FAQ: Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championship
The puck drops on the 2019 IIHF World Championship starting on May 10.
Team Canada will begin the tournament against Finland at 10:15 a.m. EDT (7:15 a.m. PDT) on that first day of action, looking to win the title since Canada’s back-to-back championship victories in 2015 and 2016.
Corey Perry skates the IIHF World Championship trophy over to his teammates after Canada beat Finland 2-0 for gold on May 22, 2016.
Here are some fun facts about the championship and answers to some of your most frequently asked questions:
What is Team Canada’s schedule?
The 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship begins on May 10 and runs through May 26. The first 12 days will feature round robin play within the groups.
The quarterfinals will be on May 23, semifinals on May 25, and the medal games on May 26.
Canada is in Group A, and will play the following round robin schedule:
May 10 – 10:15am EDT/7:15am PDT vs. Finland
May 12 – 2:15pm EDT/11:15am PDT vs. Great Britain
May 13 – 2:15pm EDT/11:15am PDT vs. Slovakia
May 16 – 10:15am EDT/7:15am PDT vs. France
May 18 – 10:15am EDT/7:15am PDT vs. Germany
May 20 – 2:15pm EDT/11:15am PDT vs. Denmark
May 21 – 2:15pm EDT/11:15am PDT vs. United States
How can I watch Team Canada at the world hockey championship?
TSN is the official broadcaster of the tournament and will carry all of Team Canada’s games on one or more of its channels. Check out the list here.
Where is the 2019 IIHF World Championship?
Slovakian cities Bratislava and Košice will be splitting hosting duties. Canada is in Group A, which will play round robin games in Košice, while Group B will play in Bratislava. All semifinal and medal games will be played in Bratislava.
This is the second time that both cities are hosting the championship. The Slovaks also played host back in 2011.
Canada’s Jeff Skinner, center, fights for the puck with Nicolas Besch, left, and Cristobal Huet, right, during their preliminary round group B Hockey World Championships match in Kosice, Slovakia, Sunday, May 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Who is on Team Canada’s world championship roster?
Update (May 15th): Defenceman Philippe Myers will be joining the team
Update (May 10th): Tyson Jost and Pierre-Luc Dubois will join the team
Update (May 9th): John Tavares is injured and will be returning to Toronto
Forwards: Tyler Bertuzzi, Anthony Cirelli, Sean Couturier, Adam Henrique, Mathieu Joseph, Anthony Mantha, Jonathan Marchessault, Jared McCann, Sam Reinhart, Mark Stone, Dylan Strome, Kyle Turris
Defence: Thomas Chabot, Dante Fabbro, Brandon Montour, Darnell Nurse, Damon Severson, Troy Stecher, Shea Theodore
Goalies: MacKenzie Blackwood, Carter Hart, Matt Murray
Which players are making their world championship debuts?
Bertuzzi, Marchessault, Montour, Stecher have never represented Canada in IIHF competition.
Seven players on the team have previously represented Canada at the IIHF World Championship (Chabot, Couturier, Nurse, Reinhart, Stone, Tavares, Turris).
Canada’s Brendan Gallagher, right, reacts after scoring with teammate Sam Reinhart during the Ice Hockey World Championships semifinal match between canada and USA, in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, May 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Where do the players play when not representing Canada?
They play for various NHL teams. The Las Vegas Golden Knights have the most players on this year’s roster (Marchessault, Stone, Theodore).
Additional players will likely join the team once the second round of NHL playoffs is complete.
Vegas Golden Knights’ Mark Stone, Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault, from left, celebrate a goal by Karlsson during the first period of the team’s NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, March 1, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Are any Olympians on the team?
Tavares is the lone Olympian on this year’s roster. He was a member of the Sochi 2014 gold medal winning team.
READ: Team Canada shuts out Sweden for Olympic hockey gold
Men’s hockey gold medallists Jonathan Toews, left to right, John Tavares, Sidney Crosby and Matt Duchene pose with their medals after beating Sweden 3-0 in the gold medal final at the Sochi Winter Olympics Sunday, February 23, 2014 in Sochi. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Some of the team’s coaching staff have been to the Olympic Games before. Assistant coaches Kirk Muller (Sarajevo 1984) and Lindy Ruff (Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014) have both been to the Olympics before. Muller went as a player while Ruff served as an assistant coach.
Ruff was also head coach of the 2009 and 2013 IIHF World Championship teams.
Team Canada head coach Lindy Ruff, centre, calls on players as Steve Stamkos, left, and Luke Schenn, stand behind, during a practice session at the IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championship Saturday, May 9, 2009 in Bern Switzerland. Canada will play Russia for gold on Sunday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
How many medals has Canada won at the IIHF world championship?
Canada has a total of 49 medals (26 gold, 14 silver, 9 bronze). They last won the title in 2016.
Canadian players celebrate winning gold at IIHF worlds final over Finland on May 22, 2016.
READ: Canada beats Finland to win hockey worlds gold for second straight year
Which players can join the Triple Gold Club?
Well…none. The elite group features players who have won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold and an IIHF World Championship.
Murray is the only Stanley Cup champion on the team, and Tavares is the only Olympic Champion. No one on the roster is both a Stanley Cup and Olympic Champion.
Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Sunday, June 11, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
READ: Perry newest member of elite ‘Triple Gold Club’
Canada currently has ten players and one coach who are Triple Gold Club members. The newest Canadian on the list is Corey Perry, who joined the Club when Canada won the 2016 IIHF World Championship.
