Canada’s National Men’s Team wrapped up their 2024 IIHF World Championship campaign with a fourth-place finish after a 4-2 loss to Sweden in the bronze medal game at O2 Arena on Sunday.
Reflecting on the tournament, captain John Tavares (Oakville, ON/Toronto, NHL) expressed mixed emotions, stating, “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. 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.”
Canada fell behind early in the first period to a Carl Grundström goal, but Jamie Oleksiak (Toronto, ON/Seattle, NHL) set up Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, YT/Buffalo, NHL) for his tournament-leading ninth goal from the slot, leveling the score.
The deadlock was broken 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 contributed an assist on the play, tying him for the tournament lead in assists with nine.
However, two quick goals from Erik Karlsson and Grundström within a span of 4:07 in the third period turned the tide in favor of Sweden, who added an empty-netter by Marcus Johansson to secure a 4-2 victory.
Reflecting on the game, Dubois remarked, “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. 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 defeat.
Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, QC/Utah, NHL) acknowledged the team’s efforts, stating, “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. 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, Dylan Cozens, Brandon Tanev (Toronto, ON/Seattle, NHL), and Colton Parayko (St. Albert, AB/St. Louis, NHL) were recognized as Team Canada’s top three players of the tournament.
Canada finished atop Group A in the preliminary round after victories over Great Britain, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, and Czechia. They advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3 win over Slovakia but were edged out 3-2 in a shootout by Switzerland.
Canada’s rich history in the IIHF World Championship includes 28 gold medals, 16 silver, and seven bronze medals since 1931.