Hockey Canada funding announcement took focus off women's game just when players deserved it most

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports.  For more information about  CBC's Opinion section , please see the  FAQ .

On Sunday night, the Canadian women's hockey team faced off against their most formidable rivals — Team USA — in the championship final of the womens' world hockey championship in Brampton, Ont.

Slated as the ones to beat and despite scoring first, the Canadians were ultimately defeated, 6-3. The gold-medal game did not go into overtime like their previous enthralling and exhausting match-up that ended in nine rounds, yes, nine rounds, of a shootout. Canada's Jamie Lee Rattray came away from that one as the heroine. That particular game was one of the most intense I have ever witnessed and what we have come to expect from what I consider the greatest rivalry in sports.

WATCH | How hate fuelled Canada's win at the 2002 Olympics:

But Sunday's showdown did not end in an exhilarating manner — not for Canada anyway. Unable to hold a lead, the Canadians said they were in "disbelief" at the loss.

USA captain Hilary Knight scored a hat trick and said that although beating Canada is tough and beating Canada in Canada is tougher, the victory felt sweeter because of it.

WATCH | Knight's hat trick leads U.S. past Canada for gold:

Looking at the recent accomplishments of the Canadian team and taking into consideration that the U.S. hasn't won a major tournament since 2019, it was expected that Canada would win. Thousands of fans cheered for the team and dozens of little girls made posters with the names of the players on them. Certainly, this was a perfect setting for winning another world title.

But somehow, the mood at the game seemed a bit off. Just two hours