TAMPERE, Finland – A three-goal third period helped Canada’s National Men’s Team win gold at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, downing Germany 5-2 in the gold medal game at Nokia Arena on Sunday.

Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) netted the game-winner off a rebound just under five minutes into the third period, his second goal of the game and fourth in three contests, to give Canada its 28th gold medal at men’s worlds.

“This feels really good. We have been in Europe for a month and have waited for our moment to play for a gold medal, and it is really special to win in front of our friends and family that travelled here,” Blais said. “Our group built chemistry so quickly and it feels like we have played together for a long time, and we are excited to bring this gold medal back home to our fans.”

Canada fell behind 1-0 just over eight minutes into the game before Blais, who was named Player of the Game, buried a one-timer off a Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL) pass to tie the game. Germany responded with a goal 13:47 into the middle frame before Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) redirected a puck past German goaltender Mathias Niederberger on the power play to equal the score at 2-2 before the end of the second.

After Blais gave Canada the lead early in the third, Tyler Toffoli (Scarborough, Ont./Calgary, NHL) and Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL) added goals to secure the win and give Canada its 51st medal overall at the IIHF World Championship.

“I could not be more proud of this group. We battled through a lot of adversity and doubt to get to this point, and this win is so special,” Toffoli said. “We have such a close-knit team that came together quickly, and we always believed in each other. Everyone bought in and we played a great game today, and I am incredibly happy to be going back to Canada with a gold medal.”

Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) capped off a stellar tournament with a 21-save performance. A full game summary can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

Following the gold medal game, MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) was named Best Defenceman of the tournament and was selected to the media all-star team. Crouse, Montembeault and Weegar were also named Team Canada’s three best players of the tournament following the semifinals.

“The commitment of everyone on our team was unbelievable. We knew we had to come here and play for each other and commit to a team game. We came here to represent Canada and make our country proud, and I am so blessed to be a part of this group,” said head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL). “Our players wanted to win so bad. They wanted to bring a gold medal back to Canada, and when you have that mindset you can accomplish great things, and we did that tonight.”

Canada finished the preliminary round in second place in Group B after wins over Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Czechia. It booked a spot in the gold medal game after a 4-1 win over Finland in the quarterfinals and a 4-2 win over Latvia in the semifinals.

Since 1931, Canada has collected 28 gold medals at the 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, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

TAMPERE, Finland – A three-goal third period helped Canada's National Men's Team punch its ticket to the gold medal game at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, doubling up on co-host Latvia 4-2 at Nokia Arena on Saturday.

• Adam Fantilli (Nobleton, Ont./University of Michigan, Big Ten) scored the eventual game-winner, a highlight-reel goal just under nine minutes into the third period.
• Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL) chipped in with an empty-net goal and an assist.
• Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) and Jack Quinn (Cobden, Ont./Buffalo, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL), Jake Middleton (Stratford, Ont./Minnesota, NHL), Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL), Milan Lucic (Vancouver, B.C./Calgary, NHL) and Justin Barron (Halifax, N.S./ Montréal, NHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) made 20 saves.
• Canada outshot Latvia 36-22.

Next Game:

Canada vs. United States or Germany (gold medal game) – Sunday, May 28 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“The Latvians battle hard, they are physical and they played really well today. We stuck with it and needed some character after they scored the first goal, and I think the boys did a great job. [Quinn] scored a big, big goal for us, and Fantilli’s goal will be a highlight for a long time. There was no panic on our bench, and I think the commitment from our team was exceptional today.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on today’s semifinal win

“It was a special moment for me. I grew up watching Milan Lucic my whole life, and for him to give me a great pass before my goal was pretty cool. It is a pretty surreal feeling to score a big goal that helps get us to the gold medal game, and it would mean a lot for everyone in our locker room to leave Finland with a gold medal. We all came here to represent our country as best as we can, and the best way to do that is by winning, so hopefully we can do that tomorrow.”

-      Fantilli on his goal and the opportunity to play for gold

“The puck just kind of popped out to me after a great forecheck by Crouse. I was just trying to bank it off any part of the Latvian goalie, and luckily the shot hit the perfect spot and went in.”

“This game shows that we have a lot of resiliency and that we believe in each other. We knew we were going to face some adversity today, and we were able to stick with it and stay calm, and in the end we got rewarded. We know how we need to play tomorrow to be successful, so we just need to reset and get focused on what we need to do to leave with a gold medal.”

-      Quinn on his game-tying goal and today’s game

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, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

TAMPERE, Finland – Canada's National Men's Team has booked its spot in the semifinals at the 2023 IIHF World Championship after defeating co-host Finland 4-1 at Nokia Arena on Thursday.

• Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) netted the eventual game-winner just past the midway point of the second period.
• Jack Quinn (Ottawa, Ont./Buffalo, NHL), Michael Carcone (Ajax, Ont./Tucson, AHL) and Tyler Toffoli (Scarborough, Ont./Calgary, NHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL), Jake Neighbours (Airdrie, Alta./St. Louis, NHL), Justin Barron (Halifax, N.S./Montréal, NHL), MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) and Jake Middleton (Stratford, Ont./Minnesota, NHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) was spectacular in goal, making 27 saves and earning Player of the Game honours.
• Canada outshot Finland 31-28.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Latvia (semifinal) – Saturday, May 27 (7:20 a.m. ET/4:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“[Montembeault] made a lot of key saves for us. [Finland] had breakaways and grade-A chances, and Sam stood tall. He was our best player tonight, and when your goalie is playing that well, it is a good recipe for winning games.”

“We tried to play with speed on the forecheck to disrupt the Finns’ timing. They are so strong on pucks, they are heavy and protect the puck well. We wanted to be really aggressive when they had the puck and take possession away from them as quickly as possible. Finland possessed the puck a lot tonight, but I feel like we put them under pressure as soon as they touched the puck. Our penalty kill was also really good, and that was a key for us. [Finland] has some elite players, and we did a great job to contain them and kill those penalties.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on the play of Montembeault and getting the win

“Our team played great tonight, and you can see how much we have grown since the start of this tournament. We knew it was going to be a tight game today, and that third goal from Carcone was huge for us and it took some weight off our shoulders. We played a great third period and managed the puck really well.”

“This is a great group. Our goal coming into this tournament was to win a gold medal, and we knew we were going to have to work hard tonight to beat Finland in front of their fans. We are one step closer to our goal, and now we are looking forward to the semifinals.”

-      Montembeault on the team’s performance and playing for a medal

“We need to keep doing what we have been doing the past two games. We need to be hard on the forecheck and stick to our systems. We have been playing well defensively and blocking a lot of shots, and we need to keep that up. We have a great goalie that we have a ton of confidence in, and we are going to bring our best game against Latvia.”

-      Blais on facing Latvia in the semifinal

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, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

RIGA, Latvia – Canada's National Men's Team wrapped up the preliminary round at the 2023 IIHF World Championship with a win, downing Czechia 3-1 at Arena Riga on Tuesday to finish in second place in Group B.

• Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta./Buffalo, NHL) opened the scoring on a first-period power play and was named Player of the Game.
• Tyler Myers (Calgary, Alta./Vancouver, NHL) netted the eventual game-winner just over four minutes into the third period.
• Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal.
• Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL) chipped in with a pair of assists.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) made 16 saves.
• Canada outshot Czechia 44-17.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Finland – Thursday, May 25 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT – Nokia Arena)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“The past two games did not go the way we wanted, so we wanted to play a hard game tonight and play well defensively. I am certainly happy about the progression of our team. We were strong on the forecheck and won a lot of battles. We were not as good as we needed to be in the second period, but we came back strong in the third and were able to get a lead early in the period. I am happy about our compete level and the speed we had off the rush.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on today’s win

“We really set the tone and established the way we wanted to play in the first period. We got away from that a bit in the second, but we dialed things back in in the third and found a way to put the puck in the net. That has been a bit of a missing ingredient for us in this tournament, but we got a big goal [from Myers]. We need to keep playing the way we did in the first period of today’s game. The quarterfinal is going to be a fun game and it will be pretty electric in front of the Finnish fans, but it is a challenge we are ready for.”

-      Krebs on today’s game and the quarterfinal

“It was good for us to get to this level of play in our last game of the preliminary round. The first and third periods were our best two periods we have played all tournament in my opinion. We did not really like our game in the second, but I am glad we came out in the third and responded the way we did. We need to carry that play and mindset over to Finland.”

“[Finland] plays a really hard game and they are not going to give you much, so we are going to have to work hard for every inch on the ice. It is going to be fun playing against the Finns in Finland because we know the arena is going to be buzzing, and we are excited to get [to Tampere].”

-      Myers on the final preliminary-round game and playing Finland

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, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

RIGA, Latvia – Canada's National Men's Team dropped its second-consecutive game at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, suffering a 3-2 shootout loss to Norway at Arena Riga on Monday.

• Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) tied the game with 12 seconds remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime.
• Milan Lucic (Vancouver, B.C./Calgary, NHL) opened the scoring for Canada just over eight minutes into the second period.
• MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL), Jake Middleton (Stratford, Ont./Minnesota, NHL) and Michael Carcone (Ajax, Ont./Tucson, AHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
• Tyler Myers (Calgary, Alta./Vancouver, NHL) was named Player of the Game.
• Joel Hofer (Winnipeg, Man./St. Louis, NHL) made 21 saves.
• Canada outshot Norway 33-23.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Czechia – Tuesday, May 23 (9:20 a.m. ET/6:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“[Norway] plays well defensively, and we knew that going into the game. They have averaged about two goals against per game, so we knew they were going to defend really well. We did not play fast enough to get on the inside on them, and against a team like that you need to attack the inside of the ice to create scoring chances.”

“Adversity is part of this tournament. If you cannot overcome adversity, you will not have a good chance of winning. We are going through some adversity right now, which will help build character among our team. Tomorrow will give us another indication of where we stand as a team. We know we have qualified for the quarterfinals, but our focus is still on getting better every day and it will be good to get back at it in less than 24 hours.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on the challenges of Norway and facing adversity

“We have to give Norway credit. They played a hard game and locked us up pretty well. For us, we are working hard but we need to be realistic about the areas we need to improve. I do not think we need to make drastic changes, but we need to simplify things a little bit. We need to get more pucks to the net, crash some bodies in front of the other team’s net and make it hard on their goalies. It was not the result we wanted tonight, but we have a chance to come out tomorrow, improve our game and finish the preliminary round strong.”

-      Myers on today’s game and continuing to improve 

“We need to play better. All these teams here play so well defensively, and we need to find a way to get higher-quality scoring chances. It is a quick turnaround for tomorrow’s game, and it is a short tournament, so we need to learn from what we did wrong tonight and get ready to play the Czechs tomorrow. It is going to be an important game for us.”

-      Crouse on creating better scoring chances

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, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.

RIGA, Latvia – The following is a statement on behalf of Doug Armstrong, general manager of Canada’s National Men’s Team, in response to the suspension given to Joe Veleno (Kirkland, Que./Detroit, NHL) at the 2023 IIHF World Championship:

“We have been informed that the IIHF Disciplinary Committee has imposed a five-game suspension to Joe Veleno for an on-ice incident that occurred during Canada’s game against Switzerland on May 20. Canada’s National Men’s Team acknowledges the role of the committee and appreciate the diligence that went into the decision-making process, and we accept and support the IIHF’s decision.”

The following is a statement on behalf of Joe Veleno:

“I have been notified of the five-game suspension imposed by the IIHF for my actions in our game against Switzerland. I accept the sanction from the IIHF and apologize for my actions.”

To read the official announcement from the IIHF, please visit IIHF.com.

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

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG

RIGA, Latvia – A late push from Canada's National Men's Team fell short as it recorded its first loss at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, falling 3-2 to Switzerland at Arena Riga on Saturday.

• Tyler Toffoli (Scarborough, Ont./Calgary, NHL) scored his first goal of the tournament on a second-period power play.
• Michael Carcone (Ajax, Ont./Tucson, AHL) redirected a puck past Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni to round of the scoring.
• Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Philadelphia, NHL), Jack Quinn (Ottawa, Ont./Buffalo, NHL), Brad Hunt (Maple Ridge, B.C./Colorado, NHL) and Jake Neighbours (Airdrie, Alta./St. Louis, NHL) chipped in with one assist apiece.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) made 23 saves.
• Canada outshot Switzerland 29-26.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Norway – Monday, May 22 (9:20 a.m. ET/6:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“I think our nerves got to us a little bit, and we were not as aggressive as we would have liked. In the third period, we played with more pace and were quick on the forecheck, which led to us creating more chances, so that is a positive. We need to make sure we keep a focus on our defensive play because that will be a big difference the rest of the tournament. We have to give credit to the Swiss, they worked extremely hard, and it was a hard-fought game.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on today’s game

“I feel like I have had a million chances in this tournament, and whether [Crouse] tipped my shot or not, I will take [the goal]. It feels good to get my first one, and I will try to use this as a steppingstone. Hopefully I can continue to create opportunities for myself and give myself good looks at the net, and I hope the puck keeps going in for me.”

-      Toffoli on scoring his first goal of the tournament

“We wanted to slow [the Swiss] down and get pucks behind them, but they did a good job of playing their game today. This loss hurts, but we will regroup and come back stronger next game. I think a game like this will help in the long run. This is going to build character in our room, and we will learn from the mistakes we made tonight and be ready to go on Monday.”

-      Carcone on the team’s first loss

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, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

RIGA, Latvia – A four-goal first period helped Canada's National Men's Team picked up its fourth-consecutive win at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, defeating Kazakhstan 5-1 at Arena Riga on Wednesday.

• Lawson Crouse (Mount Brydges, Ont./Arizona, NHL) scored a pair of goals just 2:45 apart in the first period and earned Player of the Game honours.
• Joe Veleno (Kirkland, Que./Detroit, NHL) and Sammy Blais (Montmagny, Que./St. Louis, NHL) chipped in with a goal and two assists each.
• MacKenzie Weegar (Nepean, Ont./Calgary, NHL) opened the scoring 19 seconds into the game and added and assist, his third multi-point performance of the tournament.
• Joel Hofer (Winnipeg, Man./St. Louis, NHL) made 16 saves.
• Canada outshot Kazakhstan 40-17.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Switzerland – Saturday, May 20 (9:20 a.m. ET/6:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“I am happy about how we have played through four games. The boys have been having fun together, they fight for each other and they care for each other. Structure-wise, they have been playing with their instincts and not over-thinking, and there is less confusion on the ice, which is common for a new team. We are starting to play with more pace, and we are getting close to where we want to be.”

“We have depth on our team, and we need to continue getting goals from up and down our lineup. Depth is one of the strengths of Canadian hockey, and we need everyone to keep contributing because we have four lines that can play in any situation.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on the team’s play through four games and the depth of the team

“We are trying to get better every day and learn things from every game. The ultimate goal is to win gold, and we are taking steps forward every day, but we need to keep playing to our identity and playing within our structure. [The Swiss] are a very structured team that have done a great job of keeping the puck out of their net, so we will need to do whatever we can to generate scoring chances and capitalize on those chances, and take care of the puck in our own zone.”

-      Crouse on the team’s progress and facing Switzerland on Saturday

“It is great to be back playing for Team Canada. Any time you get to wear [the Canadian] jersey, it is super special. It is great to play in an international tournament again, and to reconnect with guys I have played with in the past and meet new teammates.”

“I think we are hitting our stride. We have improved every game, and everything we are doing now is building up to the medal round. We need to take things one game as a time, but we are definitely happy with our start to the tournament.”

-      Hofer on playing for Team Canada and working towards the medal round

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, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE BLOG 

RIGA, Latvia – Canada's National Men's Team remains undefeated at the 2023 IIHF World Championship after beating Slovakia 2-1 in a shootout to secure its third-straight win at Arena Riga on Monday.

• Jack Quinn (Ottawa, Ont./Buffalo, NHL) scored the winning goal in the eighth round of the shootout.
• Jake Neighbours (Airdrie, Alta./St. Louis, NHL) netted his first world championship goal on a breakaway in the first period.
• Jack McBain (Toronto, Ont./Arizona, NHL) tallied an assist.
• Sam Montembeault (Bécancour, Que./Montréal, NHL) was stellar in the Canadian goal, making 23 saves and turning aside six shots in the shootout to earn Player of the Game honours.
• Canada outshot Slovakia 43-24.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Kazakhstan – Wednesday, May 17 (1:20 p.m. ET/10:20 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 64 and 24 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“It was a really tight game with a lot of penalties. I did not think our penalty kill was great near the beginning of the game, but we got much better and at the end our PK was rock solid. We need to do some fine-tuning on the power play because we were forcing plays today, but I thought our five-on-five play was solid. We did not give [Slovakia] much to work with aside from a few minor breakdowns, and I like the way our game is progressing.”

“[Montembeault] has been really solid since we came together. He played well in our pre-tournament game and has been poised in both tournament games he has played. He is really assertive, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”

-      Head coach André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Arizona, NHL) on special teams play and the play of Montembeault

“It was a hard-fought battle all the way to the end, and [Montembeault] was great and kept us in the game. We needed to stick with our game plan, and obviously there was some frustration when [Slovakia] was playing so well defensively and we could not get much going on offence. We know we are going to face some adversity in every game we play, so we just need to stay positive and keep getting chances.”

-      Quinn on the challenge of playing Slovakia

“It is a little bit nerve-wracking [in the shootout], and shootouts are not usually the best part of my game. It is a one-on-one situation and you never know what could happen, but I know I needed to do my part. We got a big goal [from Quinn] and I just needed to make the last save, and I am glad we got the win. We played a good game today, but we did not capitalize on some opportunities. We are going to keep building off this win, but overall we feel good about our play right now.”

-      Montembeault on the shootout and today’s win

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, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #IIHFWorlds.