Team Canada game for extra game; world junior championship no longer has bye to semifinal

When Team USA clinched the world junior championship gold medal on Jan. 5, it marked three times in four years that the victor had prevailed without benefit of the bye to semifinal.

The International Ice Hockey Federation, cluing in that two additional quarter-finals are better value for ticket package holders than relegation round games, has expanded the medal round from six to eight games. That means the group winners will face a Jan. 2 quarter-final. That might not be the worst thing, since the perceived advantage has proven to be anything but.

Having two days between the round-robin and medal round didn't help Canada in either of the past two years, when it lost semifinals to Russia and the United States. Along with Team USA in 2010 and '13, Russia also won in 2011 after coming through the quarter-final.

"Coach (Don) Lucia said it best last year, when we didn't get the bye he said now we control our own destiny," recalls Team USA goalie Jon Gillies, one of the Americans' three holdovers from the 2013 U20. "He was happy we didn’t get the bye and were put into the quarter-finals because it kept us on our toes. The energy level of teams is not a problem in that tournament because if you ever feel tired, you look down and see the 'USA' across your chest and it comes right back up."

At that point, the U.S. had split its first four games and was struggling to convert its chances offensively.

"The win in the quarter-final gave us our offensive outbreak, we were really able to come in at high gear for Canada," adds Gillies, whose team routed Canada 5-1 in the semifinal before downing Sweden 3-1 in the gold-medal game.

Perhaps one had to be there, but there was a different vibe around Team Canada following its two-day respite in the middle of the 2012 world junior in Alberta. Canada won its four group games in Edmonton to earn the bye. Then it had to shift operations to Calgary for the medal round and there was a sense it was starting over. It spotted Russia a five-goal lead in the semi before coming within a pinged post of forcing overtime in the 6-5 loss.

'We’re at 100 per cent once the puck is dropped'

Given the off-ice support the better-funded national junior teams enjoy, two days off might not be necessary. Adrenalin can carry players through what, in the eyes, amounts to a once, maybe a twice in a lifetime experience.

"The staff and the way we’re taken care of, the way the players take care of themselves, we’re at 100 per cent once the puck is dropped," says Team Canada goalie Zach Fucale. "Especially in a tournament like this where there’s that much motivation, you’re always at 100 per cent. In the end, there’s no turning back and you’re at your 100 per cent – even if you’re not."

Team Canada players have experienced both ends of the downtime conundrum with their junior teams. In the OHL playoffs last season, defenceman Aaron Ekblad and the Barrie Colts played back-to-back seven-game series in the Eastern Conference final and the league championship. Fatigue might have been a factor, but players need to feel comfortable with their timing is also important.

"It’s good to right back into it because you’re not thinking too much about it," says Ekblad, who's now the Colts' 17-year-old captain. "Sometimes with downtime you’re not getting the best practice habits. It’s really not fun. You want to be playing. It’s just better."

Forward Bo Horvat also knows how a team can fall out of the optimal zone if it sits for longer than necessary during a tournament. In his rookie season, the London Knights finished first in the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup round-robin in Shawinigan, Que., and earned four days off before the final. While London sat around, the host Shawinigan Cataractes won the tiebreaker and semifinal. Shawinigan, which had been off for 30 days before the tournament, then beat London 2-1 in overtime to win the Cup.

There's no direct comparison between the Memorial Cup and WJC. But there's enough anecdotes to suggest the extra day off didn't create any advantage for the group winners.

"Sometimes that time off might not be the greatest thing, when you’re not playing games and just practising," Horvat says. "When you’re just playing and go in fresh, it’ll probably be more of an advantage to the team.

"I know for myself I hate having two days off," the Vancouver Canucks first-round pick adds. "One day is enough for me. My legs feel better if I just take the one day off."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca.