Canada's dramatic comeback was the perfect ending the World Cup needed
The best team at the World Cup of Hockey took home the trophy on Thursday night, and they did it in a thrilling fashion few thought would be necessary.
When the World Cup rosters were set earlier this year, it was clear that Canada -- to no one's surprise -- had the best roster in the eight-team field. The squad was so talented that guys like Steven Stamkos, one of the NHL's most elite forwards, was running on on the third line. Their depth was so incredible that when one of Canada's best young stars, Tyler Sequin, was injured and couldn't compete, they replaced him on the roster with Corey Perry, a guy that scored 34 goals in the NHL last year. Thirty-four goals!
Nobody on Team Europe's entire roster scored more than 30 goals last year. Heading into the start of the tournament, Europe garnered the least respect of any team. They were comprised of players that didn't hail from the European countries deemed worthy of their own individual team, like Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden. They had a "Land of Misfit Toys" feel to them and many, including myself, thought they were too slow, too old, and too unskilled to compete with the heavier hitters in the field.
Boy, that turned out to be a bad take.
Europe's tournament started with a statement shutout win over the United States in the preliminary round and it ended with an admirable fight against powerhouse Canada in the best-of-three World Cup Final, especially in Game 2 on Thursday night.
In the end, the hockey powerhouse that is Canada proved to be too much for Europe -- as well as for every other team in the tournament -- and that should have surprised exactly no one. What was surprising was that the ragtag group of Europeans managed to hold a sword to Goliath's neck for about 57 minutes of play Thursday.
Heading into Game 2 of the final, Canada had trailed for just 2:41 of action through the previous five games in the tournament, all of which they won. But Europe jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on Thursday and they held it for longer than anyone expected.
Keeping Canada off the board for 57 minutes of gameplay deserves a trophy in itself, and the fact that Europe was able to pull that off (thanks in large part to some sloppy Canadian play and a spectacular performance in net from goaltender Jaroslav Halak) made Game 2 enthralling. What happened in the final 130 seconds made it even more special.
As Canada started to put on the pressure in the final minutes, it seemed inevitable that one of their talented stars would be able to find the net and tie it up. When Europe's Anze Kopitar took a costly penalty that gave the Canadians a late man-advantage, there was a sense of "alright, here we go."
That prophecy was fulfilled when Patrice Bergeron executed a great tip in front of the net to it with just under three minutes left to go.
That goal injected life back into the crowd at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, a setting that was awesomely ironic for a late big game equalizer from Bergeron, considering what he did to that building in 2013.
Moments later, after Canada took a penalty of their own, Jonathan Toews and Brad Marchand parlayed the excitement from Bergeron's goal into this great moment.
It felt quite fitting that Marchand, who has had quite the month, got the decisive goal in the tournament. Not only was he one of Canada's brightest standout performers playing alongside eventual-MVP Sidney Crosby, but he also signed an eight-year, $49 million extension with the Bruins earlier in the week. If there was any question about Marchand being one of the game's elite two-way players, that should be put to rest.
While Canada certainly didn't play their best game on Thursday, the game they did play may have led to the perfect conclusion for this event. For much of the tournament, Canada's fatal flaw seemed to be that they were so good that they were actually somewhat boring to watch. Their immensely talented squad was tough to stick with, so games typically ended far sooner than the final horn. Had they been firing on all cylinders for the entire game on Thursday, the likely result would have been a surgical, lopsided victory in front of a crowd prepared for just that.
Instead, their imperfect performance allowed for the drama and intensity that fans crave from a championship series. While Canada wasn't good enough to lull everyone to sleep with how insanely good they were, they were just good enough to get the result they deserved -- a two-game sweep to win a tournament that always belonged to them, both in geography and in competition. Most importantly, they did it a way that was memorable and worth talking about.
That last part is especially significant for the NHL, which sanctioned the tournament for the first time in 12 years. Obviously, when you resurrect an event like the WCH, you want it to make a statement and an impression in its return. Although the tourney didn't play out like the league likely hoped, especially stateside -- USA performed disastrously and went winless, and the magical, beloved North American U-24 squad was bounced in the preliminary round -- at least it didn't end with a whimper, like it would have if Canada had blown out Europe.
Much like the tournament itself, the final game was imperfect. Both lacked flawless execution and delivery, not mention the high-stakes of a meaningful, historic event. But they were both also surprisingly largely enjoyable for fans of the sport. The exciting comeback finish from Canada ensured that the event wrapped up on a high note, leaving a memorable and positive taste in the mouth of fans who enjoy competitive hockey. That's going to be important for the league when they have to reel fans back in for the next World Cup, whenever that may be.
