Fans gather to watch heated Canada-U.S. world junior game

Hockey fans in the Queen City were out enjoying one of hockey’s best rivalries Wednesday.

People were at bars and restaurants to watch Canada take on the United States in a semifinal at the world junior hockey championship in Halifax. Canada won the game 6-2 to advance to Thursday’s gold-medal game against Czechia.

“It’s awesome. We took a big break without any sports on and it didn’t feel the same for a long time. It feels back to normal now,” said Erik Konoff, who was out with friends at Boston Pizza South Albert in Regina.

“It feels like it used to feel and it’s nice to have the option and go out and have some drinks and enjoy the game again.”

The storied rivalry has produced a lot of big games in previous years, turning into a must-watch hockey matchup between the two nations.

“It’s unreal because it’s (a battle) of North America. Canada has to win it, it’s crucial,” Nikolas Gelinas, who was at the Canadian Brewhouse Grasslands, said before the game ended.

Leanne Musey (left) at Boston Pizza South Albert for the world junior hockey semifinal between Canada and the U.S. on Jan. 4, 2023. (Britton Gray/980 CJME)

“(The Americans) are a good team to compete against, but our Canadians are No. 1 and we’re going to kick their butts,” Leanne Musey added.

One of the stars of the tournament has been Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard, who had a goal and an assist in the game. That brings Bedard’s career points total at the world junior tournament to 36, which is already the most ever scored by a Canadian at the tournament.

“I know that this tournament is going to be something I’ll be talking about to my kids. This is a pretty legendary tournament and if they win gold, that will be awesome because Connor Bedard blew the record out of the park,” Gelinas said.

“I think we’re all going to go to Pats games when he’s back and sell out the arena there too,” Konoff added.

The final against Czechia will be a rematch of a Boxing Day clash between the teams. In the opening game of the tournament between the two, Czechia won 5-2 to hand Canada its only loss of the tournament thus far.

But while Czechia already has a win over the Canadian squad, that hasn’t put a dent in fans’ confidence.

“If we’re winning (against the U.S.), we’re winning the gold,” Kevin Dufour said before the game was over.

“I would almost guarantee they are (winning gold),” Gelinas said. “They are going to win for sure.”