What began as the worst start on the global stage in the history of Canadian men’s hockey has become a comeback story that isn’t quite finished at the 2021 IIHF World Championship in Riga, Latvia.
After getting shut out in their tournament opener to Latvia and starting 0-3, the Canadians won their next three. Despite losing in their final preliminary game to Finland in an overtime shootout, the loss tied them in points with Kazakhstan at 10 in the standings. Canada won the teams’ head-to-head last Friday, giving them the edge in the tie-breaker, and putting them in the playoffs.