Canada breaks 13-year jinx in style
TORONTO — The World Cup returned to Canada after 13 long years. How long hockey will be gone is anyone’s guess.
Joe Sakic, Scott Niedermayer and Shane Doan scored on Canada’s first shot of each period Tuesday night, and Martin Brodeur shook off a wrist injury to make 27 saves in a 3-2 win over Finland in the World Cup of Hockey championship game.
The host nation celebrated the victory, but the joy was tempered because the National Hockey League is set to announce a lockout today because of a labor dispute with the players association.
“We’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow,” said Sakic, who scored four goals in the tournament. “Tonight, we’re going to celebrate.”
No negotiations are scheduled before the current collective bargaining agreement runs out at midnight Thursday. The NHL’s board of governors will meet today, but the lockout is a forgone conclusion.
Canada will always have this victory to savor.
“We’re just going to go out and enjoy this and then it’ll set in what’s going on with the NHL season,” forward Joe Thornton said.
Fans counted down the final seconds that could be the last ones played in North America by Mario Lemieux and Finland’s Teppo Numminen if the NHL lockout lasts a year or longer as feared.
“It looks like it’s going to be a while before we get back on the ice,” said Lemieux, who plays for and owns the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I just want to keep myself in shape and try to play a few more years and enjoy the game.”
Canada clinched the tournament, formerly known as the Canada Cup, for the first time since 1991.
The Canadians lost the World Cup in 1996 to the United States, but rebounded to win the event for the fifth time. Canada has reached the finals all seven times the tournament was held.
This marks four consecutive national championship wins for Canada, which was victorious at the 2002 Olympics and captured two consecutive IIHF world titles.
Doan clinched this one 34 seconds into the final period when he cut from the corner and came in front to take Thornton’s no-look, backhand pass from behind the goal and give Canada a 3-2 lead.
Miikka Kiprusoff allowed six goals in Finland’s first five games. He withstood tons of late pressure and kept it close, but his teammates couldn’t net the equalizer in the biggest hockey game in the history of the small European nation.
Finland was in the finals of the eight-team tournament for the first time.
“We played here in Canada, in Toronto, and everybody could see that we were ready to fight,” Finland coach Raimo Summanen said.
“Five years ago, three years ago, two years ago, one year ago, this was a whole different mental approach for the team and I’m proud of that.”
Sakic started the party early for Canada (6-0) when he took a beautiful pass from Lemieux in the slot and fired a shot past Kiprusoff 52 seconds after the opening faceoff.
Riku Hahl tied it at 6:34 when he deflected Toni Lydman’s shot from the point past Brodeur.
Canada recorded its first shot of the second period 3:15 in, and it was one that Kiprusoff will likely agonize over for however long he and the rest of the NHL waits to resume.
Niedermayer lifted a relatively harmless-looking shot from the left circle, but it managed to get between the Calgary Flames goalie’s pads and put Finland behind 2-1.
Vincent Lecavalier, who scored in overtime in Canada’s semifinal victory, was the tournament MVP.