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Canada squeezes out victory over Europe in snoozefest Game 1 of World Cup of Hockey final

TORONTO — Outside the Air Canada Centre, Maple Leaf Square looked almost vacant except for a few stragglers peering up at the game on the big screen.

Inside, there were large chunks of empty seats, mostly in the higher-priced sections.

At times on this night, the ACC appeared to be a place where atmosphere went to die.

And, at times, Team Canada appeared to be as lifeless as the crowd watching it.

As much as Team Europe deserved to be here, the Anze Kopitars, Marian Hossas and Zdeno Charas of the world simply couldn’t get the fans — or Team Canada, for that matter — as emotional as they probably should have been for a World Cup of Hockey final.