Canada owns hockey. They have since they beat the Soviets towards the end of the 1980s and sat down on their throne at the top of the hockey world. Sure, there were moments of weakness. The 2006 Winter Olympics comes to mind, where Canada fell completely off the podium. Look at how well we were able to bounce back. Winning gold in both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and easily winning the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
They were the best, but it would appear time did what time does. Canada just lost 3–1 to the United States and just barely snuck past Sweden in overtime to start off the 4 Nations Face-Off; what happened to Canada?
Where did it all go so wrong?
All of those shining moments were nearly a decade ago, and it seems in the absence of best-on-best international hockey, Canada has grown old. Sid the Kid isn’t a kid anymore; he’s a 37-year-old man named Sidney Crosby.
The defence that used to be able to shut down teams on the international stage hasn’t looked the same, either. Canada still hauling out 35-year-old Drew Doughty is the best proof of that. Cale Makar and Josh Morrissey show promise for the future, but right now, it just hasn’t looked as good as it once did.
Canada’s legendary goaltending might be where we have regressed the most. The country easily stood ahead of the competition for decades with goaltenders like Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Roberto Luongo, and Carey Price, but all of them probably play more pickleball these days than hockey.
Team Canada’s starter for their first two games of the tournament was Jordan Binnington, a Stanley Cup winner, but even that was six years ago at this point. Going into the break he had a losing record and a below-0.900 save percentage. In the tournament so far, he has a 1–1–0 with a 0.896 SV% and a 2.41 goals against average. Not exactly a name I would expect to be put up on the Canadian goalie Mount Rushmore with Brodeur, Roy, and the rest, when the day is done.
Looking at Canada’s questionable goaltending
As mentioned, goaltending has been Canada’s biggest struggle so far. Their chosen trio of Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault are all not necessarily having incredible seasons.
| Goalie | Record/W% | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Binnington | 15–19–4 | 0.897 | 2.89 |
| Adin Hill | 20–10–4 | 0.900 | 2.64 |
| Sam Montembeault | 18–21–3 | 0.897 | 3.00 |
| Average | 46% win percentage | 0.898 | 2.84 |
| 2016 WC Average | 72% win percentage | 0.926 | 2.21 |
Carey Price only played 12 games in 2015–16, posting a 10–2–0 record, 0.934 SV%, and 2.06 GAA.
Compared to the rest of the teams taking part in the 4 Nations Face-Off, this has been a rather jarring disadvantage for Canada.
| Country | Win Percentage | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 63% | 0.911 | 2.46 |
| Sweden | 56% | 0.908 | 2.64 |
| Finland | 44% | 0.899 | 2.83 |
Canada has almost identical numbers to Finland, who were widely considered the biggest underdog going into the 4 Nations Face-Off. A Finland team that was beaten 6–1 by the US and let in three goals against Sweden. Not exactly where the Canadians want to be, especially considering they left Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson off the roster.
Thompson has been having a monster season. He currently has a record of 24–2–5, a 0.921 SV%, and a 2.23 GAA. He is somebody who may have raised them up a few spots on the goalie rankings if he had been brought in.
Canada has mismanaged their defence
That’s not the only position group where it would appear Canada made a few mistakes. About two weeks out of the 4 Nations Face-Off, veteran Alex Pietrangelo would withdraw from the tournament, giving Canada the chance to bring in a new defenceman.
To replace him, they could have added MacKenzie Weegar, who is only a year removed from a 20-goal season. They could have picked up a defensive mastermind and shot-blocker like Chris Tanev. They even could have picked a guy like Evan Bouchard, who is coming off a monster playoff run with the Edmonton Oilers. Instead, they went with Drew Doughty, who had been out most of the year due to injuries. He managed to get into six games before the break, putting up just one assist.
This choice has yet to really haunt Team Canada, but if taking past-their-prime veterans like Doughty and, arguably, Jordan Binnington over more deserving candidates becomes a pattern, it wouldn’t be good for Canada. Against potentially even tougher competition in the 2026 Winter Olympics, they are going to need all the help they can get.
Can offence win championships?
The one real upside of Team Canada is that pretty much no one can match their top-end scoring talent. Having the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and more leading their top six alone makes it pretty much untouchable by any other nation. That offence is going to need to create some magic if they want to win out the rest of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
It has already been demonstrated that Canada isn’t likely to win a one-goal game against the US. How the rest of the 4 Nations Face-Off will go for Team Canada is yet to be seen. If anything can be learned from the first two games, Canada needs to wake up from this dream where they are still the best in the world before 2026, or the Winter Olympics might become a nightmare.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
