Team Canada apologized for its lack of sportsmanship after defeating the Czech Republic on Friday at the world junior championships.
After the Canadians beat the Czechs 7-5, they walked off the ice without shaking hands with their opponents, a tradition following international games.
It was a mistake that led to the team issuing a formal apology on Saturday.
“After yesterday's game, the Canadian junior team stepped off the ice before shaking hands with the Czech Republic,” the team said in a statement. “Hockey Canada takes full responsibility for this oversight and we have apologized to the team, the Czech Hockey Association and the IIHF for our error.”
This was clearly a big win for the Canadians as they were able to beat the Czech team that had knocked them out of the tournament the last two years.
Not only did they not shake hands, but team captain Porter Martone was also cited for unsportsmanlike conduct after scoring into an empty net to give Canada a 7-5 lead with one minute remaining.
After scoring, Martone drove to the opposition bench and lightly tapped the Czech player with his glove before being awarded a penalty.
The 19-year-old striker apologized before Saturday's game.
“We've been told about (discipline) since we got here and I need to apologize for the actions I took (Friday) late in the game,” Martone said Salt Stars Janson Duench. “This is unacceptable and cannot happen. Being the captain of this team, the leader of this team, I'm just setting a bad (example) for the rest of the guys… I can't do that.”
The Canadians won't have to wait long for their next test as they face Latvia on Saturday and hope to improve to 2-0 in group play.
