Team Canada Has the Most Insane Path to the Ice at the World Juniors
At least they’ll be extra warmed up by the time the puck drops
The IIHF World Junior Championship is underway in the Twin Cities, and as always, it's one of the best things on the hockey calendar, with no shortage of storylines.
You've got the Americans looking to cap off a three-peat with their first-ever gold on home soil, while Canada tries to bounce back from a rough patch on the international stage over the last year or two.
And, speaking of the Canadians, they have what is easily the strangest trek to the rink I've ever seen in a tournament as big as the World Junior Championship.
This year's tournament is taking place in two arenas. The larger of the two is the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, home to the Minnesota Wild. The other, smaller venue is the 3M Arena in Minneapolis, home to the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's hockey team.
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What makes 3M Arena unique is that it’s connected via tunnel to Ridder Arena, home of the Golden Gophers women’s hockey team. And that’s where things got strange for the Canadians.
With multiple games happening in both buildings, locker rooms are at a premium. So ahead of their game against always-dangerous Czechia on Friday, Team Canada found itself dressing in the women’s locker room at Ridder Arena.
That meant every time the Canadians needed to go from the locker room to the rink, or vice versa, they had quite the journey, including skating across the ice at Ridder Arena.
I love it. A little extra warm-up skate to get those quads nice and loosey-goosey.
Hey, it couldn’t hurt. And maybe that was the X-factor Canada needed to get its tournament started on the right foot with a big 7–5 win over the Czechs.
Team captain Porter Martone, a projected 2025 first-round pick who plays at Michigan State, sealed the win with a goal inside the final minute of regulation, then picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on his way to the bench.
Not the smartest thing to do in that moment, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the tenacity on display.