Two members of the Vancouver Canucks — and two former Canucks — have won gold at the 2023 World Series of Hockey.
Canada is back on top of the world.
After a year without a gold medal against Finland in overtime, Team Canada won the 2023 Hockey World Championship with a 5-2 victory over Germany.
The match was much closer to the indicated score. Germany led in the first and second periods, but Canada responded each time to enter Game 3 tied at 2-2.
There was Canada’s lead for the first time, as St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais scored his second goal of the game to make it 3-2, then St. Louis Blues Calgary Flames forward Tyler Tofoli put the goal out of reach. With a goal of 4-2 before the delay. An empty grid sealed the deal.
As a result, two Vancouver Canucks players will bring back the gold medals: Tyler Myers and Ethan Beer.
Unfortunately, Peer did not make it to the semi-finals or the gold medal game because he was injured late in the Canada vs. Finland game. He appeared to have a wound on his wrist, but it was only described as an upper body injury.
Myers had, as he did in all tournaments, important minutes for Canada in a double with Pierre-Olivier Joseph. He played 24:44 in the gold medal game as coach Andre Turenne relied heavily on the veteran in key situations. It was his second time on the ice behind McKenzie Wiggar of the Flames, who was named the tournament’s best defenseman.
For the most part, Myers had an uneventful tournament, finishing with just one point—one goal—in ten matches. And given Myers’ penchant for mayhem, quiet heroism is all the better.
The larger ice surface seemed to fit Myers’ skill set, as he used his mobility and reach to cover large areas of ice and reduce his errors with or without a puck. He played with a consistency that Canucks fans have rarely seen in Vancouver.
Along with Myers and Bear, two former Toffoli Canucks and Brad Hunt were part of the gold medal team, as was Vancouver’s Milan Lucic.
