How Successful Were You?

If you missed the news, Canada's run at the World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden is over. With 11 seconds remaining in the game, an unlucky deflection off a Canadian stick saw the puck end up behind Mathis Rousseau as Canadian hearts sunk and heads were buried in chests. Czechia would win the game, and Canada's hopes of defending their gold medal ended with heartbreak. Of course, people who know this tournament know that hitching the country's wagon to teenagers and 20 year-olds is never wise, but it seems that a number of people decided to take to social media to express their disappointment in this team in ways that are neither healthy or supportive. That's where I stop and have to ask this important question: how successful were you at that age?

It seems like a simple question, but the answer is much more complex when you remember that these young men are often the best scorers on their teams, often the top players in their leagues, often have been drafted by NHL teams or are trying to be drafted by NHL teams, and then have to win a two-week tournament against the best players from the rest of the planet who are facing the same challenges in most cases. These kids have no summers as they're in the gym, working on skills, and meeting with coaches and agents in order to plan their futures. They're eating specific foods and on diets designed for their physical success. Was that your life at age 20?

Not all of these men playing on the Canadian roster will be full-time NHL players either. For every Eric Lindros, there's an Anthony Esposito whose promise in junior makes teams salivate, but who can't quite put it together at the NHL level. That's not to say that neither Lindros nor Esposito didn't have good careers at the levels they reached, but it's impossible to know what an 18 year-old, third-line winger will become when it comes to the NHL. Is what you're doing today the same thing you were doing at 18?

Does losing suck? Absolutely. None of these young men planned on making the quarterfinals before going home empty-handed, but there has to be a winner and a loser and it was one bounce that separated Canada and Czechia today. We've seen other "upsets" happen, and that's the beauty of tournaments like this - anyone can rise to the occasion. Germany beat Finland. Finland beat Sweden. Latvia beat Germany. Czechia beat Canada. The gaps between the countries are closing, and we see that every year. This year was no exception.

Some have made the wild suggestion of re-examining how Hockey Canada chooses this team, and I think we're overreacting if it comes to that. No matter what criteria one wants to use, there will always be questions as to whether the right players went or the best players went or whatever adjective you want to use in front of "players went". All that matters is that 23 of the best players this country has to offer went over to Sweden, competed hard, and did their best. If that result wasn't enough for a medal, I have some news for you: one of USA, Sweden, Finland, and Czechia will come home with nothing to show for their efforts as well.

We need to remember that this is still just a game. The sun will rise in the east tomorrow, you and I will head to work for most of the year, and these kids will return to their junior teams and college teams in the hopes of ascending to that next level of their careers. One tournament where Canada fell short might bother people looking at over medal counts, but try being Norway whose hockey federation isn't funding hockey any longer and the likelihood of Norwegian teams returning to the top division gets much harder. There are things that are bigger than losing a quartefinal game, and keeping things in perspective helps one realize that a group of young men lost a hockey game. Nothing more.

I get being a fan means we live and die vicariously through our favorite teams, and there's a bigger sense of pride when the country's colours are worn on the ice. This isn't lost on me, but the final horn is where we bring things back into perspective, realize that a good group of kids lost a hard-fought game, tip our caps to the opposition, and carry on with life. It's a game, and 23 young men don't need the vitriol spewed by some people who feel they're better hockey experts than the people wearing the red-and-white jerseys. Again, where were you when you were 19?

Look, we can be disappointed that Canada didn't win a medal, but we need to abandon this gold-or-die mentality that we've developed. We're not the only country who produces superstars at various hockey levels any longer. There's a Russian leading the NHL in scoring. There's an American leading the NHL in goals. There's an American defender leading all defenders in scoring. The top-ten in NHL scoring features just two Canadians along with two Russians, two Swedes, two Americans, a Czech, and a Finn. it's not 1970 any longer where the top-20 scorers were 19 Canadians and someone else, and we have to begin to accept this reality.

At age 20, I can tell you that I was working in a gas station as a cashier. For anyone currently doing that, you're an important member of society and I'd never look down on you, but I wanted to be more and to do more. Judding me at where I was at age 20 wouldn't even begin to scratch the surface of where I've reached, but those moments in being a gas station attendant taught me some valuable lessons. I'm quite certain that the young men returning home from Gothenburg have learned lessons, and it would also be very premature to judge them at this stage of their careers because they lost a game.

Social media has removed that element of "living in a glass house" when it comes to throwing stones, but let's put things into perspective for those who want to rip on these young men: where were you at age 19 or 20 that allows you to judge these players? Unless you're buffing your World Junior Championship gold medal while criticizing these young men, it might be time to find a little perspective.

After all, it was a game decided by one bad bounce.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!