Scott Salmond and Peter Anholt watched Canada's hopes at the world junior hockey championship evaporate in an instant. Seated in the last row of an aging Scandinavium arena, the program's brain trust had cobbled together a roster without five players in the professional ranks, plus two more lost to injury and illness that forced last-minute additions.
The Canadians looked good for stretches of the under-20 tournament in Sweden, and completely disjointed in others. The second and third periods of Tuesday's quarterfinal against the Czech Republic was probably their best hockey.
Salmond and Anholt, like fans watching at home, were baffled by players' refusal to shoot the puck from prime positions. In the end, it cost them dearly.
Canada largely dominated the final 40 minutes, but were bounced from the tournament on a shot that deflected off the stick of two Canadian players before glancing in off the post with 11.7 seconds left in the third period.