For the third World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal final in a row, Team Canada failed to hold the lead. This time, they led the U.S. team 3-1 in the third before losing 4-3 on one of the flukiest goals you'll ever see. Marc-Andre Fleury was attempting to clear the puck but inadvertently deflected it off his teammate in the process. The puck bounced into the Canadian net and once again we had to settle for silver.
When it comes to hockey, silver sucks. This is the one sport from which we demand a first place finish every time at every level. A silver medal in skiing or boxing would be widely celebrated, but in hockey, it's as good as finishing last. I challenge you to find me one Canadian who is proud of our second place finish today.
It's now been seven years since Canada won the gold at the World Junior Hockey Championship. In Canada, that's an eternity. I'd say wait until next year, but I uttered that exact phrase following our loss to the Russians in last year's gold medal match. Hell, I'm saying it again. Wait until next year...
