Hockey Canada VP Shares Details on Players' Pain After Humiliating Loss at WJC
Hockey Canada's Vice-President Scott Salmond shared details on the players' pain after their humiliating loss at the World Junior Championship.
On Friday, Team Canada lost to Czechia in the quarter-finals of the World Junior Championship for the second straight year.
In Canada, that loss was a terrible blow. Not only was the tournament in Ottawa, but the country's reputation took a major hit.
It seems that other countries aren't afraid to go against Canada on the ice anymore, they're looking forward to it.
No one felt it more than the players. The young men sent to represent their country had a lot of pressure to win, and they couldn't.
The VP of the organization Scott Salmond opened up on the general feeling within Team Canada following the tough loss.
Here's what he said in a recent interview:
"We have no excuse for the results of our team. I do want to acknowledge the 25 young men that are aged 17 to 19 that represented Canada. I want to acknowledge their effort, their commitment."
"These are young men that grew up in small towns and big cities across Canada, dreaming of playing for the National Junior team, dreaming of representing Canada. And when they represent Canada, when they made that and realized that dream, then they changed their dream to winning."
"I can tell you, the pain that they felt was incredible. Nobody wanted to win more than those people and those young men and so that's important. That's an important perspective. I understand anger, I understand disappointment, and I share it, and I also take responsibility."
"Who do you blame? You can blame me. If you think it's scouting, I hire the scout. If you think it's coaching, I hire the coach. You want to blame someone, you can blame me. In our country, you gotta win way more often than you lose. That's what we sign up for."
"These are young men that grew up in small towns and big cities across Canada, dreaming of playing for the National Junior team, dreaming of representing Canada. And when they represent Canada, when they made that and realized that dream, then they changed their dream to winning."
"I can tell you, the pain that they felt was incredible. Nobody wanted to win more than those people and those young men and so that's important. That's an important perspective. I understand anger, I understand disappointment, and I share it, and I also take responsibility."
"Who do you blame? You can blame me. If you think it's scouting, I hire the scout. If you think it's coaching, I hire the coach. You want to blame someone, you can blame me. In our country, you gotta win way more often than you lose. That's what we sign up for."
It mustn't be easy for the young players right now. Hopefully, they'll use this experience as fuel to keep pushing.
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