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Here we are again. Another year, another thrilling hockey tournament and another round of asking ourselves: what happened to Team Canada? They say things get easier the more you do them. Practice makes perfect, but team Canada didn't practice, and we lost to Czechia again in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Team USA went on to win their first ever back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championship. It wasn't easier to accept this year; it was actually harder. Let’s take a moment to reflect on how we got here and just how many fans watched it all unfold.
A strong start in Ottawa
With the tournament taking place in our nation's capital, we knew Ottawa and fellow Canadians would be coming out in full force to support the team. Fans were rewarded early when Canada kicked off the tournament with a convincing win over the eventual silver medal winners Finland. The game reached over 4.2 million (+62% year on year) Canadians with just over 2 million* average per minute - a great start to the tournament.
Trouble against Latvia
Next, we faced Latvia. Historically this usually isn't a competitive matchup as Canada has outscored Latvia 41-4 over their previous encounters. This year was different. Canada took too many unnecessary penalties and couldn't find their momentum against a tight defensive team and a hot goalie.
The game was close throughout, with over 4.8 million Canadians tuning in. We took the lead in the final minutes only to get another penalty, allowing Latvia to tie it up. In overtime, Canada received its first tournament loss, a sign that things weren’t going as well as we would have hoped.
Rebounding against Germany
Following the loss to Latvia we faced-off against Germany. The team rebounded with a win to get back on track. However, the audience didn't follow suit. The game reached 23% fewer viewers than the previous one and the average minute audience dropped from 2 million to 1.7 million.
The pressure was mounting as Canada prepared to face the United States on New Year’s Eve.
A New Year's Eve to forget
With a win, they would secure the top spot in their division. A loss would put them against a much tougher opponent in the quarter-finals. The game was simulcast on both CTV and TSN reaching just over 6.1 million Canadians overall.
The stakes were high. We all wanted to end 2024 on a high note but a 4-1 loss meant we'd be stumbling into 2025 like a bad hangover.
Quarterfinal heartbreak
The quarterfinals brought with it a chance for redemption, an opportunity to silence the critics. A win against Czechia would mean retribution for last year's loss and a chance to compete for a medal on home soil.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. With over 4.8 million Canadians tuning in and a sold-out crowd at the Ottawa game, Canada lost to Czechia in the quarterfinals. The loss was devastating, marking another year without a medal.
Shifting allegiances
This meant I was going to have to start cheering for my second team, the Swedes but this was also a short-lived endeavour. They lost to Finland in the semis and went on to face Czechia for the bronze who had lost to the USA.
The Bronze medal game was fantastic hockey with both teams battling through regulation, overtime and a record-setting 14-round shootout to determine the winner. In the end, Czechia took the bronze medal after a great tournament for their team. The bronze medal game reached 1.5 million Canadians.
USA's historic triumph
The 2025 tournament concluded with over 2.6 million Canadians tuning in to the gold medal game (over a million more than the USA vs. Sweden final last year).
USA and Finland both played great games. A tremendous effort from both sides pushed the game to overtime where USA emerged victorious. USA won gold for the second straight year and will look to continue their trend next year when the tournament goes to Minnesota.
*Numeris overnight data, Total Canada, Ind2+
**photo credit iihf.com