Canada vs Europe: Major Storylines

If you asked anyone before the World Cup how Europe would finish, most people would point towards seventh or eighth. They likely weren't going to stand a chance against USA or Canada, but they might have been able to sneak a victory in against the Czech Republic.

After finishing second in Group A, Europe now finds themselves facing Team Canada in a best-of-three final to end the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto, Ontario. Most people didn’t see them playing by the last week of the tournament, but for the first time ever in a major international tournament, we’ll see a continent playing in an international hockey final.

For Canada, they have a chance to remain as the only perfect team in the World Cup. But despite their dominance in the tournament, that may not be easy. Europe has no prior history before this tournament, so they have the ability to surprise. It may be the last time many of the players get a chance to compete in something so big, which could result in some extra fire in Europe’s step.

But what are some of the biggest storylines heading into the three-game series?

Jaroslav Halak vs Carey Price: No matter what the stakes are, Habs fans will always have expanded interest when it comes to a goalie battle between Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price. In 2006-2007, Price came from the WHL to take over the starting role for the Hamilton Bulldogs in their championship-winning playoff run, overlapping Halak and Yann Danis at the time. In 2009-2010, the two goaltenders shared the net in Montreal all season before Halak completely stole the show during the playoffs, leaving a sour taste in the mouth for fans when it came to Price. To the shock of most fans, Halak was traded that off-season to the St. Louis Blues, a trade that most felt was a terrible decision at the time.

Skip to 2016, where Price has a Vezina and Hart Trophy to his name and is often considered to be the greatest goalie in the world. Halak's no slouch either, performing very well with the St. Louis Blues before really shining with the New York Islanders. The duo has combined for 80% of Montreal’s regular-season wins over the past eight NHL campaigns, and while they're split apart today, they're both stars in their own right.

The two goalies have been nearly identical in the tournament so far, with Price holding a .001 stronger save percentage with a .947 average. While Canada hasn't needed Price to steal wins, Halak has had to do exactly that, especially in Europe's 3-0 win over USA following a 35-save performance to start the tournament. Both of these goalies have been exciting to watch throughout the tournament, so keep an eye on the masked men when push comes to shove.

Traditional vs gimmick: The biggest issue people had with the World Cup of Hockey existing was simple: the NHL wanted to make a big profit off of it. Surprise! The NHL likes money. Shocking, right? With the tournament in their hands, they decided to give the final two tournament spots to Europe and North America. You know all about that by now. Nobody truly expected either of the teams to make the finals, and if one was to do so, it would be North America. Of course, Europe shocked everybody by making it into the championship round, with a chance to really steal the thunder away.

That's the problem, in some people's eyes. An international hockey event with a continent playing against a country. That just seems weird when it's something that has never happened at a stage this big. But that also adds some intrigue to the finals, something that may not hold true if Canada faced Sweden or Russia, two teams they've played very strong against in recent years. Sure, Canada beat Europe in the round-robin already, but with both teams already in the semi-finals, the game didn't exactly keep fans excited for the full 60 minutes.

For everyone outside of Canada, Europe will be the favourite to win. Think about it: the team is made up of players from Slovenia, Slovakia, Germany and five other countries that wouldn't much of a chance on their own in this tournament. Now, the group of misfits are playing for a major international title, something that may never happen again, especially when it involves the top players in the world.

Experience matters: One of the biggest narratives throughout the tournament for Canada is how much experience the team has in big international competition. With 14 players with Olympic gold medals around their neck and six players from the 2015 World Hockey Championship winning squad, Canada has a lot of big game experience in international play. Stars such as Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron have performed well when wearing the white maple leaf on their chest, and Canada themselves have dominated the World Cup up to this point. They do also rank first in the tournament when it comes to Stanley Cup victories, with 14 among the experienced roster.

But what about Europe? With many veterans on the roster, including Marian Hossa and Zdeno Chara, the Europeans have the most experienced international roster in the tournament and, for many of them, it's their first opportunity to actually play for a top championship. They sit second in NHL championships, with eight wins among the collective. So in a tournament where youth played an important role in bringing in fan support, experience will be on display in what could be a very memorable end to the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

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