For some, Canada’s semifinal loss on April 13 at the 2019 World Women’s Hockey Championship was shocking. But that kind of reaction would show the same complacency that Hockey Canada has shown in recent years. The fact is this has been the direction the women’s program has been trending in for about a decade.
Let me begin by saying that Finland has emerged as a women’s hockey contender. It wasn’t just their win against Canada, it was also their win shootout loss in the Gold Medal Game against the United States. They proved they belong.
I have written twice (in 2016 and 2017) about how Hockey Canada’s complacency and mismanagement was clear, but they were able to deflect such criticisms by pointing at their Olympic wins.