.
To sum it up, Canada has seen hockey be born but will never let it die. It is a love carried by countless people across the world and Canada continues to watch and cheer as our players make their way to the big leagues and continue to make history. I encourage you to watch a hockey game this year whether it be the NHL, the juniors, or even minor hockey leagues. And you know what’s even better? Grab a pair of skates or a stick and a puck and try it out for yourself! Maybe now is the time to create memories so many of us cherish…because hockey is more than just a sport, it’s a lifestyle.
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