After a decorated international career that included four gold medals and more than a point per game, Rick Nash announced his retirement Friday – just over 18 years after he first wore the Maple Leaf.

His final Team Canada résumé is highlighted by gold at the Six Nations Cup, IIHF World Championship and Olympic Winter Games, and 72 points – 37 of them goals – in 71 games.

Nash was a three-time Olympian (2006, 2010, 2014), standing atop the podium in Vancouver and Sochi and scoring his only two Olympic goals in playoff-round wins over Germany and Russia on home ice.

He made his debut in red and white at the 2001 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, scoring six goals in as many games to help Ontario to a bronze medal.

After continuing his goal-a-game pace with five at the 2001 Six Nations Cup, winning his first international gold with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, Nash made the jump to the World Juniors just a few months later, taking silver as the youngest member of Team Canada.

The Brampton, Ont., native was a mainstay at the IIHF World Championship from 2005 to 2011, appearing four times in seven years and almost always leaving his mark offensively.

His first appearance in 2005 was his most productive; Nash had nine goals and 15 points in nine games, finishing second in tournament scoring (behind Joe Thornton) and earning a spot on the all-star team to go alongside his silver medal.

Two years later he took the final step up the podium, posting 11 points – including a memorable game-clinching goal late in the gold medal game with a Finnish defender draped all over him – and taking all-star and MVP honours.

Another 13 points, another silver medal and another all-star nod followed in 2008, and he closed his worlds account as captain in 2011, the only time he did not reach double-digits in points.

Nash retires second all-time in goals (23) and points (44) by a Canadian at the IIHF World Championship, trailing Dany Heatley in both categories.

The first-overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Nash finishes his career with 805 points (437G 368A) in 1,060 games with Columbus, the New York Rangers and Boston. A six-time NHL all-star, he won the Rocket Richard Trophy after scoring a league-leading 41 goals in 2003-04.

RICK NASH

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG 

TAMPERE, Finland – Canada’s National Men’s Team advanced to the semifinals at the 2022 IIHF World Championship in thrilling fashion, downing Sweden 4-3 in overtime after overcoming a two-goal deficit in the final two minutes of the game.

• Ryan Graves (Yarmouth, N.S./New Jersey, NHL) kick-started the offence for Canada with a goal just 1:21 into the third period.
• Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que./Winnipeg, NHL) and Mathew Barzal (Coquitlam, B.C./New York Islanders, NHL) scored 30 seconds apart to tie the game.
• Drake Batherson (New Minas, N.S./Ottawa, NHL) fired home the game-winner on the power play just 43 seconds into the extra frame.
• Max Comtois (Longueuil, Que./Anaheim, NHL) chipped in with two assists.
• Nicolas Roy (Amos, Que./Vegas, NHL), Thomas Chabot (Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, Que./Ottawa, NHL), Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, Y.T./Buffalo, NHL), Batherson, Barzal and Dubois had one assist apiece.
• Chris Driedger (Winnipeg, Man./Seattle, NHL) made 16 saves.
• Canada outshot Sweden 42-19.

Next Game:

Canada vs. TBD (semfinal) – Saturday, May 28 (time TBD)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast both semifinals, and the bronze and gold medal games; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“[Sweden’s] goaltender was outstanding, and he deserves a lot of credit for his performance. We tried not to get frustrated [with our lack of scoring in the first two periods] and instead we were determined in the third period to get pucks into the net. The first goal gave us some life, and we just tried to give ourselves opportunities to score. We felt really good about our game from the second period on, and the goal from Graves got our confidence up. I told our team not to get frustrated going into the third period, and just find a way to get that first goal, and it worked out for us.”

- Head coach Claude Julien (Orleans, Ont.) on finding scoring chances

“Obviously being down 3-0 going into the third period was not what we planned, but we were able to get that goal early in the third. I was frustrated that I took a penalty, and to be honest I thought we were going to have a hard time coming back, but we never gave up. That was the message after the second period, do not give up and stick to our game, and we were able to get a few bounces and complete the comeback.”

- Batherson on coming back from being down 3-0

“This win gives us a lot of energy and confidence moving forward. At the end of the day, we were not happy with a few of our games in the preliminary round. Coming in here, Sweden was a higher seed than us and we knew it was going to be a difficult game, and us being able to come back in the third period shows how much character our team has and how badly we want to win. We are going to keep taking it one game at a time, but these are the types of game that you live for and it brings our group that much closer together.”

- Chabot on the come-from-behind win

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

The playoff round gets underway at the 2022 IIHF World Championship on Thursday, with Canada’s National Men’s Team, the third-place team in Group A, facing off against Group B runner-up Sweden in the quarterfinals.

LAST GAME

Coming off back-to-back losses, Canada was looking to spark its offence again in its last preliminary round game against France on Tuesday, and a 7-1 win did just that. It was a bit of a slow start for both teams, with no scoring until after the midway mark of the first period, when Travis Sanheim opened things up for Canada. Max Comtois added the eventual game-winner before the end of the opening frame. Pierre-Luc Dubois added two goals and an assist in the final 40 minutes and Chris Driedger made 18 saves to secure the win.

Sweden also wrapped up preliminary round play on Tuesday, in a tight 1-0 victory over Latvia. William Nylander had the lone goal for the Swedes, who finished just behind the Finns in Group B. Linus Ullmark made 21 saves for the shutout.

LAST MEETING

These two powerhouse nations haven’t met at worlds since 2017, when Canada suffered a tightly contested 2-1 shootout loss in the gold medal game. Victor Hedman opened the scoring for Sweden with a shorthanded goal in the last minute of the second period before Ryan O’Reilly answered for Canada on the power play early in the third. Calvin Pickard made 40 saves and Henrik Lundqvist had 42 of his own to get the game to a shootout, where Nicklas Backstrom and Oliver Ekman-Larsson counted the lone goals for Sweden.

WHAT TO WATCH

Eric O’Dell was the final Canadian to earn a point Tuesday in his second appearance. And now that the offence is rolling again, the biggest question for Canada remains in net with goaltender Logan Thompson listed day-to-day. He hasn’t dressed for the last two games after starting four of Canada’s previous five.

Sweden has been adding players throughout the event, though none more impactful than Nylander. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has two goals in two games and adds more depth to its roster, which features 12 NHLers. That includes goaltender Magnus Hellberg (Detroit Red Wings) who has started four games and has a .931 save percentage.

A LOOK BACK

In the most historically-even match-up so far at worlds, Canada still holds the edge over Sweden in wins and goal differential in 67 previous meetings.

Prior to the 2017 loss, Canada had picked up five-straight wins, including a 6-0 quarterfinal victory the previous year en route to a gold medal. Mark Scheifele had the lone goal in the first period, while Matt Dumba, Brad Marchand and Max Domi added one each in the second. Mark Stone and Derick Brassard rounded out the rout.

All-time record: Canada leads 35-27-5 (W-L-T)
Canada goals: 238
Sweden goals: 188

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG 

HELSINKI, Finland – Canada’s National Men’s Team has secured its spot in the quarterfinals at the 2022 IIHF World Championship after defeating France 7-1 in its final preliminary-round game on Tuesday.

• Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que./Winnipeg, NHL) led the offence with two goals and an assist.
• Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, Y.T./Buffalo, NHL) chipped in with a goal and two helpers.
• Eric O’Dell (Ottawa, Ont./Dynamo Moscow, KHL) scored his first IIHF World Championship goal on a breakaway.
• Max Comtois (Longueuil, Que./Anaheim, NHL), Zach Whitecloud (Brandon, Man./Vegas, NHL) and Damon Severson (Melville, Sask./New Jersey, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Drake Batherson (New Minas, N.S./Ottawa, NHL) contributed four assists.
• Chris Driedger (Winnipeg, Man./Seattle, NHL) made 15 saves.
• Canada outshot France 35-16.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Sweden (quarterfinal) – Thursday, May 26 (9:20 a.m. ET/6:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will continue their extensive coverage of the 2022 IIHF World Championship, with TSN broadcasting four quarterfinals, both semifinals, and the bronze and gold medal games. RDS will air two quarterfinals, including Canada’s quarterfinal against Sweden, as well as both semifinals, and the bronze and gold medal games.

Quotes:

“I liked the way we played for the full 60 minutes tonight. We did the things we needed to do and improved on some of the aspects of our game we wanted to focus on. We were moving the puck a lot better, getting more shots and we had net-front traffic, and I am happy with the way our guys responded today. No matter who we were going to match up against in the quarterfinals, we knew we would be getting a tough opponent. We are going to need to be patient against Sweden, but we know we have the character and our players are ready for the challenge.”

- Head coach Claude Julien (Orleans, Ont.) on tonight’s performance and the quarterfinals

“We are happy with the way we played tonight. We do not want to give other teams opportunities to score or expose us defensively, and that was a focus tonight. We do not need to trade scoring chances with other teams all game, but rather limit the scoring chances they get and capitalize on our own. We are confident in our team and the players we have, and we need to play our game and play the right way to have success now that a medal is on the line.”

- Dubois on capitalizing on scoring chances

“It is going to be an amazing game. [Sweden] is obviously a very skilled team and they work hard, and they have some good NHL players. It is going to be a lot of fun, but from our perspective we are scoring some goals and gaining confidence, and that is a key for our success. We are really looking forward to the challenge on Thursday.”

- Cole Sillinger (Regina, Sask./Columbus, NHL) on playing Sweden in the quarterfinals

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG 

HELSINKI, Finland – Despite a late third period goal, Canada’s National Men’s Team’s comeback effort was cut short as it dropped its second-consecutive game at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, falling to Denmark 3-2 on Monday.

• Max Comtois (Longueuil, Que./Anaheim, NHL) opened the scoring for Canada just over two minutes into the second period.
• Ryan Graves (Yarmouth, N.S./New Jersey, NHL) brought Canada within one on a late third period blast from the point.
  • Adam Lowry (Calgary, Alta./Winnipeg, NHL), Damon Severson (Melville, Sask./New Jersey, NHL) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que./Winnipeg, NHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
  • Chris Driedger (Winnipeg, Man./Seattle, NHL) made 13 saves.
  • Canada outshot Denmark 25-16.

Next Game:

Canada vs. France – Tuesday, May 24 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 33 games, respectively; check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“It is important for us to realize that every team is going to play their best against us. We may not have been as prepared as we should have been in the first period, and we fell behind 2-0 and had to play catch-up. We played really well in the second period, but penalties took a bit of momentum away from us. In the third period, the Danes were playing desperate and were blocking shots and getting in shooting lanes because they wanted to win so badly. It is important for us to start taking that approach as well if we intend on being champions at the end of this tournament. We need a little more desperation from our group, which I know we have, and we will be fine.”

- Head coach Claude Julien (Orleans, Ont.) on today’s loss

“We did not capitalize on our chances, and our play with the puck was not as good as it needs to be. [Denmark] took advantage of their opportunities, and we had some good chances to score but we were not able to take advantage. [Denmark] was opportunistic when they needed to be, but we did not do a good enough job managing the puck. We need to play hard and simple tomorrow. We have to play a hard-nosed game, and get to the dirty areas to score goals from rebounds and deflections.”

- Graves on taking advantage of scoring opportunities and managing puck possession

“We have to give [Denmark] credit. They played a good game and were really good defensively, but we need to find ways to score goals, and battle in front of the net to give ourselves scoring chances. We need to regroup now. We have another game tomorrow, so we will look at the video and look at what we can do better. We need to come ready to play tomorrow because the tournament is not over.”

- Nicolas Roy (Amos, Que./Vegas, NHL) on today’s game and preparing for France

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

Canada’s National Men’s Team finishes the preliminary round Tuesday in a position it didn’t expect; needing a win to absolutely secure a spot in the quarterfinals at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.

LAST GAME

Canada fell behind early and, despite getting close, couldn’t find the tying goal as it dropped its second in a row, 3-2 to Denmark. Max Comtois scored early in the second period to halve the Danish lead and Ryan Graves made it a one-goal game again late in the third, but that would be as close as the Canadians got. Chris Driedger made 21 saves between the pipes for Canada.

France surprisingly jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on Switzerland before falling 5-2 to the Group A leaders on Sunday. Alexandre Texier and Valentin Claireaux had the two first-period goals for France and Sebastian Ylonen made 12 saves to take that lead. But Switzerland answered 25 seconds into the second period, tied it around the 12-minute mark and had the lead before the middle frame was done.

LAST MEETING

Canada and France last met at the worlds in 2019, a 5-2 win for Canada – its fourth-straight victory against the French. Canada jumped out to a 3-0 lead (from Anthony Mantha, Darnell Nurse and Anthony Cirelli) in the first period, but France answered back with goals in the second and third period to cut the lead to 3-2. Mantha and Mark Stone added insurance markers midway through the third and Carter Hart made 21 saves to secure the win.

WHAT TO WATCH

Slow starts continue to plague Canada, as it has given up the first goal in three of its six games, including two of the last three. It is also coming off back-to-back losses – meaning the match-up against France has playoff implications. As long as Canada can secure at least a single point against France, even a regulation win from Slovakia will not be enough to knock out the defending champions from the playoff picture.

France is out of contention for a playoff spot and isn’t in danger of relegation, so realistically, this team is playing for pride and little else. But as we’ve heard time-and-again, teams will always bring their A-game against Canada. France will be rested and features one of the top goaltenders in the tournament in Henri Corentin Buysse, who owns a .931 save percentage in four games.

A LOOK BACK

Canada and France have played 14 times at the worlds, with Canada holding the clear advantage – 12 wins and a plus-64 goal differential.

France has made things more interesting in recent years. It’s most recent win came in 2014, a 3-2 shootout victory, and in 2017 the Canadians came from behind for a 3-2 prelim win. Ryan O’Reilly counted in the first period and Claude Giroux tied the game in the last minute of the second before Marc-Edouard Vlasic won it for Canada early in the third.

All-time record: Canada leads 12-2-0 (W-L-T)
Canada goals: 85
France goals: 21

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

Canada’s National Men’s Team looks to secure a spot in the quarterfinals and bounce back after its first loss at the 2022 IIHF World Championship when it faces off against Denmark on Monday.

LAST GAME

Canada and Switzerland played in one of the most entertaining games of the tournament in a battle for top spot in Group A on Saturday – a 6-3 loss for the Canadians. Kent Johnson, Adam Lowry (shorthanded) and Drake Batherson scored in the first period for Canada, but the Swiss answered within two minutes every time, sending the teams to the dressing room tied 3-3 after an entertaining 20 minutes. That would be it for scoring, as the Swiss netted the winner in the second period and added a pair of insurance markers in the third.

Denmark last saw action against France on Saturday, picking up a big 3-0 win that put it in sole possession of fourth place in Group A. Peter Regin scored for Denmark in the first period, and that stood up as the game-winning goal thanks to a 19-save performance from Sebastian Dahm. Joachim Blichfeld and Julian Jakobsen also scored for the Danes.

LAST MEETING

It’s been three years since these teams met at the worlds, a 5-0 win for Canada in Kosice, Slovakia. Pierre-Luc Dubois opened the scoring exactly one minute into the game, followed by Jared McCann and Jonathan Marchessault to round out the opening 20 minutes. Sam Reinhart added goals in the second and third for good measure, while Carter Hart and Mackenzie Blackwood shared the shutout with 24 saves.

WHAT TO WATCH

Canada easily kept pace in the fiery first period against the Swiss, but as the game slowed, so did the Canadian scoring chances. Special teams were a major factor – Canada was 0-for-3 on the power play and gave up two power-play goals (though Lowry scored shorthanded). Look for special teams to be a focus for Canada going forward.

Denmark may be in fourth place for now, but it’s anything but secure with games against Canada and Slovakia remaining. The Danes were blown out by the Swiss and lost a tight one to the Germans, but can be in control of their own fate. A win over Canada would go a long way in securing a spot in the quarterfinals.

A LOOK BACK

There have only been seven previous meetings between Canada and Denmark at the worlds, though the first of all those still stands as a historical record for Canada.

The first ever game between these teams in 1949 ended in a 47-0 win for Canada. That remains record for most goals in a game, with a 33-0 victory over Belgium the following year as the second-highest total. More recently, a 7-1 win in 2018 saw Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice and Connor McDavid add three helpers.

All-time record: Canada leads 6-0-1 (W-L-T)
Canada goals: 75
Denmark goals: 8

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG 

HELSINKI, Finland – Canada’s National Men’s Team recorded its first loss and dropped to second place in the Group A standings at the 2022 IIHF World Championship after falling to Switzerland 6-3 on Saturday.

• Kent Johnson (Port Moody, B.C./Columbus, NHL) opened the scoring just past the midway mark of the first period.
• Adam Lowry (Calgary, Alta./Winnipeg, NHL) scored on a short-handed breakaway in the opening frame.
• Drake Batherson (New Minas, N.S./Ottawa, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Mathew Barzal (Coquitlam, B.C./New York Islanders, NHL) chipped in with a pair of assists and Ryan Graves (Yarmouth, N.S./New Jersey, NHL) contributed one assist.
• Logan Thompson (Calgary, Alta./Vegas, NHL) made 21 saves.
• Switzerland narrowly outshot Canada 26-25.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Denmark – Monday, May 23 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 33 games, respectively; check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“[Switzerland] works hard, and they are difficult to play against. The Swiss have been playing well so far in this tournament and they showed it again tonight. Our special teams play was not great today. We did not score on the power play, we did not do a great job on the penalty kill, and that kind of dug us into a hole. We had a five-minute power play that we did not capitalize on, and that kind of thing can come back to haunt you later in the game.”

- Head coach Claude Julien (Orleans, Ont.) on today’s loss

“It is always disappointing to lose, but I think in the long run it will be a good learning experience for our team. We always want to win every game, but it did not go our way today. Moving forward, I think this is going to help us come ready to play next game and we will be hungry to get back in the win column. I play with two guys [Barzal and Johnson] who like to make plays, and I am the same way. I have been trying to create space, and both those guys have a ton of skill, so I think we can have a big impact and help the team win.”

- Batherson on learning from the loss and playing with Barzal and Johnson

“We have not had a crowd this big since we started this tournament, and it is a lot of fun to play in front of these fans. It does not really matter if they are cheering for us or for the Swiss, it was a great environment in arena. We had some power plays that we could not capitalize on, and that could have helped control the energy in the building. We made some mistakes that led to goals, but we need to give [Switzerland] credit because they are a good team. This is a bit of a wake-up call for us, but we will come back against Denmark and play a good game.”

- Barzal on the Swiss fans and rebounding against Denmark

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For Cole Sillinger, being named to Team Canada just shy of his 19th birthday was the icing on the cake for an impressive rookie season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. But what made it all the sweeter, was knowing he achieved the honour 10 years earlier in his career than his famous father.

And Mike couldn’t be prouder.

“He’s way ahead of the game, playing in the NHL at the age of 18 and having a chance to represent his country at the worlds,” Mike said on the day the team’s roster was announced. “We’ll be watching, we don’t care what time the game is, we’ll be watching.”

This is the second time the youngest of the three Sillinger boys has been named to a Canadian roster for a world championship, though only the first time he’s been able to play. Last year, a late COVID-19 diagnosis forced him away from Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, which ultimately went on to win a gold medal at the IIHF U18 World Championship in Texas.

So when Rick Nash, Canada’s assistant general manager – and director of player development with the Blue Jackets – offered Cole a spot on the worlds team during his NHL season exit meeting, he jumped at the chance.

“[Nash] said I didn’t have to give him my answer right away, but I gave it to him right away because obviously anytime that you have a chance to represent Canada, you’re going to want to do it and do it proudly,” Cole explains.

“Anytime you get a chance to represent your country, it’s something that you really look forward to,” Mike said. “It’s a great chance to meet new guys and build that camaraderie while playing for that flag on the front of your jersey.

“It’s pretty awesome.”

The 2000 version of Team Canada finished just shy of a medal, falling 2-1 to Finland in the bronze medal game. Mike had three goals in nine games as captain.

In the first four games of the 2022 event, Cole has already distinguishing himself as a goal scorer, having found the back of the net twice. Though even with that early success, he doesn’t think there will much joking with his dad until the games are done, knowing his father earned a gold medal at the 1991 IIHF World Junior Championship.

“I don’t think there is any chirping going to be done until I have a chance to [win a gold medal],” he laughs. “[Mike is] amazing, I’ve had so much support from him and one of the things I’ve appreciated about him is, just because he had his career, he understands there’s no extra doors open for my brothers and me and it’s just time for us to create our own path.”

Mike’s career spanned 1,049 games over 18 NHL seasons with 12 teams. Sillinger’s older brothers, Owen and Lukas, have had success in the NCAA, and Owen finished the season with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League.

The Sillinger home clearly was – and is – a hockey house. Though Cole says hockey didn’t come first in his childhood home, competition did.

“Whether it was golf or working out or even just who is going to eat dinner first, we’re super competitive,” he explains.

“Cole is just very driven and is mature beyond his age and obviously that comes from being around his brothers and a team environment,” Mike said. “I didn’t think he’d get a chance [to play for Canada] right away at the age of 18 but he had a pretty good year, and it takes different pieces to build a team and he can play in different situations.”

“For me, I just want to help the team anyway I can,” Cole says. “I think that’s the goal when you put the Maple Leaf on is to forget about where you played on your club team and … just leave your ego at the door and do anything you can to help win.”

Which is the ultimate goal of this event for Canada and Cole, come home with a gold medal. That way, he’ll already be even in the medal count with his dad and still have a long career in which to surpass him.