HELSINKI - Well, this is new.
For as long as the World Junior Championship has been must-watch TV — a holiday tradition with games on Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve — Canada has dominated the tournament like no other.
Simply put, it wins. From 2002 to 2011, Team Canada played in 10 straight finals and won five straight gold medals. Last year, Canada crushed its competition, going undefeated without trailing in the tournament.
Time and again, the Canadians have been the favourites. And now, they are the underdogs.
After a 5-2 loss to Sweden on Thursday night at the Helsinki Ice Hall, Canada finished the preliminary round with a far-below-expectations (2-2-0) record — needing a shootout to win one of its games — to finish third in Group A on five points.