This week in sports: Canada on the rise

BY MARCEL MARIAK

Hockey: Montreal Canadiens representing Canada in NHL Playoffs

What happens when the NHL’s newest and oldest teams face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

With the NHL conference finals underway, the Montreal Canadiens are Canada’s hockey representatives in this year’s playoffs. After making a series comeback to secure Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and sweeping the seemingly helpless Winnipeg Jets, Montreal now faces the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Despite the Golden Knights only being in the league for a handful of years (joined the NHL in 2017), the team from Las Vegas has experienced nearly immediate success! Boasting notable talent on the ice like Mark Stone and the hard-hitting Ryan Reaves, the club is no pushover even with its infancy in the league.

Now, in the Stanley Cup Semifinals, the newest team in the NHL is facing off against the oldest team in the league: the Montreal Canadiens. Being one of the Original Four (not to be confused with the Original Six) teams that opened the NHL in 1917, the Canadiens are steeped in over 100 years of hockey tradition, rivalries, epic games, and a whole lot of line brawls!

But the question remains: what happens when the newest and oldest teams face off in the playoffs? The answer: they look surprisingly even!

With two games played so far, the series is tied at 1-1. With Vegas comfortably winning the first game with a final score of 4-1, the burden was on Montreal to make a comeback and even out the series – and they succeeded! Montreal performed impressively in Game 2 of the series, able to hold on to their lead and beat Vegas with a score of 3-2 after three periods of action-packed play!

With both teams now tied in the series and Game 3 headed to Montreal, either club could end up moving on to the Stanley Cup Finals. Although the other Canadian NHL teams and their fans often harbour resentment for the Montreal Canadiens, it’s always exciting to see a Canadian team competing for the championship in our national sport!

Soccer: Canada to compete in the FIFA World Cup?

When most people think of FIFA World Cup-worthy national soccer teams, Canada seldom comes to mind. With our national team only qualifying for the cup once in 1986, it’s no wonder why Canadians are usually seen as mediocre soccer players at best.

Despite their rocky history with FIFA qualifications (or lack thereof), the national team might have a chance to compete at the 2022 World Cup which will be held in Qatar. With the Canadians moving on to the final round of the World Cup CONCACAF qualifiers, there is a real chance for Canadian fans to see their team compete against the world’s greatest national teams in 2022; and with the FIFA World Cup within view, the national team heads into the final round of qualifiers with high hopes.

The final round of CONCACAF qualifiers will put Canada through three games: one against Martinique, another against the USA, and one more game against an undetermined opponent. With the pandemic causing a few confusing changes with how teams qualify in CONCACAF, the exact events that will allow Canada to compete in the World Cup are a bit convoluted. But here’s the gist: Canada needs to win all of its three upcoming games – their qualification depends on the performance of other teams, so nothing is guaranteed.

Although the Canadians have a steep climb ahead of them, they are in high spirits and confident in their abilities. This year, left-back/winger, Alphonso Davies (who plays for Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga) has been a rising star on the pitch. The 20-year-old phenom has scored four goals in the qualifiers so far and has played a part in setting up countless other plays. he is undoubtedly one of Canada’s star players this year and will be the man to watch if Canada ends up qualifying for the FIFA World Cup!

The confidence and optimism towards the final qualifying round are radiating from the team, “We’ll enjoy the moment. But at the same time we’ve just got to stay humble now,” commented Canada head coach, John Herdman, “it’s just a proud moment for us all.” As for Canadian soccer fans, they are ecstatic about the possibility of seeing their national team compete on the world stage. Furthermore, a qualification for the World Cup would show a generation of young soccer players that playing on at the highest level is possible, even for Canadians!