FAQ: Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championship
While you count down the hours until puck drop at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on May 21 in Riga, Latvia, here is the info you need to know about Team Canada.
Who is on Team Canada?
The 25 players selected by general manager Roberto Luongo, assistant GM Shane Doan, Hockey Canada’s senior vice-president of national teams Scott Salmond, and Hockey Canada’s senior manager of national teams Tyler Dietrich includes four players who previously wore the maple leaf at the world championship (denoted with *).
Forwards: Liam Foudy, Dillon Dubé, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Gabriel Vilardi, Adam Henrique*, Justin Danforth, Nick Paul, Brandon Hagel, Michael Bunting, Connor Brown, Maxime Comtois, Brandon Pirri, Andrew Mangiapane, Cole Perfetti
Defence: Jacob Bernard-Docker, Branden Schneider, Colin Miller, Owen Power, Sean Walker, Mario Ferraro, Troy Stecher*, Nicolas Beaudin
Goalies: Adin Hill, Darcy Kuemper*, Michael Dipietro*
What is Team Canada’s schedule?
The 2021 IIHF World Championship begins on May 21 and runs through June 6. The first 12 days will feature round robin play within the pools. Canada opens against host Latvia on May 21, and will also take on Italy, Finland, Germany, Kazakhstan, Norway and the United States in the preliminary round.
The quarterfinals will be held on June 3, the semifinals on June 5 and the medal games on June 6.
Canada is in Group B, and will play the following round robin schedule:
May 21 – 1:15pm EDT/10:15am PDT vs. Latvia
May 23 – 1:15pm EDT/10:15am PDT vs. United States
May 24 – 1:15pm EDT/10:15am PDT vs. Germany
May 26 – 1:1pm EDT/10:15am PDT vs. Norway
May 28 – 9:15am EDT/6:15am PDT vs. Kazakhstan
May 30 – 9:15am EDT/6:15am PDT vs. Italy
June 1 – 5:15am EDT/2:15am PDT vs. Finland
How can I watch Team Canada at the World Hockey Championship?
All games of the 2021 IIHF World Championship will be broadcast on TSN. You can check out the full schedule, including the channels for each game.
Where are they playing?
Competition at the 2021 Worlds will be held at two different locations in Riga, the capital of Latvia.
Canada will take to the ice at Arena Riga for their games in Group B. This year marks the eighth IIHF tournament held at Arena Riga. It is located in the centre of the Latvian capital and will feature games from Group B as well as two quarterfinals, the semifinals and both medal games. The Olympic Sports Centre, an indoor multi-functional sports facility, will serve as the second venue of the world championships, hosting 28 games including the Group A games and two quarterfinals.
What are the COVID-19 protocols?
Prior to travelling to Riga on May 15, Team Canada players and staff were required to self-isolate or follow their league COVID-19 protocols as of May 10 and will be tested for COVID-19 three times. Upon arrival in Latvia, all team personnel will enter a three-day quarantine at the hotel before entering a team quarantine on May 18.
Are any Olympians on the team?
While none of Team Canada’s players are Olympians, some of the staff with them have been to the Olympic Games before. General manager Roberto Luongo appeared in three straight Winter Olympics from 2006 to 2014, helping Canada win gold in his final two Games. Assistant GM Shane Doan also played for Canada at Turin 2006.
Which players can join the Triple Gold Club?
This time around, no Canadian players will be able to join the exclusive club. The Triple Gold Club is an elite group of players that have won an IIHF World title, Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup. No players on Canada’s 2021 roster have won a Stanley Cup or are an Olympic champion.
However, the young Canadian roster features four players that have previously been on Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship and 10 that have played at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
How many medals has Canada won at the IIHF World Championship?
Canada has a total of 50 medals (26 gold, 15 silver, 9 bronze), including those for which Olympic medals double as world championship medals. If you exclude Olympic medals, the total is 20 gold, 13 silver and 7 bronze.
At the 2019 IIHF World Championship, Canada won silver after falling to Finland in the final, 2-1. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: Team Canada wins silver at IIHF World Hockey Championship, Stone named tournament MVP
READ: Canada beats Finland to win hockey worlds gold for second straight year
Canada last won the IIHF World title in 2016, where they came out with a different outcome, defeating Finland 2-0 for back-to-back gold.
