CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada, in partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), has announced the first six players who will wear the Maple Leaf at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Feb. 12-20, 2025, in Montréal, Québec, and Boston, Massachusetts.

The initial roster includes Sidney Crosby (Cole Harbour, NS/Pittsburgh, NHL), Nathan MacKinnon (Cole Harbour, NS/Colorado, NHL), Cale Makar (Calgary, AB/Colorado, NHL), Brad Marchand (Hammonds Plains, NS/Boston, NHL), Connor McDavid (Newmarket, ON/Edmonton, NHL) and Brayden Point (Calgary, AB/Tampa Bay, NHL), and was selected by general manager Don Sweeney (St. Stephen, NB/Boston, NHL) and associate general manager Jim Nill (Hanna, AB/Dallas, NHL). Head coach Jon Cooper (Prince George, BC/Tampa Bay, NHL) and Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, also provided input.

The initial list includes three former first-overall picks in the NHL Draft (Crosby, MacKinnon, McDavid), while all six players have suited up for Canada’s National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship and five have played for Canada’s National Men’s Team at the IIHF World Championship (Crosby, MacKinnon, Marchand, McDavid, Point). The six players have won a combined eight Stanley Cups, as well as two gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games, six gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship, four gold and two silver at the IIHF World Championship, and gold and bronze at the IIHF U18 World Championship.

“We are excited to announce the first six players who will represent Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, as these are six world-class players and leaders on their NHL teams that we can build a strong and successful team around,” Sweeney said. “Sidney, Nathan, Cale, Brad, Connor and Brayden have been successful at various levels of their professional and international careers, and we look forward to all six being key contributors to our team as we look to win on the international stage next season.”

Crosby has played in 1,272 games over 19 seasons (2005-24) with the Pittsburgh Penguins, serving as captain for 17 seasons and amassing 1,596 career points (592 goals, 1,004 assists). He has also collected 201 points (71 goals, 130 assists) in 180 playoff games, helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017). Over the course of his career, Crosby has won the Ted Lindsay Award three times, the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy twice, as well as the Mark Messier Leadership Award. Internationally, he won back-to-back gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games, as well as gold and silver at the IIHF World Junior Championship. He also won gold at the IIHF World Championship, becoming a member of the IIHF’s Triple Gold Club – the first to win all three as captain - and won the World Cup of Hockey.

MacKinnon recently completed his 11th season (2013-24) with the Colorado Avalanche, where he has served as an alternate captain for the past eight years. He has played in 791 career games, registering 899 points (335 goals, 564 assists), and has contributed 114 points (48 goals, 66 assists) in 88 career playoff games. He helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022, and has won the Calder Trophy, Lady Byng Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. MacKinnon has worn the Maple Leaf five times, winning a gold and silver medal at the IIHF World Championship, and gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. He also suited up at the IIHF World Junior Championship and played for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey.

Makar has suited up in 315 career games over five seasons (2019-24) with the Colorado Avalanche, registering 336 points (86 goals, 250 assists). He has also appeared in 72 career playoff games, collecting 80 points (21 goals, 59 assists), earning the Conn Smythe Trophy while helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup in 2022. Makar has also won the Calder Trophy and Norris Trophy, as well as the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey. Internationally, he won a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship, and suited up for Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge twice, winning one gold medal.

Marchand has spent 15 seasons (2009-24) with the Boston Bruins, serving his first season as captain in 2023-24 after five years as an alternate captain. He has amassed 929 career points (401 goals, 528 assists) in 1,029 games, as well as 138 points (56 goals, 82 assists) in 157 playoff games, and won the Stanley Cup in 2011. On the international stage, Marchand won back-to-back gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship, a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship and the World Cup of Hockey.

McDavid recently completed his ninth season (2015-24) with the Edmonton Oilers, leading the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in his eighth season as captain. In 645 career games, he has registered 982 points (335 goals, 647 assists), and has added 117 points (37 goals, 80 assists) in 74 playoff games. McDavid has registered 100 or more points in seven different seasons, helping him win the Art Ross Trophy five times, the Ted Lindsay Award four times, the Hart Trophy three times and the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy once. He has suited up for Canada five times, winning gold at the IIHF U18 World Championship, IIHF World Junior Championship and IIHF World Championship. McDavid also played for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey.

Point has played for the Tampa Bay Lightning for his entire eight-year NHL career (2016-24), collecting 553 points (264 goals, 289 assists) in 580 career games, as well as 87 points (42 goals, 45 assists) in 87 playoff games. He scored 14 goals in the playoffs in two-consecutive seasons to help the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cups (2020, 2021). Internationally, Point has won silver at the IIHF World Championship, gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship, gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup and bronze at the IIHF U18 World Championship.

The full roster will be announced between Nov. 29-Dec. 2, while the coaching and support staffs will be announced in the coming months. 

Canada will open the 4 Nations Face-Off against Sweden on Feb. 12, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT at the Bell Centre in Montréal. It will also take on the United States on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT in Montréal and Finland on Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT at TD Garden in Boston before the tournament concludes with the championship on Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT in Boston. 

For more information on the 4 Nations Face-Off, please visit the official tournament page.

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

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced that veteran National Hockey League (NHL) head coach Jon Cooper (Prince George, BC/Tampa Bay, NHL) will lead Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

The Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss and longest-tenured active head coach in the NHL will make his return to the Team Canada bench for the first time since 2017, when he led Canada’s National Men’s Team to a silver medal at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.

Cooper was selected by Doug Armstrong (Sarnia, ON/St. Louis, NHL), management group lead for Canada’s National Men’s Team and general manager for the 2026 Olympics, as well as Don Sweeney (St. Stephen, NB/Boston, NHL) and Jim Nill (Hanna, AB/Dallas, NHL), who make up the management group for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics. Player relations advisor Ryan Getzlaf (Regina, SK/Anaheim, NHL) and Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, along with Katherine Henderson (Thunder Bay, ON), Hockey Canada’s president and chief executive officer, and Pat McLaughlin (Saint John, NB), chief operating officer and executive vice-president of strategy, also provided input as part of the executive committee preparing for the 2026 Olympics.

 “Jon is a world-class person, coach and leader, and his impressive resume and success in the NHL make him the perfect person to lead Team Canada over the next two years at the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympic Winter Games,” Armstrong said. “Our management group knows that Jon will represent our country with pride while bringing his winning pedigree to the international stage, and we look forward to working with him as we build teams with the best NHL players in Canada at two marquee events.”

Cooper recently completed his 12th season as head coach of the Lightning, and is the franchise’s all-time leader in regular season games coached (879), regular season wins (480), playoff games coached (139) and playoff wins (84). During his time with the Lightning, he has led the team to 10 playoff appearances, one Presidents’ Trophy (2018-19) and four Stanley Cup Finals (2015, 2020, 2021, 2022), winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. Prior to joining Tampa Bay, he spent two seasons (2010-12) with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), winning the Calder Cup and AHL Coach of the Year Award in 2011-12, and part of one season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Internationally, in addition to his silver medal in 2017, he served as an assistant coach with Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He was also announced as head coach of Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team for the 2022 Olympics if NHL players participated.

The first six players for the 4 Nations Face-Off are expected to be announced in late June, while additional announcements regarding Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team will be made at a later date.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is a new international event that will feature NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. The seven-game event will take place Feb. 12-20 at the Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec, home of the Montréal Canadiens, and TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, home of the Boston Bruins.

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

PRAGUE, Czechia – Canada’s National Men’s Team has finished fourth at the 2024 IIHF World Championship after falling 4-2 to Sweden in the bronze medal game at O2 Arena on Sunday.

“Playing for Canada is so special, and regardless of the circumstances, any time you get the call to represent your country and compete for a gold medal is an amazing opportunity,” said captain John Tavares (Oakville, ON/Toronto, NHL). “To wear the [captain’s] ‘C’ and play with this group of guys is something I will be forever grateful for, but obviously it is a disappointing result for us.”

After falling behind 1-0 in the first period on a Carl Grundström goal, Jamie Oleksiak (Toronto, ON/Seattle, NHL) found Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, YT/Buffalo, NHL), who buried his tournament-leading ninth goal from the slot to even the score.

Canada broke the deadlock just over four minutes into the third period when Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC/Los Angeles, NHL) fired home a one-timer off a Brandon Hagel (Morinville, AB/Tampa Bay, NHL) cross-ice pass. Tavares also registered an assist on the play, moving him into a tie for the tournament lead in assists with nine.

Erik Karlsson and Grundström would give Sweden a 3-2 lead after scoring twice in 4:07 in the third period before Marcus Johansson scored into an empty net.

“The really tough loss was last night because we wanted to be playing for a gold medal today, but we also wanted to win our last game and bring home a bronze medal. Today stings but the semifinal stings a lot too,” Dubois said. “Every time you come [to the world championship], you meet unbelievable people. Some are new and some are players that you have met before, and I had an unbelievable time with this group. After a month together, it is tough to be so close to playing in the gold medal game but losing in a shootout.”

Jordan Binnington (Richmond Hill, ON/St. Louis, NHL) made 29 saves in the loss. A full game summary can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

“It was a little tough to get our game going today, but I thought we were rock solid in the second period. We could have handled our lead a little better and I feel like we backed off [Sweden] too much, and unfortunately we were not as good as we needed to be,” said head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, QC/Utah, NHL). “Our players worked hard all tournament, and they were very committed to winning and fought for each other. I have so much respect for all the guys in our room for the sacrifice they made to play in this tournament, and I am really proud of our team.”

Following the semifinals, Cozens, Brandon Tanev (Toronto, ON/Seattle, NHL) and Colton Parayko (St. Albert, AB/St. Louis, NHL) were named Team Canada’s three best players of the tournament.

Canada finished the preliminary round in first place in Group A after wins over Great Britain, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia. It booked a spot in the semifinals after a 6-3 win over Slovakia before falling to Switzerland 3-2 in a shootout.

Since 1931, Canada has collected 28 gold medals at the IIHF World Championship, to go along with 16 silver and seven bronze.

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

The 2024 IIHF World Championship comes to a close Sunday as Canada’s National Men’s Team faces off against Sweden for the bronze medal at O2 Arena.

Last Game

Canada saw its quest for back-to-back gold medals halted Saturday in a 3-2 semifinal shootout loss to Switzerland. After the Swiss took a 2-0 first-period lead, the Canadians got goals from Brandon Tanev and John Tavares – with just over two minutes remaining – to force extra time, but came up one short in the shootout.

The Swedes had their perfect run come to an unceremonious end with a 7-3 semifinal loss to host Czechia. Joel Eriksson Ek led the offence with a goal and an assist for the Swedes, who had allowed just 10 goals across eight games prior to Saturday, and outshot the Czechs 40-23.

Last Meeting

An epic comeback highlighted the quarterfinal clash between the Canadians and Swedes in 2022. Trailing 3-0 entering the third period, Canada got goals from Ryan Graves, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mat Barzal – the last two 30 seconds apart within the final two minutes – before Drake Batherson ended it 43 seconds into overtime for a 4-3 win and a place in the semifinals.

What to Watch

As this edition of Team Canada takes to the ice for the final time, it’s important to note once again the youth movement that answered the call of its country in Czechia. The Canadian roster averages 25 years old, tied with Norway and the United States for the youngest in the tournament. Half – 12 of 24 – were born in 2000 or later, and just five – Binnington, Oleksiak, Power, Tanev and Tavares – are in their 30s. And it’s a decorated group: 25 gold medals at IIHF competitions, including the Olympics, Men’s Worlds, World Juniors and U18 Men’s Worlds. Of those 25, 14 are from the World Juniors, and 11 are within the last five years. The future of Canadian hockey looks bright.

The ageless Erik Karlsson is at it again for the Swedes. The 33-year-old has posted 10 points (5-5—10) in nine games for Sweden, tying him for the team lead with Marcus Johansson (5-5—10) and Andre Burakovsky (4-6—10) and leaving him two points back of Swiss captain Roman Josi for the tournament scoring lead among blue-liners. Karlsson – wearing the ‘C’ for the Swedes – is playing his first IIHF World Championship since 2012. His international trophy case also includes an Olympic silver medal (2014), Men’s Worlds bronze (2010) and World Juniors silver (2009).

A Look Back

No opponent has been a more frequent foe for Canada at the IIHF World Championship than Sweden; Sunday’s game will mark the 69th meeting between the longtime rivals, dating back to a scoreless tie in 1931.

Since the medal round was reintroduced to IIHF tournaments in 1992, it’s the fifth time the Canadians and Swedes will meet for a medal, but just the second for bronze; at the 1992 Men’s Worlds, Brian Savage and Adam Graves scored third-period goals, but Canada dropped a 3-2 decision in Lillehammer, Norway.

All-time record: Canada leads 36-27-5 (3-3 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 242
Sweden goals: 191

Canada’s National Men’s Team is set for a semifinal showdown with Switzerland on Saturday at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, two wins away from a 29th world title.

Last Game

Canada punched its ticket to the semis with a 6-3 quarterfinal win over Slovakia on Thursday. Nick Paul led the way with a goal and an assist, Dylan Guenther added one of each and the Canadians took a two-goal lead before the five-minute mark of the first period and never looked back.

The Swiss moved into the final four for the first time since they won silver in 2018 – and gained a measure of revenge in the process – by beating Germany 3-1 in their quarterfinal. Christoph Bertschy opened and closed the scoring for Switzerland, which lost at the same stage (by the same score) to the Germans a year ago.

Last Meeting

It’s been six whole days since the Canadians and Swiss clashed at Men’s Worlds. In a preliminary-round meeting last Sunday, Canada got three power-play goals – two from Dylan Cozens and one from Paul – in a 3-2 victory, handing Switzerland its first loss while keeping its unbeaten record intact.

What to Watch

Paul is best known to Team Canada fans for his overtime winner in the gold medal game at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, giving Canada the unlikeliest of world titles, and he has picked up right where he left off in Riga. The Mississauga native has found chemistry between Jared McCann and Connor Bedard (with Dylan Guenther sliding in on the right side on occasion), recording six points (3-3—6) in eight games. Paul, who had a terrific year with Tampa Bay, setting career-highs in goals (24), assists (22) and points (46), is in search of a third gold medal in as many tries; he was also part of the National Junior Team that won World Juniors gold in Toronto in 2015, scoring a goal in the gold medal game win over Russia.

A late addition to the Swiss lineup, Kevin Fiala has made a major impact. Since he was added two games in after his Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from the NHL playoffs, all Fiala has done is score six goals and add five assists, tying him for the team scoring lead with Nico Hischier (6-5—11) and Roman Josi (3-8—11). He scored in regulation and the shootout in his debut against Czechia, had two goals against Denmark, one against Canada and two more against Finland, leaving him two back of Dylan Cozens for the tournament goal-scoring lead. Fiala has been an integral piece of the tournament’s highest-scoring power play (Switzerland is 10-for-34, a 29.4% success rate), scoring three times with the man advantage

A Look Back

It’s meeting No. 36 between the Canadians and Swiss, with Canada laying claim to 27 wins from the first 35 (with two ties).

The most recent medal-round matchup came in the quarterfinals of the 2019 tournament in Kosice, Slovakia. With an early exit less than a second away, Damon Severson tied the game with four-tenths remaining before Mark Stone gave Canada a dramatic 3-2 overtime win. It’s the second time the countries will meet in a semifinal; in 2018, Bo Horvat and Colton Parayko scored goals, but Canada dropped a 3-2 decision in Copenhagen, Denmark.

All-time record: Canada leads 27-6-2 (4-2 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 172
Switzerland goals: 56

It’s on to the playoff round for Canada’s National Men’s Team, which takes on Slovakia in the first quarterfinal Thursday at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague.

Last Game

Canada closed a out a perfect preliminary round Tuesday with an absolute thriller against the host Czechs, getting a pair of goals from Dylan Cozens – including a shorthanded overtime winner – in a 4-3 victory. Dawson Mercer and Brandon Hagel had the other Canadian goals in a game that saw six goals scored in a span of 17 minutes of the third period.

The Slovaks wrapped up the round-robin portion of their schedule with a 6-1 loss to Sweden on Tuesday. Michal Ivan scored the lone goal, while Stanislav Skorvanek finished with 37 saves as Slovakia dropped its second in a row.

Last Meeting

Canada and Slovakia went all the way to Round 8 of a shootout a year ago in the prelims in Riga, before Jack Quinn scored and Samuel Montembeault turned aside Martin Chromiak to secure a 2-1 win for the Canadians. Jake Neighbours scored the lone goal in regulation for Canada, which peppered Samuel Hlavaj with 44 shots through 65 minutes but needed a Michael Carcone goal in Round 5 to stay alive before Quinn got the winner.

What to Watch

How about John Tavares? The Canadian captain arrived in Czechia just as the tournament began and has slid seamlessly into the lineup. His eight points (1-7—8) are second-most among Canadian skaters, trailing only Dylan Cozens, his seven assists are one back of the tournament lead and – perhaps most impressively – he has absolutely dominated in the face-off circle, winning a whopping 76% of his draws (76 of 100), which puts him almost eight percentage points of second-place Brady Tkachuk of the U.S. (68.5%). Although it has been eight years since he donned the Maple Leaf, Tavares is one of the country’s most decorated representatives – he has won two World Juniors gold medals, an Olympic gold, a World Cup of Hockey and a Spengler Cup, posting 89 points (42-47—89) in 74 international games.

The kids have been alright for Slovakia so far. While it’s 33-year-old Libor Hudacek leading the team in scoring with nine points (5-4—9) in seven prelim games, he’s followed closely behind by 20-year-olds Juraj Slafkovsky (0-7—7) and Simon Nemec (1-5—6) and 24-year-old Martin Pospisil (3-4—7). Slafkovsky and Nemec are the future of Slovak hockey – they made history in 2022 when they went one-two to Montreal and New Jersey, respectively, in the NHL Draft, becoming the highest drafted players ever from Slovakia. Slafkovsky announced his arrival on the international stage two years ago in Finland, recording nine points in eight games as an 18-year-old, one month before the Canadiens took him No. 1.

A Look Back

Canada has won the last five meetings with Slovakia, dating back to 2014, and 13 of the 17 all-time meetings going back to 1996 when Slovakia returned to the Top Division after its split from Czechia.

Included in those 17 are three quarterfinal meetings – Slovakia earned a 3-2 victory in 2002, Patrice Bergeron had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 Canadian win in 2006 and the Slovaks made a late comeback to get a 4-3 victory in 2012.

All-time record: Canada leads 13-2-2 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 65
Slovakia goals: 40

Canada’s National Men’s Team looks to keep the momentum going as it takes on Switzerland in a showdown for first place in Group A on Sunday at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

Last Game

Canada shook off a very slow start against Finland on Saturday to earn a 5-3 victory. Dylan Cozens, Brandon Tanev, Owen Power, Brandon Hagel and Dawson Mercer supplied the offence for the Canadians, who trailed 2-0 and were outshot 12-0 in the first eight minutes before mounting their comeback and improving their record to 5-0.

The Swiss also made it five wins from as many games Saturday, getting three points apiece from Kevin Fiala (2-1—3) and Nico Hischier (1-2—3) in an 8-0 win over Denmark. Leonardo Genoni made 17 saves to earn the second-straight shutout for Switzerland, which is unbeaten through five games for the third year in a row.

Last Meeting

The teams met a year ago in the prelims in Riga. Tyler Toffoli opened the scoring midway through the second period and Michael Carcone finished it in the dying minutes, but the Canadians were left on the wrong end of a 3-2 result, the 14th of what would end up being 15 consecutive preliminary-round wins for the Swiss across three tournaments.

What to Watch

Known primarily for his defensive prowess, Power chipped in on offence against the Finns with a goal and two assists – his first National Men’s Team goal after going without at the 2021 Men’s Worlds and 2022 Olympics. The Mississauga native burst onto the international scene at that 2021 tournament in Riga (just a few weeks before he was the No. 1 pick by Buffalo in the NHL Draft ), becoming the youngest player to wear the Maple Leaf and playing an increasingly large role as Canada won an unlikely world title. His only Team Canada goals before Saturday? He became the first Canadian defenceman to score a hat trick at the World Juniors when he got three against Czechia on Boxing Day 2021.

Roman Josi has been an absolute beast on the blue-line for Switzerland, posting a tournament-leading 10 points (3-7—10) in five games. The Swiss captain was at his best in the 6-5 thriller against Austria last Sunday, scoring twice and adding two assists, including the primary helper on Hischier’s game-winner in the final minute. Josi’s performance in Prague is simply an extension of the terrific season he put together for the Nashville Predators – he is a Norris Trophy finalist after putting up 85 points (23-62—85) while playing all 82 games and leading the Predators to a playoff spot. Josi is no stranger to Men’s Worlds; this is his seventh appearance, owning a pair of silver medals from 2013 and 2018.

A Look Back

It’s meeting No. 35 between the Canadians and Swiss, with Canada laying claim to 26 wins from the first 34 (with two ties).

The most recent Canadian victory came in the quarterfinals of the 2019 tournament in Kosice, Slovakia. With an early exit less than a second away, Damon Severson tied the game with four-tenths remaining before Mark Stone gave Canada a dramatic 3-2 overtime win.

All-time record: Canada leads 26-6-2 (4-2 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 169
Switzerland goals: 54

Canada’s National Men’s Team gets into the meat of its preliminary-round schedule Saturday, taking on Finland as it begins a three-games-in-four-days stretch against the three teams chasing the Canadians in Group A.

Last Game

Canada made it four wins from as many games Thursday, holding Norway to just six shots on goal – zero in the first two periods – in a 4-1 victory. Brandon Tanev, Andrew Mangiapane, Dylan Cozens and Jared McCann scored the goals, while Nico Daws needed to make just five saves in his first start of the tournament.

The Finns suffered a historic 3-2 loss to Austria in their last time out Thursday, allowing the game-winning goal to Benjamin Baumgartner with just 0.2 seconds remaining. Saku Mäenalainen and Oliver Kapanen scored first-period goals for Finland, which lost to the Austrians for the first time in 11 all-time meetings at Men’s Words.

Last Meeting

The Canadians clashed with the host Finns in the quarterfinals a year ago. In front of a pro-Finland crowd of more than 11,000 at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Canada got goals from Jack Quinn, Sammy Blais and Michael Carcone to grab a 3-0 lead by the early minutes of the third period, and an empty-netter from captain Tyler Toffoli capped a 4-1 victory and sent the Canadians on their way to gold.

What to Watch

He may only be 20 years old with just 26 games of NHL experience, but Olen Zellweger hasn’t looked out of place in Prague. The defenceman has the best points-per-60-minutes average in the entire tournament – he has recorded four assists while playing just over 30 minutes in total across four games (averaging 7:36 of ice time per game). The Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, native, who didn’t make his NHL debut with Anaheim until Jan. 23, is no stranger to putting up numbers – in his final two WHL seasons with Everett and Kamloops, he totalled 158 points (46-112—158) in 110 games and won the Bill Hunter Trophy as WHL defenceman of the year in both seasons.

Kapanen has been the offensive star for the Finns through their first four games, scoring a tournament-leading six goals (one more than Connor Bedard). He had a hat trick in a win over Great Britain, and added two against Norway before striking against Austria. Kapanen, the 20-year-old nephew of former NHLer Sami Kapanen and cousin of St. Louis Blues forward Kaspei Kapanen, is almost halfway to his total from the regular season – he scored 14 times in 51 games with KalPa Kuopio, although he did net seven in just 13 postseason games as KalPa reached the Liiga semifinals.

A Look Back

To say the Canadians and Finns are familiar foes at Men’s Worlds would be a bit of an understatement. Only Sweden (68 GP) has been a more frequent opponent for Canada than Finland, with the teams set to meet for a 55th time in Prague.

The Canadians own victories in 38 of the first 54, including gold medal game matchups in 1994 (4-3 Canada in a shootout), 2007 (4-2 Canada), 2016 (2-0 Canada), 2019 (3-1 Finland), 2021 (3-2 Canada in overtime) and 2022 (4-3 Finland in overtime).

All-time record: Canada leads 38-14-2 (3-3 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 280
Finland goals: 122

Canada’s National Men’s Team gets into the back half of the preliminary round Thursday at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, taking on Norway as it looks to remain unbeaten in Group A.

Last Game

Canada survived a scare against Austria on Tuesday; after taking a 6-1 lead into the third period, the Canadians allowed five goals in less than 16 minutes before John Tavares rescued a 7-6 overtime win. Tavares, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kaiden Guhle paced the offence with a goal and an assist each.

The Norwegians found the win column Tuesday after three-straight losses to open the tournament, getting goals from Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Eirik Salsten, and 24 saves from Henrik Haukeland in a 2-0 win over Denmark that kept their quarterfinal hopes alive.

Last Meeting

Canada made the wrong kind of history last year in Riga, dropping a 3-2 shootout decision for just its second loss in 25 all-time meetings with the Norwegians. Milan Lucic and Lawson Crouse provided the goals as Canada erased a 2-0 deficit to force extra time.

What to Watch

Guhle came into his own as a full-time NHLer this season, appearing in 70 games with the Montreal Canadiens, and has carried that play into the first three games in Prague. The Sherwood Park, Alberta, native co-leads Canadian blue-liners (alongside another Edmonton-area product, Olen Zellweger) with four points, and was in on the first two goals against the Austrians. The 22-year-old last wore the Maple Leaf at the cancelled 2022 World Juniors in Edmonton (where he was captain), a year after earning silver in the bubble in the Alberta capital.

The Norwegian roster is spread across Europe and North America, with representation from 17 club teams in seven leagues in six countries. But only one of the 25 players calls the National Hockey League home; Mats Zuccarello is a veteran of 835 NHL games with the New York Rangers, Dallas and Minnesota, posting 63 points (12-51—63) in 69 games with the Wild this season, his 14th. He’s also a national team veteran, representing his country at the Olympics (2010, 2014), Men’s Worlds (2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2024), World Juniors (2006, 2007) and U18 Men’s Worlds (2004, 2005), as well as with Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

A Look Back

The Canadians and Norwegians have been frequent foes in the 2000s, clashing 15 times since the turn of the millennium after meeting just 10 times in the 50 years before that.

Canada’s biggest win came in 1962 when the Galt Terriers handed Norway a 14-1 defeat. More recently, Tavares had a hat trick and Jordan Eberle added a goal and three assists as Canada eased to a 12-1 victory in Mannheim, Germany.

All-time record: Canada leads 23-2-0
Canada goals: 157
Norway goals: 29