After opening the World Juniors with a win against the United States, Canada’s 6-0 loss to Russia was about as deflating as it gets — especially with the loss of Alexis Lafrenière to injury.
When the teams lined up for the postgame ceremony, Canadian captain Barrett Hayton kept his helmet on throughout the Russian anthem, which Russia’s players took exception to. Russian captain Grigori Denisenko complained to the officials, and Hayton was snubbed by a number of players including Denisenko in the handshake line.
Denisenko refused to clarify the issue with reporters, but he made it clear that “the whole team” was displeased with Hayton’s actions.
It’s a strange little subplot, and it definitely adds some tension to any potential future matchups between these teams. You can see why Team Canada would be frustrated after a blowout, shutout loss like that, but they have some work to do if they want to right the boat — and they know it.
