It was important for Canada to avenge the Czech Republic for two consecutive defeats at the quarterfinal stage of the World Youth Championship. The Maple Leaves behaved rudely at the tournament and provoked their opponents, which even caused a scandal.

But the players of the Czech team managed to punish the Canadians for their behavior!

Canada Motivation

Last year, the Canadians suffered a painful defeat from the Czech Republic (3:4) in the quarterfinals of the home MFM. For the Maple Leafs, this was a serious blow to their pride, because they were considered the favorites of the tournament and claimed gold. Despite their status as opponents, the European team then advanced and eventually won bronze. And in 2024, the Czech Republic also beat Canada at the quarterfinal stage.

At the 2026 World Youth Championships, which runs from December 26 to January 5 in Minneapolis (USA), the paths of the teams crossed again. This time the match took place in the group stage. The Canadians were extremely motivated to rehabilitate themselves for both defeats, which even resulted in a scandal.

Tomas Galvas and Jack Ivankovic / Photo: © Nick Wosika / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The North American players openly provoked their opponents and behaved quite brazenly: for example, during the warm-up before the match they deliberately crossed the red line and crashed into the players of the Czech national team. And Maple Leafs captain Marton Porter patted forward Adam Novotny on the buttocks with his leggings after scoring into an empty goal. Canada ended up winning 7:5. But Dale Hunter’s players did not calm down and after the match refused to shake hands with their opponents. True, then I had to apologize for my behavior.

“I have to apologize for my actions at the end of the game.” This is unacceptable and it shouldn’t be this way. As the captain of this team, as the leader of this team, I set a bad example for the rest of the guys. It’s my fault and I shouldn’t do this. This is a lesson for the future. “I take full responsibility for my actions,” Porter said.

A funny goal decided everything

It was clear that the next match between the rivals promised to be fiery, but for this their paths had to cross again, which is what happened. In Group B, the Canadians took first place, and the Czech Republic, for which the defeat from the North American team was the only one in the tournament, took second place. In the quarterfinals, the Maple Leaves destroyed the Slovakian national team – 7:1. Czech hockey players also confidently defeated Switzerland (6:2).

But still, Hunter’s team looked like favorites before the meeting in the semifinals. And Canada was motivated to finally take revenge for two consecutive defeats in the MFM playoffs.

The charged Canadians opened the scoring: Tij Iginla tapped in a cross in the 16th minute. However, it was not possible to maintain the minimal advantage for at least two minutes. Soon, goalkeeper Jack Ivankovic parried Tomas Galvas’ shot in front of him, and Maxmilian Curran made a successful finishing move to make it 1:1.

The second period turned out to be more eventful. First, in the 23rd minute, the Czech Republic took the lead for the first time in the match through Adam Tittlebach. The Canadians responded with a power play goal from Zane Parekh, but the Europeans still took the game period. 43 seconds before the siren, Adam Benac scored in an evenly matched game – 3:2.

Hockey players of the Czech youth team / Photo: © Nick Wosika / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

After the second break, the hockey celebration continued, and by the 58th minute the score became 4:4. It seemed that it would go to overtime, but the Czech Republic managed to turn the tide of the meeting. At the same time, the “maple leaves” missed a rather offensive goal: after a cross to the far post, the puck hit the skate of Canadian striker Michael Misa and ricocheted off him into the goal. Canada’s coaching staff soon replaced the goalkeeper with a sixth field player, but the final assault failed: Vojtech Ciarz scored into an empty net and set the final score – 6:4.

Czech Republic in the final! Sweden will also play in the match for gold, beating the Finns in overtime (4:3). For the first time since 2016, only European teams will meet at this stage. And for only the second time in history, Canada failed to reach the MFM final three times in a row! The Czech hockey players managed to punish their opponent for boorish behavior, although even at the end of the match the “maple leaves” did not calm down. Thus, the leader of the national team and future first draft pick Gavin McKenna was sent off for insulting the referee.

Now Canada will have to be content with only the bronze medal match.