Marchand Gets Late Goal to Give Canada World Cup Championship

They looked beat for most of the game, but two late goals by Canada gave the home nation the 2016 World Cup of Hockey championship after two wins in two final round games.

It didn't take long for Canada to fall behind on the score sheet for just the third time in the tournament. At 6:26 in the first period, Zdeno Chara took the puck from Andrej Sekera and wired it top corner, sending a quick one past Carey Price's glove hand and in for the 1-0 goal.

With about seven minutes to go in the second, Europe came very close to scoring another goal. This time, Marian Hossa beat out a tired Brent Burns before getting stopped by Price, only to have Burns take a penalty for hooking. Still, it was the first time Canada completed the tournament trailing, with Europe dominating both shots and scoring chances in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Canada was faced with one of their most disappointing moments of the entire tournament early in the second. With a wide open net, John Tavares somehow missed the empty cage and hit the right post, with the puck landing under Roman Josi's stomach. It was a tough sequence for Canada, who had been pouring on some extra pressure in an attempt to tie the game back up.

Canada's effort at getting back in the game was getting tougher and slimmer by the minute. Canada was desperate to find the back of the net, but Jaroslav Halak was up his tip-top level in Europe's crease, making 31 saves in a very strong effort. But while it looked safe, it proved to not be enough to win the game. With 2:53 left in the game, Patrice Bergeron tipped the puck in on a shot by Brent Burns on the power play, tying the game up at one.

Then, with under two minutes to go, it looked like Canada's chances of winning the game were about to disappear with a late penalty. That wasn't the case. With under a minute left, Brad Marchand took a pass from Jonathan Toews and fired it blocker side on Halak, giving Canada the lead and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey championship.

Canada has proven themselves on top of the hockey world in recent years, with championships at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, as well as at the two most recent World Championships. Canada also won the most recent edition of the World Cup of Hockey, beating Finland in the finals to win the 2004 event.

Follow me on Twitter, @StevenEllisNHL.

 

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