World Cup of Hockey 2004 Champions Team Canada
 

Tue. Aug. 31
Canada 2 United States 1

Martin St. Louis had a goal and an assist as Canada opened the World Cup of Hockey with a fast-paced 2-1 victory over the United States on Tuesday night in which emotion ran high and goaltenders shone.
The game that saw Canada's 38-year-old captain Mario Lemieux go after American Steve Konowalchuk for running goaltender Martin Brodeur also had a player from each side leave with undisclosed injuries - defenceman Ed Jovanovski for Canada and U.S. veteran Mike Modano.Both were said to have lower body injuries and were to be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
Joe Sakic also scored for Canada, which controlled the game at both ends of the ice for the first 25 minutes before lifting its foot from the accelerator and letting the Americans back in the contest. ``I thought in the first period we came out hard, were physical and were quick,'' Jarome Iginla told CBC. ``Then they battled back, a combination of us not being as quick and them getting better.''
Bill Guerin scored for the U.S., which beat Canada 5-2 in the final of the inaugural World Cup in 1996 in the same building.``They came out hungrier then we were, way more intense,'' said U.S. coach Ron Wilson. ``Fortunately Robert Esche was on top of things ... we needed our goaltender to keep us in there.''
Canada plays its second game of the round robin portion of the eight-team tournament Wednesday night against Slovakia (CBC, 7. p.m. EDT), also at the Bell Centre. The Americans play Russia on Thursday night in St. Paul, Minn.
Canada led 2-1 at 16:03 of the second frame but the Americans were pouring on the pressure when Konowalchuk came in hard and bumped Brodeur in the crease.
Lemieux, never known for fighting and with a fragile back, charged in and grappled with Konowalchuk until linemate Iginla took over. Defenceman Scott Niedermayer ended up dropping the gloves with American centre Jeff Halpern.
There were big hits on both sides that led to chants and noise from the mostly red and white clad capacity Bell Centre crowd of 21,273, which included Prime Minister Paul Martin. Fans were at a fever pitch for much of the game.
Canada came out with a new look - replica jerseys, gold coloured with a red maple leaf, of those worn by the 1920 Winnipeg Falcons, the first Olympic hockey gold medallists. And by early in the second period, Canada had a 2-0 lead and was outshooting the Americans 24-6, although total shots ended up at 32-24.
For most of the first period, it looked like goaltender Robert Esche would emulate Mike Richter's 1996 heroics against Canada, but St. Louis finally beat him at 16:01 on a power play.Quick passes down low by Joe Thornton and Niedermayer fed St. Louis in the slot for a high shot just inside the post.
Canada was on another power play when Sakic's point shot hit Chris Drury's leg and bounced past the screened Esche 3:05 into the second frame. Looking comfortably in the lead, Canada let up and the Americans got back into the game on Guerin's goal at 10:40, when he had time to gain control of a pass from Scott Gomez and whip a quick high shot past Brodeur's glove side.
Brodeur was run again in the third period by Halpern, but cooler heads prevailed.<
Canada may have built a bigger lead but for Esche, who stoned Iginla and Vincent Lecavalier early on and then made a smart pad save on a tip by Iginla.
Brodeur was also sharp, robbing Keith Tkachuk alone at the side of the net early in the second period.

Wed. Sep. 1
Canada 5 Slovakia 1

Ryan Smyth scored twice as Canada cruised to a 5-1 victory over injury-weakened Slovakia on Wednesday for their second win in as many nights at the World Cup of Hockey.
Canada, which beat the United States 2-1 on Tuesday night, improved to 2-0 in the tournament and is now guaranteed a home game for the quarter-finals next Wednesday in Toronto. For a second straight game, Martin St. Louis had a goal and an assist while Joe Thornton and Simon Gagne also scored for Canada.
Martin Cibak scored in the third period for Slovakia, which played its first game ever in the World Cup. They missed the inaugural tournament in 1996. Canadian defenceman Wade Redden left the game early in the third period with an undisclosed injury - the team's second injury on defence in as many games.Canada learned before the game they have lost Ed Jovanovski for the remainder of the tournament with a cracked rib and a strained right knee ligament suffered against the U.S. A sellout crowd of 21,273 at the Bell Centre wasn't quite as noisy as they were with the rival Americans, but saw plenty of action in a wide-open game with scoring chances at both ends of the ice.
The Slovaks, already missing Zigmund Palffy, Michal Handzus, Peter Bondra and Ivan Majesky to injuries, got another setback on Wednesday when Montreal Canadiens right-winger Richard Zednik was taken to hospital and missed the match with food poisoning.
Slovakia made a surprise decision to start Rastislav Stana in goal instead of usual No. 1 Jan Lasak and saw him beaten twice in the first five minutes. Thornton stripped towering defenceman Zdeno Chara from behind in front of the Slovak net and scored 3:02 into the game.
Smyth skated out from behind the net and slid the puck past Stana at 4:43.
St. Louis, the NHL scoring leader last season, striped Radovan Somik from behind the neutral zone and fed a pass that Gagne tipped in 4:03 into the second frame.
A power play had just ended when Brad Richards fed St. Louis for a blast into an open side 58 seconds into the third period, but Cibak got it back at 4:53 when he banged in Lubos Bartecko's rebound after a turnover in the Canadian zone. Smyth streaked in to score on Vincent Lecavalier's rebound at 7:11. Lecavalier and defenceman Adam Foote each has two assists.

Sat. Sep. 4
Canada 3 Russia 1

Brad Richards and Kris Draper scored in the second period as Canada defeated Russia 3-1 Saturday night to finish undefeated in the opening round of the World Cup of Hockey.
Joe Sakic also scored for Canada, which finished the round robin portion of the tournament with a 3-0 record and will play host to a quarter-final match Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre.
Sergei Gonchar scored in the third period for Russia, which dropped to 1-1 and will settle its playoff position in the four-team North American pool when it takes on 0-2 Slovakia on Sunday night in Toronto.
The sellout crowd of 19,226 was not nearly as loud or lively as the chanting throngs at the Bell Centre in Montreal for Canada's first two wins over the United States and Slovakia.
But they saw the team's unblemished record improve to 7-0-1 in Toronto since 1972 in games in the World Cup, Canada Cup or Canada-Soviet series.
The Russians displayed some sharp skating and passing, but were often guilty of loose defensive play. Canada missed several glittering scoring chances.
Martin Brodeur's work included a huge sliding save on Alexander Frolov in alone late in the second period.
However, he had a clear view as Gonchar spoiled his shutout bid with a shot from the point that went in off his blocker at 12:46 of the third frame.
Russia made the surprise decision to start Maxim Sokolov in goal in place of Ilya Bryzgalov, who shone in a 3-1 win over the United States on Thursday.
Sokolov made a handful of smart saves in the first period, including one on a Mario Lemieux blast from the doorstep. The crowd gasped in fear of an injury to Canada's captain as Lemieux then fell and was hit in the face by Frolov's skate.
He writhed in pain on the ice but got up after a few minutes and skated to the bench, where he looked to be treated for a cut behind the right ear.
He didn't miss a shift and ended up getting his first point of the tournament when he sent a pass into the crease that Sakic shovelled home 5:43 into the third period.
A weak retaliation penalty taken by Vincent Lecavalier 3:03 into the second frame led to Canada's first two goals.
Simon Gagne chipped the puck past Alex Kovalev at the point and fed Richards on a 2-on-1 for a blast from the slot that caught the top corner at 3:40.
The penalty had just ended when Canada had another odd-man rush in which Lecavalier fed Shane Doan for a shot and Draper trailed in to shoot the rebound into an open net.
Before the game, a moment of silence was held for victims of the hostage-taking incident this week in Beslan, Russia.
Russia brought defencemen Andrei Markov and Dmitry Kalinin into the line-up and sat out Vitaly Vishnevski and Anton Volchenkov. They also sat out 18-year-old No. 1 overall draft pick Alexander Ovechkin.
Notes: Defenceman Wade Redden, who sprained his left shoulder against Slovakia on Wednesday, sat out and may miss Canada's quarter-final game on Wednesday and more. Coach Pat Quinn he only that he is ``not expecting (Redden) will be available for a while'' ... Canada considered dressing Kirk Maltby and Patrick Marleau, who have yet to see action, but opted to scratch them along with Jose Theodore, Brenden Morrow and the injured Ed Jovanovski.

Wed. Sep. 8
Canada 5 Slovakia 0

Jarome Iginla had two goals and an assist to lead Canada into the World Cup of Hockey semifinals with a 5-0 victory over Slovakia on Wednesday night.
Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic also scored for Canada, which will play the Czech Republic in Toronto on Saturday night in one semifinal game.
The United States plays Finland on Friday night in St. Paul, Minn. in the other semifinal game.
Canada has dominated the tournament, going 4-0 while outscoring its opponents 15-3.
Martin Brodeur, arguably the best goaltender in the world, was barely tested, finishing with 23 saves for his first shutout of the tournament.
Slovakia couldn't contain Canada's top line of Iginla, Sakic and captain Mario Lemieux, who were on the ice for three goals.
Lecavalier scored the first of four second-period goals on a power play at 2:28. Brad Richards skated around a defenseman before passing to a streaking Lecavalier, who didn't miss the open net.
Iginla scored just under 3 minutes later with a quick shot from the side of the net. Lemieux, who was in front of the net, was initially credited with the goal.
Smyth made it 3-0 at 11:29 after Slovakia defenseman Zdeno Chara turned the puck over at Canada's blue line. Three Canada players hustled down the ice before setting up Smyth, who scored his third goal of the tournament.
Just 19 seconds later, Iginla fed Sakic, whose wrist shot beat goalie Jan Lasak.
Slovakia called a 30-second timeout and replaced Lasak with Rastislav Stana.
Iginla, Canada's best player when it won the gold medal at the 2002 Olympics, made it 5-0 with a wrist shot at 7:49 of the third. Lemieux and Sakic assisted.
Slovakia went 0-4 and was outscored 18-4 in the tournament.

Sat. Sep. 11
Canada 4 Czech Republic 3 OT

Vincent Lecavalier scored in overtime to lead Canada past the Czech Republic and into the 2004 World Cup of Hockey final.
Vincent Lecavalier (right) celebrates his game-winning goal with teammate Martin St. Louis. (CP Photo/ Frank Gunn)
Lecavalier's goal at 3:45 of the extra period gave Canada a 4-3 triumph over the Czechs in Saturday's semifinal at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Canada advances to face Finland in the World Cup final Tuesday in Toronto (CBC, 7 p.m. ET). The Finns upset the defending-champion Americans 2-1 in the other semifinal.
Lecavalier, Saturday's hero, wasn't originally named to the Canadian World Cup squad. He stepped in as an injury replacement for his boyhood idol Steve Yzerman.
"Playing on this team with all these guys, it's just the greatest feeling," Lecavalier told CBC Sports moments after his game-winner.
Lecavalier missed his initial scoring-chance in overtime when he corralled a rebound in front of Czech netminder Tomas Vokoun. However, Lecavalier capitalized on his second chance, firing a bad-angled shot into the Czech goal.
"I thought I lost [the puck], but I took another shot at a wide angle," said Lecavalier. "I couldn't really see it, but it went in."
Eric Brewer, Mario Lemieux and Kris Draper also scored for Canada. Petr Cajanek, Martin Havlat and Patrik Elias replied for the Czechs.
Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo triumphed in his first start of the tournament. The Florida Panthers netminder was forced into action after regular starter Martin Brodeur hurt his left wrist in Canada's quarter-final triumph over Slovakia on Wednesday.
Luongo finished with 37 saves Saturday and made a handful of key stops in the closing moments of the third period and overtime.
"I wanted to try and stay focused," said Luongo. "I knew I was playing well in practice.
"I just tried to keep my team in the game as much as I [could]."
It's unclear if Brodeur will be available for Tuesday's final. The New Jersey Devils goalie told CBC's Scott Oake he hopes to be play but isn't sure if he'll be ready.
After a scoreless first period, Saturday's semifinal really opened up in the second period.
Brewer put Canada ahead at 11:15 of the second with his first goal of the tournament. The Canadian defenceman charged deep into the Czech zone and crashed the net before tucking a Draper pass through Vokoun's legs.
Just over a minute later, Czech defencmean Jiri Fischer dumped a streaking Lecavalier at the blue-line for the game's first penalty.
Canada capitalized on the opportunity, as Lemieux tallied his first World Cup marker following a mad scramble in front of the Czech net. Vokoun made two initial saves off Lecavalier and Brad Richards, but Lemieux fired the next rebound past Vokoun at 14:25.
The Czechs needed only 42 seconds to slash the Canadian lead in half. Cajanek scored on an awkward shot that appeared to be a pass attempt. The puck caromed off Luongo's right skate and into the back of the net.
A Lecavalier penalty in the third period led to the Czech equalizer.
Czech defencman Tomas Kaberle fired a point-shot that Luongo kicked aside, but Havlat pounced on the rebound and buried the puck into the Canadian goal at 7:21 of the third.
Draper gave Canada its first sign of life in the third when he beat Vokoun on a slap shot at 13:47 to give his country a 3-2 advantage. However, Elias replied just six seconds later to even the score and send the game to overtime.
Lecavalier then ended matters with his winner just 3:25 into the extra frame, giving Canada a victory in its most important game against the Czechs since a semifinal loss at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.

Tue. Sep. 14
Canada 3 Finland 2

Canada remains on top of the hockey world after defeating Finland 3-2 in the World Cup of Hockey final on Tuesday.
Shane Doan's goal only 34 seconds into the third period stood as the winner as Team Canada hoisted the newly-minted World Cup trophy before a capacity crowd of 19,370 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.
"I've had so many chances, it's nice to finally get one," Doan told CBC Sports.  "This was pretty special."
The win reaffirmed Canada's status as the preeminent hockey power, mirroring gold-medal performances at the Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games (2002) and the last two IIHF world championships (2002-03).
But with the collective bargaining agreement expiring Wednesday at midnight ET and a lockout looming, it might well have been the last meaningful game played by NHLers for the foreseeable future.
Joe Sakic and Scott Niedermayer also scored for Team Canada, which went unbeaten and never trailed in the tournament.
Joe Thornton had two assists and Vincent Lecavalier was voted the tournament's most valuable player.
"It was a total team effort and I'm so proud of the guys," Thornton said. "It was four great weeks of my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"This was an amazing group of players," added Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky.
As expected, Martin Brodeur started in goal despite a sore left wrist and turned aside 27 of 29 shots.
"I was 100 per cent, I didn't feel a thing out there," admitted Brodeur, who also backstopped Team Canada past Finland 2-1 in the quarter-finals en route to Olympic gold at Salt Lake.
Riku Hahl and Tuomo Ruutu tallied for Finland, while Toni Lydman added two assists.
Netminder Miikka Kiprusoff made 30 saves.
Teemu Selanne hinted afterward that it might have been his final game on North American soil, pending a prolonged work stoppage.
Selanne also revealed that he must undergo as yet unscheduled knee surgery.
Finland certainly lived up to its advanced billing as a tireless team blessed with grit, speed and cancer survivor Saku Koivu as its inspirational leader.
But the Canadians looked much smoother than they did in last Saturday's skittish semifinal versus the Czech Republic, won 4-3 in overtime.
Canada opened the scoring with its first shot just 52 seconds into the contest on a crafty play by Mario Lemieux.
Alertly flipping the puck over the stick of a pinching defenceman at centre ice, he skated into the Finnish zone and threaded a pass through heavy traffic to Sakic, who ripped a shot high to Kiprusoff's glove side for a 1-0 lead.
It was Sakic's fourth goal of the tournament.
Finland tested Brodeur moments later, but he blocked a rising shot then slid to his right to rob Niko Kapanen on the rebound.
The Finns continued to press until Hahl finally tipped Lydman's point shot past Brodeur as he cruised through the slot at the 6:24 mark.
It remained tied 1-1 until Niedermayer put Canada ahead just over three minutes into the second period.
Joining three forwards on the offensive rush, he received a pass from Kris Draper and snapped a low shot from the circle that squirted between Kiprusoff's pads.
Canada gradually assumed control from there, only to be stymied by Kiprusoff, whose biggest save of the period came on Jarome Iginla at the doorstep with four minutes left.
Ruutu then took matters into his own hands and scored the tying goal on a splendid solo rush with exactly a minute remaining.
Gathering steam at centre ice, he dashed by Brad Richards, eluded Simon Gagne's bodycheck, deked around Niedermayer and fired a quick shot by Brodeur to make it 2-2 through two.
Canada regained the lead 34 seconds into the third period as Thornton backhanded a pass from behind the net out front to Doan for the decisive goal.
"With all the young players, we have a great future here in Canada," Sakic concluded. "It's nice to win some tournaments.
"It's just awesome to be a part of this."

Canadian Team Roster:

Goaltenders
30 Martin Brodeur
1 Roberto Luongo
60 José Théodore

Defence
3 Jay Bouwmeester
2 Eric Brewer
52 Adam Foote
23 Scott Hannan
55 Ed Jovanovski
27 Scott Niedermayer
6 Wade Redden
28 Robyn Regehr

Forwards
9 Shane Doan
33 Kris Draper
21 Simon Gagné
15 Dany Heatley
12 Jarome Iginla
4 Vincent Lecavalier
66 Mario Lemieux
18 Kirk Maltby
22 Patrick Marleau
10 Brenden Morrow
39 Brad Richards
91 Joe Sakic
94 Ryan Smyth
26 Martin St. Louis
97 Joe Thornton