Team Canada

While there is still a lot of hockey to be played in the 2018 World Junior Championships, currently underway in Buffalo, New York, today’s game has many up in arms as to the validity of this year’s title. For those who missed the action this afternoon, the U.S. and Canada took part in a re-match of the 2017 WJC Final as part of round robin group play. Down by two in the third period, the Americans rallied back to tie the game 3-3. When overtime was not enough to decide a winner, the game went to a shootout, in which Dallas Stars goalie prospect Jake Oettinger stood tall and Team USA took home the comeback win.

Almost immediately, the result was met with negative response from many, particularly those in the media supporting the Canadians. It’s not the shootout that has people riled up though – the U.S. beat Canada via shootout to win the entire tournament last year – but instead the weather. Today’s game was held outdoors at New Era Field, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and, much like the Bill’s game against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this month, the game was greatly impacted by snow. It wasn’t blizzard conditions, but the consistent precipitation surely was enough to effect the pace and play of the game. The argument by many is that this outdoor game, particularly with the difficult weather, has spoiled the 2018 WJC. No other teams are set to play outdoor games and the U.S.-Canada match-up thus stands out as more of an individual event rather than part of an overarching tournament. The result will impact future rounds and, one way or another, the end result.

The counter, though, is that the only impact that mattered was the equal impact of the weather on each team. Neither team was given any specific advantage or disadvantage by the snow and the game, while unique in it’s location and conditions, is still a valid result. This message has been echoed by the players and coaches of both teams following the game. The best case for this perspective though is perhaps the timing of many of the complaints; few hated the concept of the outdoor game when it was announced to be a record WJC attendance and the Canadians got off to a quick 2-0 start. It was only after a long, drawn-out, snowy game in which the U.S. was able to mount a comeback when talks of the event “spoiling” the WJC came about.

So what do you think? Was the game a fun and fair spectacle and true evaluation of team talent? Or was it a gimmick which will taint the entire result of the tournament?