Tag: USA

USA and Finland Go At It In 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament Tonight

On By CanucksBanterIn 4 Nations Face-OffLeave a comment
Source: nhl.com

By NHL Public Relations

February 13, 2025

The second game of the 4 Nations Face-Off will pit a new era of USA stars – they are the only team without a player returning from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey – led by first-time national team captain Auston Matthews against a Finland team captained by Aleksander Barkov, who is one of four members of the reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers on the roster. 

USA and Finland 411

  • This will mark the seventh all-time meeting between the countries in an NHL International Tournament, with the two most recent coming in the semifinals. Finland’s last victory in an NHL International Tournament was against USA in the semifinals of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, with longtime Canadiens legend Saku Koivu netting the game winner.
  • In the 1991 Canada Cup, Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Mullen netted what would become the game-winning goal in a 7-3 semifinals victory for the United States. In both cases, Finland and USA reached the final of an NHL International Tournament for the first time.
  • The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers, who lead all teams with eight players participating in the tournament, will be well represented in Thursday’s contest with Matthew Tkachuk skating for USA and Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola on Finland’s roster.
  • Barkov (8-14—22 in 24 GP) and Tkachuk (6-16—22 in 24 GP) were tied for the team playoff scoring lead during Florida’s run to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2024.
  • Prior to Tkachuk joining the Panthers, he and Barkov went head-to-head in the NHL nine times, with Tkachuk holding the edge in both points (5-7—12 in 9 GP) and team record (6-2-1). Barkov also produced at a point-per-game rate in those contests (2-7—9 in 9 GP; 3-5-1 record).
  • Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk will suit up together on the international stage for the first time, and also the first time on any team outside of the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. They will become the 14th set of brothers to play on the same team in an NHL International Tournament and the fifth to do so with USA, joining Derian and Kevin Hatcher (1996 WCH), Aaron and Neal Broten (1984 CC), Brian and Joe Mullen (1984 CC) and Curt and Harvey Bennett (1976 CC).
  • The Hatcher brothers are the only siblings, from any country, to win an NHL International Tournament together.

Source: nhl.com

2025 World Juniors Championship – Day 1

On By CanucksBanterIn 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, 2025 World Junior ChampionshipLeave a comment

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

December 26th, 2024

Source: iihf.com

2025 World Junior Championship Day 1 – 411 by Andrew Podnieks @ iihf.com

  • The World Junior Championship is coming to Canada for the 16th time, and the second time to Ottawa
  • The last time the Juniors came to Ottawa was 2009, when fans set a record by passing through the turnstiles 453,282 times in 31 games, an average of 14,622 a game (also a record).
  • This year begins a string of three World Juniors in a row in North America:
    • Next year will be hosted by USA Hockey, at St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota
    • The year after will be back under the auspices of Hockey Canada, in Alberta (location(s) TBD).
  • Kazakhstan earned promotion last year and will be playing at the World Juniors for the ninth time, and the first since 2020.
    • Only five countries have played in every U20—Canada, Czechia/Czechoslovakia, Finland, Sweden, United States. 
  • Canada is tops in several all-time categories.
    • They lead the medal haul, having won 35 in the previous 48 events (20G, 10S, 5B)
    • No country has scored more goals than Canada’s total of 1,637 in 314 games.
    • Their 231 victories is also tops, followed by Sweden (198), Finland (176), and the United States (175). 
  • Two Slovaks will also break—or, tie—a record.
    • Both Dalibor Dvorsky and Maxim Strbak will be playing in their FIFTH World Juniors! But there’s a catch.
      • Their first U20 was the ill-fated event of December 2021 that was cancelled because of a covid-19 outbreak.
      • They both played two games of that tournament, then played in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and should tie the official record of four tournaments in their first game in Ottawa.
      • However, because the team never advanced past the quarter-finals in this span, they won’t approach the record for most games played (26, Bjorn Christen, SUI). They both sit at 16 games played.
  • Czechia’s Eduard Sale will also try to make his way into the record books.
    • He will be playing in his third straight U20, and he has already won a silver medal in 2023 and bronze last year. Another medal in Ottawa would tie him for most in a career.
    • Indeed, some 28 players have won three medals at the World Juniors, but at the top of the heap stands Canada’s Jason Botterill, the only player to have won three gold.
  • Two Americans also have a pretty special resume that they hope to add to in the next two weeks.
    • Gabe Perreault and Zeev Buium won gold at the U18 in 2023 and gold at last year’s World Juniors. Only seven times has a team won U18 one year and U20 the next, so the list of back-to-back gold medallists is small.
    • To win three combined gold medals at the junior level (U20 + U18) is also a small and exclusive list (last achieved by Canadian Connor Bedard and achieved by only five Americans—goalie Jack Campbell, and skaters Seth Jones, Jacob Trouba, Jason Zucker, and Rocco Grimaldi).
  • In the crease, the goalie to watch is another American Trey Augustine, who could add his name to the record book on several counts.
    • Still only 19, he will be playing in his sixth tournament and record-tying third World Juniors for the Americans.
    • He has a gold medal from last year and a bronze from 2023, so a medal in Ottawa would tie the record of three medals for a goalie at the U20.
    • And if that third medal were to be gold, he would join an exclusive group of five other goalies with two career golds.