Hockey Canada executive Scott Salmond says “the buck stops” with him.
The country’s men’s under-20 team was eliminated from the world junior hockey championship in the quarterfinals for a second-straight year Thursday.
Salmond, the program’s senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, added he’s “incredibly disappointed” and “apologetic” after Canada lost 4-3 to Czechia.
Canada forward Ethan Gauthier (20) sits on the bench alongside teammates Luca Pinelli (13) and Brayden Yager (11) during third period IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship quarterfinal action as they lose 4-3 to Czechia, in Ottawa, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The defeat came after the country was eliminated at the same stage 12 months ago by the same opponent.
A lack of scoring and discipline issues plagued Canada in the nation’s capital.
The hockey powerhouse scored a paltry 13 goals in five games — just two more than lowly Kazakhstan — thanks to a tournament-worst 6.34 shooting percentage. Canada was also by far the most penalized team at the event and was short-handed 27 times.