Canada will not be competing for the Hockey World Championship, despite Connor Bedard’s best efforts. The Blackhawks superstar scored a game-tying goal for John Tavares in the third period of Canada’s loss to Switzerland in the semifinals. He also set up Canada’s only goal in the shootout, but it was not enough to secure the win.
Bedard had a strong start to the tournament, scoring five goals in four games, but struggled during the rest of Canada’s pool play schedule. Despite a strong performance in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Canada will now play Sweden for third place in the tournament.
Although Bedard will not be playing for a championship, he will have a chance to rest after the tournament concludes on Sunday. His teammate Philipp Kurashev was a healthy scratch for the Swiss team, highlighting the sacrifices players make to represent their country in international competition.
Meanwhile, Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek has been serving as a backup goalie for Czechia during the tournament and will have an opportunity to compete in the World Championship title game with them after they advanced with a 7-3 victory over Sweden.