Canada's brain trust reflects on world junior exit: 'It's always a little empty'

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.

The stunning 3-2 result was a bitter pill for a hockey powerhouse that had won two straight gold medals and, despite the significant absence, still viewed itself as a contender.

"It's always a little empty," Anholt said of the feeling Wednesday. "A little sick to your stomach."

Canada's loss to Sweden in the preliminary round meant the country finished second in Group A to set up a tougher quarterfinal matchup.

Against both the Swedes and Czechs, Salmond saw a group unable or unwilling to direct pucks on the net. By his count, the team passed up 30 opportunities to shoot Tuesday.

"Those are hallmarks of Canadian teams that find ways to win," he said. "This time we weren't able to."

Anholt said getting to the blue paint to make the opposition goaltender's life difficult with