The Finns lost 4-1 to Canada in Edmonton on 31 December, 2020 (pictured here), but earned playoff wins over the Canadians en route to World Junior gold in 2014, 2016, and 2019.
photo: Andrea Cardin / HHOF-IIHF Images
Twenty or thirty years ago, it would have been hard to get anyone to entertain the idea that Finland might be Canada’s biggest hockey rival – at the World Juniors or on any other IIHF stage.
Even today, most fans worldwide would likely peg either the Americans or Russians as the go-to nemesis for the red Maple Leaf.
However, heading into Monday’s Canada-Finland showdown for first place in Group A, it’s worth pointing out that, as Bob Dylan sang, “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”
This’ll be a major test for the host nation on multiple fronts. For instance, coach Antti Pennanen’s boys lead this tournament with eight power play goals and have spent less time in the penalty box than any other team (14 PIM). With 19 goals in three games, they’re just two back of Canada. The Finns definitely respect Canada. But they don’t fear them like they used to.
“They have a great team, a lot of great players,” said Finland’s Joakim Kemell, whose seven points leave him one behind Aatu Raty for the team lead. “We have to play our best game tomorrow. Our mentality has to be better than theirs. And the physical part will also be important. We have to be the stronger team, and when we get a chance to score, we have to.”
Historically, prior to 2014, the Finns frequently gave Canada a run for its money in World Junior games. But Finland springboarding off Canada’s woes to actually win gold? When that happened, it was considered an aberration.
The first Finnish World Junior gold medal, under the old round-robin format, had an asterisk next to it, coming after both Canada and the Soviet Union were disqualified due to the infamous 1987 “Piestany Punchup.” Granted, the Finns – starring leading scorer Janne Ojanen and all-star goalie Markus Ketterer – were on track to win the title unless Canada defeated the Soviets by five or more goals, a long shot. But there was still that element of “yeah, well, we’ll never know.”
In 1998, forward Niklas Hagman hit his IIHF peak, scoring the winner in both host Finland’s opening 3-2 win over Canada and the sudden-death 2-1 victory over Russia in the final. However, the eighth-place Canadians that year were as inexplicably bad as their seventh-place Olympic counterparts would be in Turin in 2006. And Canadians tend to chuck such results down the proverbial memory hole.
Even today, most fans worldwide would likely peg either the Americans or Russians as the go-to nemesis for the red Maple Leaf.
However, heading into Monday’s Canada-Finland showdown for first place in Group A, it’s worth pointing out that, as Bob Dylan sang, “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”
This’ll be a major test for the host nation on multiple fronts. For instance, coach Antti Pennanen’s boys lead this tournament with eight power play goals and have spent less time in the penalty box than any other team (14 PIM). With 19 goals in three games, they’re just two back of Canada. The Finns definitely respect Canada. But they don’t fear them like they used to.
“They have a great team, a lot of great players,” said Finland’s Joakim Kemell, whose seven points leave him one behind Aatu Raty for the team lead. “We have to play our best game tomorrow. Our mentality has to be better than theirs. And the physical part will also be important. We have to be the stronger team, and when we get a chance to score, we have to.”
Historically, prior to 2014, the Finns frequently gave Canada a run for its money in World Junior games. But Finland springboarding off Canada’s woes to actually win gold? When that happened, it was considered an aberration.
The first Finnish World Junior gold medal, under the old round-robin format, had an asterisk next to it, coming after both Canada and the Soviet Union were disqualified due to the infamous 1987 “Piestany Punchup.” Granted, the Finns – starring leading scorer Janne Ojanen and all-star goalie Markus Ketterer – were on track to win the title unless Canada defeated the Soviets by five or more goals, a long shot. But there was still that element of “yeah, well, we’ll never know.”
In 1998, forward Niklas Hagman hit his IIHF peak, scoring the winner in both host Finland’s opening 3-2 win over Canada and the sudden-death 2-1 victory over Russia in the final. However, the eighth-place Canadians that year were as inexplicably bad as their seventh-place Olympic counterparts would be in Turin in 2006. And Canadians tend to chuck such results down the proverbial memory hole.
Preview Canada vs. Finland - 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship
CAN vs. FIN
However, Finland’s 2014 World Junior gold medal – keyed by tournament scoring leader Teuvo Teravainen, all-star netminder Juuse Saros, and golden goal-getter Rasmus Ristolainen – is where the sea change came.
In Malmo, the Finns didn’t just squeak out a semi-final win over Canada. They exploded for three goals on 12 second-period shots in a 5-1 rout of a Brent Sutter-coached squad with Connor McDavid, Bo Horvat, Sam Reinhart, Josh Anderson, and Aaron Ekblad. That paved the way for Suomi to shock host Sweden 3-2 in overtime in the final.
But it goes further. From 2014 onward, the Finns have actually ended Canada’s World Junior dreams more frequently than the Americans have.
In 2016, Patrik Laine’s 5-on-3 power-play blast lifted Finland to a 6-5 quarter-final win over Canada. Coach Dave Lowry’s squad became the first Canadian entry not to play for a medal since 1998. Meanwhile, Kasperi Kapanen’s 4-3 golden goal against Russia sparked a wild celebration in Helsinki.
In 2019, the Finns again ruined Canada’s party in Vancouver with defenceman Toni Utunen’s dramatic 2-1 quarter-final winner in overtime. And of course, Kaapo Kakko scored with just 1:26 left in the gold medal game as Finland prevailed 3-2 over a U.S. team starring both Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes.
Since 2014, the Americans have beaten Canada in two finals: the thrilling 5-4 affair in Montreal in 2017 decided by Troy Terry’s shootout and the 2-0 win in Edmonton in 2021 on Spencer Knight’s 34-save shutout. Those were both spectacular successes for USA Hockey – but it’s still only equals two Canadian dreams dashed to Finland’s three.
Especially as the game skews younger at the senior level, you also must factor in Finland’s success at the Olympic and IIHF World Championship levels.
As of 2022, the Finns are the reigning Olympic and world champions. Canada has clashed with Finland – not America or Russia – in three consecutive World Championship finals.
The Finns won 3-1 in 2019, lost 3-2 in overtime in 2021, and won 4-3 in overtime in 2022. That’s a pretty elite rivalry brewing right there. That has a ripple effect through the entire IIHF program of events.
Canadian fans will note that their Olympic team didn’t have Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, or Sidney Crosby in Beijing. Well, Finland didn’t have Mikko Rantanen, Aleksander Barkov, or Sebastian Aho. And we all know which nation has more depth.
The fact is that right now, the Finns get more mileage out of hard-working, middle-of-the-road talent than any other country on earth. Their team game is unmatched.
At these 2022 World Juniors, Canadian captain Mason McTavish has the early inside track on MVP honours with his tournament-leading six goals and 10 points. Connor Bedard’s flash and drive have done nothing to dim the notion that he’ll go #1 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
With due respect to Finnish captain Roni Hirvonen, Aatu Raty, Brad Lambert, and Kemell, both those Canadian aces project to have bigger NHL careers than any Finn in Edmonton.
And with Canada sitting at an impressive 21-4 goal difference, it’s not impossible that Monday’s showdown could play out like the 2020 semi-final in Ostrava, where Canada victimized goalie Justus Annunen for three early goals in under four minutes in a 5-0 win. Or the dominant 4-1 Canadian win on New Year’s Eve, sparked by two Dylan Cozens goals, at the next World Juniors in Edmonton.
Yet with all that said, nobody who’s paid attention to international hockey since 2014 should be shocked if the Finns prevail on Monday.
Of course, the cross-border rivalry with the Americans always looms large in Canadian minds.
And even though the Russians aren’t here now, 2022 Canadian coach Dave Cameron – along with millions of red Maple Leaf fans – will never forget dramatic moments like Russia’s five-goal third-period rally to stun Canada 5-3 in the 2011 World Junior final in Buffalo. Cameron was behind the bench for that game. But Russia hasn't ended a Canadian quest for gold since its nearly-as-wild 6-5 semi-final win at the 2012 World Juniors in Calgary.
Thus far, Finland hasn’t iced a World Junior squad laden with heirs apparent to Esa Tikkanen or Jarkko Ruutu who could spark a Canada rivalry based on genuine hatred. Canada-Finland games are generally hard-fought but clean.
Still, objectively, Finland is just another big playoff win or two over Canada away from cementing itself as the top current World Junior rival for the country that invented hockey.
In Malmo, the Finns didn’t just squeak out a semi-final win over Canada. They exploded for three goals on 12 second-period shots in a 5-1 rout of a Brent Sutter-coached squad with Connor McDavid, Bo Horvat, Sam Reinhart, Josh Anderson, and Aaron Ekblad. That paved the way for Suomi to shock host Sweden 3-2 in overtime in the final.
But it goes further. From 2014 onward, the Finns have actually ended Canada’s World Junior dreams more frequently than the Americans have.
In 2016, Patrik Laine’s 5-on-3 power-play blast lifted Finland to a 6-5 quarter-final win over Canada. Coach Dave Lowry’s squad became the first Canadian entry not to play for a medal since 1998. Meanwhile, Kasperi Kapanen’s 4-3 golden goal against Russia sparked a wild celebration in Helsinki.
In 2019, the Finns again ruined Canada’s party in Vancouver with defenceman Toni Utunen’s dramatic 2-1 quarter-final winner in overtime. And of course, Kaapo Kakko scored with just 1:26 left in the gold medal game as Finland prevailed 3-2 over a U.S. team starring both Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes.
Since 2014, the Americans have beaten Canada in two finals: the thrilling 5-4 affair in Montreal in 2017 decided by Troy Terry’s shootout and the 2-0 win in Edmonton in 2021 on Spencer Knight’s 34-save shutout. Those were both spectacular successes for USA Hockey – but it’s still only equals two Canadian dreams dashed to Finland’s three.
Especially as the game skews younger at the senior level, you also must factor in Finland’s success at the Olympic and IIHF World Championship levels.
As of 2022, the Finns are the reigning Olympic and world champions. Canada has clashed with Finland – not America or Russia – in three consecutive World Championship finals.
The Finns won 3-1 in 2019, lost 3-2 in overtime in 2021, and won 4-3 in overtime in 2022. That’s a pretty elite rivalry brewing right there. That has a ripple effect through the entire IIHF program of events.
Canadian fans will note that their Olympic team didn’t have Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, or Sidney Crosby in Beijing. Well, Finland didn’t have Mikko Rantanen, Aleksander Barkov, or Sebastian Aho. And we all know which nation has more depth.
The fact is that right now, the Finns get more mileage out of hard-working, middle-of-the-road talent than any other country on earth. Their team game is unmatched.
At these 2022 World Juniors, Canadian captain Mason McTavish has the early inside track on MVP honours with his tournament-leading six goals and 10 points. Connor Bedard’s flash and drive have done nothing to dim the notion that he’ll go #1 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
With due respect to Finnish captain Roni Hirvonen, Aatu Raty, Brad Lambert, and Kemell, both those Canadian aces project to have bigger NHL careers than any Finn in Edmonton.
And with Canada sitting at an impressive 21-4 goal difference, it’s not impossible that Monday’s showdown could play out like the 2020 semi-final in Ostrava, where Canada victimized goalie Justus Annunen for three early goals in under four minutes in a 5-0 win. Or the dominant 4-1 Canadian win on New Year’s Eve, sparked by two Dylan Cozens goals, at the next World Juniors in Edmonton.
Yet with all that said, nobody who’s paid attention to international hockey since 2014 should be shocked if the Finns prevail on Monday.
Of course, the cross-border rivalry with the Americans always looms large in Canadian minds.
And even though the Russians aren’t here now, 2022 Canadian coach Dave Cameron – along with millions of red Maple Leaf fans – will never forget dramatic moments like Russia’s five-goal third-period rally to stun Canada 5-3 in the 2011 World Junior final in Buffalo. Cameron was behind the bench for that game. But Russia hasn't ended a Canadian quest for gold since its nearly-as-wild 6-5 semi-final win at the 2012 World Juniors in Calgary.
Thus far, Finland hasn’t iced a World Junior squad laden with heirs apparent to Esa Tikkanen or Jarkko Ruutu who could spark a Canada rivalry based on genuine hatred. Canada-Finland games are generally hard-fought but clean.
Still, objectively, Finland is just another big playoff win or two over Canada away from cementing itself as the top current World Junior rival for the country that invented hockey.