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All signs point to another Canada-Russia classic in world junior hockey championship finale

All signs point to another Canada-Russia classic in world junior hockey championship finale

It has all the makings of another classic game in the long, rich hockey history between Canada and Russia. The grand daddy of them all, the 1972 Summit Series, happened more than two decades before the players skating in the final of the 2015 world junior championship were even born.

For this group of teenagers, it might as well be ancient history. Their touchstones are far more recent. Talk to the Canadians and they will regale you with tales of Jordan Eberle in 2009. How they cheered when he scored the game-tying goal with 5.4 seconds on the clock in Ottawa to force an eventual shootout victory over Russia.

“You have to look back to Jordan Eberle and his heroics in the semifinal,” said Canada’s captain Curtis Lazar. “Every time these teams meet – there’s also that epic comeback by the Russians – so it goes both ways and that’s what happens when you have two powerhouses going at it.”

That epic comeback, the Russians will remind you, was in 2011 when Artemi Panarin scored twice to rally them from a three-goal deficit in the third period to steal gold in Buffalo.

“Everybody was watching that,” said Russian forward Ivan Barbashev of Russia’s last golden moment.

“Everyone.”

Come Monday night there will be a new story and a new hero to add to the lengthy canon.

Canada forwarde Nic Petan (19) scores his second goal of the game past Slovakia goalie Denis Godla during second period semifinal hockey action at the IIHF World Junior Championships in Toronto on Sunday, January 4, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Canada forwarde Nic Petan (19) scores his second goal of the game past Slovakia goalie Denis Godla during second period semifinal hockey action at the IIHF World Junior Championships in Toronto on Sunday, January 4, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Canada has rolled through the tournament without any semblance of scare from the opposition. They’ve run through their rivals with ease, outscoring them 34-5 over the course of six games. In Sunday’s semifinal they thumped Slovakia 5-1, though the score could have been much worse if not for the stunning play of goaltender Denis Godla. So good was his performance that he earned an ovation from the pro-Canadian crowd at the Air Canada Centre.

The victory means an end to Canada’s two-year medal drought as they’re now guaranteed at least silver. Making the final is even more special to the returning players from last year’s team that was beaten by Russia for the bronze in Malmo, Sweden.

“A Canada-anyone final appeals to me at this point,” said returning forward Sam Reinhart. “But yeah, that definitely adds to it, it’s exciting obviously with a big history there between Canada and Russia so it’s pretty exciting.”

The Russians haven’t had it quite so easy in the 2015 tournament, thanks mainly to their own inconsistent play. They struggled early in the tournament against Denmark and the Czech Republic, but then came back with two impressive wins over the U.S. and Sweden in the quarter and semifinals. Which Russian team shows up in the final remains to be seen.

“They’re a great team,” said Canadian forward Nic Petan, the Winnipeg Jets prospect whose 11 points leads all players in the tournament. “We’ve got to come out and not be too fancy and play our own game and we’ll be fine. “

BUFFALO, NY - JANUARY 05: Yevgeni Kuznetsov #25 and Russian head coach Valeri Bragin embrace after defeting Canada 5-3 during the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship Gold medal game between Canada and Russia at the HSBC Arena on January 5, 2011 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - JANUARY 05: Yevgeni Kuznetsov #25 and Russian head coach Valeri Bragin embrace after defeting Canada 5-3 during the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship Gold medal game between Canada and Russia at the HSBC Arena on January 5, 2011 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

Back behind the bench for Russia is the mastermind of their 2011 victory, head coach Valeri Bragin. Something of a mercurial mad genius, Bragin knows how to motivate his players like no one else. During their game against the U.S., he stood atop the boards in front of the team bench so he could look his players in the eye while giving instructions.

“We have the same coach (as 2011) and he’s a great coach,” said Barbashev. “He’s always giving us a lot of energy. It’s really good to be a player on his team.”

For most of the tournament, Bragin has avoided doing interviews with anyone other than the Russian media. On Sunday, after his team’s 4-1 win over Sweden, he was obligated to meet the press and conducted a Q and A session through an interpreter. It was a media conference that would make Bill Belichick proud.

So, what does he think about Canada?

“They’re very strong,” said Bragin. “No weak positions, no weak points.”

A question about the rivalry prompted his most lengthy answer.

“The best thing for this hockey community, for business, is a Russia-Canada hockey classic,” he said.

A classic his players have apparently been eagerly anticipating.

“It’s a dream final for me,” said Barbashev, who plays for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. “I was looking forward to playing against Canada somewhere (in the tournament), so it’s just unbelievable.”

Unbelievable for the Canadians, too, since they’ll be playing for gold in front of a packed Air Canada Centre full of raucous fans that have been waiting for gold since that Pat Quinn-coached team in 2009.

“So close yet so far away,” said Lazar, of the final. “Sixty minutes is going to decide everything. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we wouldn’t want to have it any other way playing in front of these fans.”

If the history between these two rivals has taught us anything, it’s to expect heartbreak and heroics – and a good game – one everyone will be watching.