The best has been saved for last.
Whenever Canada and Russia get together for a gold medal in international hockey, big things tend to happen. More fireworks are expected in Sunday's 2020 IIHF World Juniors final, which will double as a shot at redemption for the Canadians.
As anyone who has been watching this year's tournament knows, Canada capitulated to its longtime rival to the tune of 6-0 in the group stage. The Dec. 28 loss was the biggest suffered by a Canadian team in the history of the World Juniors, but the silver lining is that the embarrassment seems to have sparked a fire under Dale Hunter's young men.
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Canada has won four straight games since falling to the Russians, outscoring the opposition 22-4 during that stretch. It's been nothing short of Canadian domination in the wake of the program's worst game at this level, a fact that is not lost on the players and coaching staff.
"We kept improving all the time," Canada head coach Dale Hunter told TSN of his team's progression through the tournament. "We went through some adversity with suspensions and injuries, and it's one of those things that made us stronger. We had other guys step up and so [it] made us better as a team."
Canada lost star player Alexis Lafreniere to a leg injury during the group-stage loss, while captain Barrett Hayton created controversy when he didn't remove his helmet during the postgame playing of the Russian national anthem, adding to the narrative surrounding an unprecedented defeat. Lafreniere has since returned with aplomb in the playoff round, while Hayton's status for Sunday's final is unclear.
Regardless of who is available, the Canadians know they cannot afford to start as slowly as they did on Dec. 28, when Russia built up a three-goal lead by the 13:43 mark of the opening period.
"They gave it to us pretty good," Hunter added. "That happens in sports, we all know. But the guys, they will come out. [Russia] jumped on us early so we have to be ready early in the game. We were down 3-0 before we got going, so we've got to have a good [opening] five minutes."
While the Canadians are buoyed by the return of Lafreniere and their stellar overall play over the past four games, Russia still holds the mental advantage of winning handily when the teams met in the group stage. Forward Yegor Sokolov, who plays in the QMJHL for Cape Breton Eagles, is familiar with Lafreniere's exploits with the Rimouski Oceanic and wasn't overly worried about the projected No. 1 pick before Russia's lopsided victory.
"He is a good player," Sokolov told Sport-Express of Lafreniere prior to the Dec. 28 contest. "But there is nothing to be afraid of. We have the same."
Sokolov's teammate, Vasily Podkolzin, echoed the sentiment about Lafreniere, stating the Russians have "players that are no worse than Lafreniere is."
Vasili Podkolzin: Team Russia has enough players that are no worse than Lafreniere is. Or even better #WorldJuniors2020
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) December 28, 2019
Given what happened in the group stage, the Russian players could be forgiven for their confidence — even if it borders on cockiness. Hayton's perceived anthem indiscretion drew the ire of defenceman Yegor Zamula, who reportedly said the Canadian captain couldn't make the Latvian national team.
Plenty of other juicy sound bites made the rounds in the immediate aftermath of the 6-0 result, as the Russians reveled in a historic victory. So will the Canadians be ready to exact revenge on Sunday?
"Last game was very tough obviously and we're ready to bounce back," Canada's Nolan Foote told TSN. "They're fast. They're a big team, they play hard [but] we're fast as well, so we're gonna have to bring the same thing."