Music: {allcanada} Canadian juniors lacked edge in final: Cherry

Saturday, January 8, 2011

{allcanada} Canadian juniors lacked edge in final: Cherry

Fatigue is the reason for Canada's third-period collapse in Wednesday's gold-medal game at the world junior hockey championship, says Steve Yzerman and Don Cherry.

The Canadians appeared headed for a 16th world junior gold until Russia erased a 3-0 deficit in less than eight minutes en route to a 5-3 victory at HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

"The worst thing they could have done was get a 3-0 lead," barked Cherry during his Coach's Corner segment on Saturday's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. "If they get that fourth goal it's over and they're going to be sweethearts.

"And I feel sorry for [Canadian goalie Mark] Visentin. Maybe the second goal he had a chance on, but think about it. He stood there for two periods [with little work] and all of a sudden the avalanche [of Russian shots]."

Cherry said he knew Canada was in trouble in the first minute of the championship contest when he didn't see the pumped-up play the team showed in its 4-1 semifinal win over the host United States.

In that game, the Canadians didn't give their opponent any room to skate and finished their checks.

"Everything went right for them because they hit, hit, hit," said Cherry of the U.S. matchup.

Yzerman, who represented his country on numerous occasions and played 1,514 NHL regular-season games over 22 years, understands "anything can happen" in a one-game final.

Russians got stronger

The rookie general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning said he could tell by the length of the Canadian players' shifts and the way they skated to the bench they were tiring in the third period Wednesday, while the Russians got stronger.

"It was surprising how quickly [the momentum] turned with one goal in the third," said Yzerman, adding the Russians were arguing with each other as they walked to the dressing room after two periods.

"[Canada] had played a lot of hockey — and they had played extremely well — and very emotional hockey. I don't know if anything can be done [in that situation]. … Unfortunately, Canada didn't have their legs in the third period.

A three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings, Yzerman said defeats like Wednesday will bring the Canadian players back to earth a little and challenge them to be better.

"I'm proud of our guys," Cherry added. "We acted right. I'm sorry to say the Russian kids didn't."

On Thursday morning, members of the Russian team were escorted off of a Delta Air Lines plane because their disruptive behaviour was classified as a safety threat.

Players were forced to leave the plane, retrieve their luggage and depart the terminal. The team flew out of Buffalo, N.Y., the following day.

"They got drunk, carried off the bus, got thrown off the plane … I can't stand people who can't stand liquor," said Cherry.

"We're the best and we'll always be the best. We lost but we lost with honour."