Low Expectation for Canadians WJC Team?

Over at Sportsnet.CA, Gare Joyce has an interesting perspective today. I am actually surprised that there isn't more hand-wringing going on north of the border. Especially, since hockey is Canada's national sport. I also believe that if the USA doesn't make some noise in the medal round, there could also be some hand-wringing south of the border, too.

HELSINKI – If you listened to the scouts in attendance at the Ice Hall on Thursday, you come away with awfully low expectations for Canada going into the elimination round.

It’s not the fact that the defending champions will be facing the host Finns, who had an impressive comeback win over the Czechs Thursday.

More to the point, with a 5-2 loss to Sweden, Canada has one regulation win through four opening-round games. Even that comes with a qualifier: Canada rolled over a Danish team that was bound to suffer a letdown in the wake of a tight win over Switzerland that secured the team a spot in the A pool next year.

Thankfully there are no placement games for losing teams in the quarter-final or else this Canadian team could end up in a seventh-place game—echoes of ’98 and the loss to Kazakhstan.