Porter Marton stood up and looked at the music.
Canada's captain at the World Junior Hockey Championship was given a warning by the disciplinary committee for crossing the red line during warmups for a hotly contested opening night rematch against the Czech Republic, the team that eliminated his country in the quarterfinals of the last two tournaments.
Martone then converted a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after sealing the 7-5 victory by scoring into an empty net. The Canadian hockey team also subsequently had to apologize for the team's failure to participate in the post-anthem handshake.
The 19-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario, took full responsibility and vowed to become a better person.
This bumpy road is now visible in the rearview mirror. Martone has found his rhythm and is ready to lead Canada into its New Year's showdown against Finland (8:30 p.m. ET) with first place in Group B on the line.
“One bad day doesn't define a person,” said star forward Gavin McKenna of Minneapolis. “There’s a reason he was named captain. The guys are lagging behind him.”
Martone credits his parents, Angela and Mike, for qualities that often put him at the head of the pack.
“I was given the gift of playing hockey, and this is what you can do with it,” the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft told the Philadelphia Flyers. “It’s not always about your skills on the ice. It’s something you can do to make the people around you better and the people in society better.”
Martone, whose father was a fourth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabers in 1996, had the opportunity to further hone his leadership skills in the spring at the men's world championship while watching Sidney Crosby go about his business.
“It was pretty crazy,” Martone said. “Five years ago you would never have believed this, would you? You walk into this room and you see Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Marc-Andre Fleury, a group of great NHL players. They made me feel like I was one of their teammates. These guys are your idols.”
“And you still keep in touch with them.”
“Like… holding others accountable”
Canadian defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson said Martone, whom he threw down the gloves against as a junior and slept with in the NHL draft, holds himself and his teammates to a high standard.
“Like to speak up and hold others accountable and take charge,” Aitcheson said. “You’ve seen in the media that it’s not easy. It shows his character.”
Canadian assistant coach Misha Donskov noted that character has emerged, especially over the last week.
“He's a regular person,” Donskov said of the forward, who is playing for Michigan State in the NCAA this season. “It's what you expect from your captain.”
Canada, hungry for a return to the podium after a pair of disastrous fifth-place finishes, opened the U20 men's tournament with three wins.
The team got revenge against the Czech Republic and then beat Latvia 2-1 in overtime (an unconvincing performance against an opponent who stunned them in a penalty shootout 12 months ago) and beat Denmark 9-1 on Monday.
The Canadians will be looking for more of a return from Finland after losing 6-3 in a heated friendly in July.
“It was a little hectic,” said Martone, who had three goals and an assist at the World Junior Championships. “We probably have it in the back of our minds.”
With a roster that includes Canadiens prospect Aatos Koivu, son of former Montreal captain Saku Koivu, the Finns have scored a tournament-high four goals in three games and are one point behind in the standings heading into Wednesday.
“We said we were dream killers,” Canadian forward Cole Beaudoin said. “We come to every game and want to kill every team’s dream. “We’re going to come into this game and play hard, play our game.”
“And play like a Canadian.”
Olympic announcement
Hockey Canada will unveil the rest of Canada's roster for the 2026 Men's Olympic Hockey Tournament on Wednesday in Minneapolis at 12:00 pm ET.
Among the potential candidates are two players who remain eligible to play at the World Junior Championships – McLean Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer.
“It’s going to be exciting,” McKenna said. “They will choose the right guys.”
Unwavering Support
McKenna has faced a lot of hype this season with disappointing results to date in his first NCAA campaign with Penn State, at least on the scoresheet.
After being selected No. 1 overall in June's NHL Entry Draft, the value of the Whitehorse product has been questioned in some quarters, with the reigning Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year posting 18 points in 16 games after posting 129 points in 56 contests in the 2024-25 junior season.
McKenna's teammates have consistently come to his defense whenever the draft comes up, especially after his hat-trick against Denmark put him top of the points race.
“We’re a close-knit group,” McKenna said of the support. “Knowing that they have my back, I really appreciate it.”
