Nathan MacKinnon broke a 2-2 tie with 36 seconds to play, and Canada will play for hockey supremacy Sunday.
Canada trailed Finland 2-0 early in the second period after a slow start.
Sam Reinhart brought the Canadians within one with a power play goal midway through the second, and Shea Theodore tied it up midway through the third.
Canada will face the winner of semifinal between the United States and Slovakia.
A heartstopping Olympic quarterfinal has Canada onto the semis.
Mitch Marner scored in overtime as Canada beat Czechia 4-3.
The Canadians were down a goal in the last five minutes, when Nick Suzuki tied it.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington made several key saves late to keep the game tied.
Captain Sidney Crosby left the game in the second period after taking a hit, he did not return.
His status for Friday’s semifinal is unknown.
Some recognition to the organizers of hockey tournaments in Canada.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski took time in the House of Commons to praise those who are behind them.
He says it was a recent visit to Fort Frances that led him to reflect on the importance of minor hockey tournaments.
Powlowski was at a local hotel where out-of-town teams, in for a tournament, were also staying.
He says a bunch of raucous 12-year-olds were playing floor hockey in the stairwells, while their parents were sitting on the first floor, pretending to drink ginger ale out of coffee cups.
“And as I listened to the halls filled with the laughter of kids and saw the parents having a good time with a bunch of people they previously hardly knew, all at the same time when it was 30 below outside and the wind was blowing, I realized, and this is with sincerity, what a wonderful thing minor league hockey tournaments are and how much they’re a part of our identity and the Canadian culture,” says Powlowski.
Powlowski concluded his statement by thanking tournament organizers and the referees; he admits to sometimes criticizing when watching his own sons play.
Hockey Northwestern Ontario is leaving the decision on travel to the U.S. up to area hockey clubs.
The immigration crackdown in the U.S. has caused some to question whether they should be playing stateside.
Minneapolis, in particular, has been the site of ongoing protests over the presence of Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) Officers as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
In a statement, HNO says it will not prevent or restrict any team from doing so.
“HNO will not prevent or restrict any team or participant from choosing to compete in the United States,” a statement reads, attributed to Executive Director Jim Fetter.
“We fully support teams pursuing competitive opportunities as planned.”
The HNO emphasizes the importance of keeping teams and their leadership informed about what is happening.
“We strongly encourage teams to thoughtfully consider the safety and well-being of their players, staff, and families when making decisions about participation in events, particularly those near areas experiencing heightened activity or demonstrations,” the statement reads.
Several teams from northwestern Ontario have already competed in Minnesota tournaments and reported no issues crossing the border or in the communities they visited.
Some First Nation organizations have advised Indigenous people to use caution and ensure they carry their status card and passport when travelling in the U.S.
Their advisory was in response to reports that some Indigenous people were being racially profiled and illegally detained by ICE agents.
The Dryden GM Ice Dogs and Fort Frances Lakers continue to hold spots in the weekly top 20 rankings by the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
The SIJHL-leading Ice Dogs have moved up a spot from last week to rank number 13.
Dryden swept a home-and-home series with Red Lake on the weekend to extend its winning streak to five games.
The Lakers, who are three points back of the Ice Dogs, hold steady in the rankings at number 17.
Fort Frances extended its winning streak to four games with a pair of victories on home ice over the Kam River Fighting Walleye.
The Rockland Nationals of the Central Canada Hockey League continue to maintain their hold on the number one spot.
The Niverville Nighthawks of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League continue to sit at No. 2 in the listings, which are compiled by an independent scouting service.
The following are the current CJHL Top 20 rankings as of January 26th:
CJHL TOP 20
RANK TEAM (LEAGUE) (PREVIOUS WEEK)
This Saturday, January 17, Moncton, New Brunswick will take centre stage as Sportsnet presents the 26th annual Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, live from the Avenir Centre on Sportsnet.
The day-long celebration highlights the connections hockey creates – families, hometowns, and fans united by a shared passion for the game.
Hosted by Ron MacLean, the broadcast will feature Sportsnet personalities David Amber, Elliotte Friedman, Kevin Bieksa, Jennifer Botterill, Kelly Hrudey, Ken Reid, and Evanka Osmak.
Special guests include NHL alumni Francois Beauchemin, three-time Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Johnston, and Moncton Wildcats coach Gardiner MacDougall.
The 12.5-hour marathon broadcast includes all seven Canadian NHL teams in action:
Throughout the day, Sportsnet and Scotiabank will share inspiring stories, including Moncton’s hockey roots, Brad Marchand’s rise, and the Moncton See Cats blind hockey program.
Two SIJHL teams have inched up in the weekly rankings from the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
The league-leading Fort Frances Lakers move up three positions to 16th after scoring a pair of wins over Thunder Bay this past weekend to take over the top spot from the Dryden GM Ice Dogs.
The Lakers have not lost a game in regulation time in their last four contests, and are one point up on the Dogs, who did not play this past weekend.
Dryden still moved up one spot in the rankings to number 11.
The Rockland Nationals of the Central Canada Hockey League remain No. 1 in the top 20 rankings.
They have won 17 consecutive games and have just two losses this season.
The Niverville Nighthawks of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League continue to hold down the number two spot.
CJHL TOP 20
RANK TEAM (LEAGUE) (PREVIOUS WEEK)
HONOURABLE MENTION: Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL); Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL); Hearst Lumberjacks (NOJHL); Milton Menace (OJHL); Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)
There are just a few days to go before Moncton becomes a hockey mecca, and the excitement is getting to an all-time high.
That’s according to Michelle Duffie, the co-chair of the Hockey Day in Canada festivities.
“We’ve been planning since April,” she said.
While the puck officially drops on the celebration of our national sport on Thursday, Jan. 15, a last-minute announcement this week revealed a famous guest would be in the city a few days early.
Duffie said the Stanley Cup would be on display and available for photos on Saturday, Jan. 10. The toughest trophy to win in professional sports will be at Downtown Place next to the Avenir Centre from 1 to 4 p.m. The event is free, and open to the public.
The city is expecting significant economic benefits, Duffie said, as tourists come to take in all the events.
“That’s looking really good,” she said. “We’ve had lots of conversations with the hotels that are downtown and they’re getting full.”
Saturday, Jan. 17, is the big day, with hockey of all kinds being played around Moncton and Riverview, including the Eastern Regional Blind Hockey Tournament at the Coliseum, a Timbits Jamboree at the Byron Dobson Memorial Arena and the Wildcats hosting Chicoutimi.
Anyone attending the U Sports matchup between the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues and Dalhousie University Tigers could be part of a record.
“We’re trying to break a record to have the highest-attended Atlantic University Sports game,” Duffie said.
To do that, she estimated they’ll need about 3,000 attendees.
Duffie said that game will feature a ceremonial faceoff with Hockey Hall of Famer Jennifer Botterill and longtime Team Canada player Rebecca Johnston.
“We’re really focusing on women’s hockey, girls’ hockey,” she said.
The Saturday festivities will get going with a parade from Moncton Market to Downtown Place.
Duffie said organizers want to see fans participate in the parade, wearing their favourite hockey jersey.
“They just need to go to the Moncton Market by 11 in the morning,” she said. “It will leave at 11:30 and make its way up Main Street and then arrive at the Oval where (Hockey Night in Canada host) Ron MacLean will be waiting for us.”
Of course, the day will include a live broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada starting at 6:30 p.m.
A complete schedule can be found here.
With the recent announcement of Canada’s Olympic ice hockey team for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, northwestern Ontario can look back with fondness at the area players who have represented Canada in past competitions.
Most notable is in the 1936 games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where Canada, represented by the Port Arthur Bearcats, lost out on a gold medal because of a controversial decision regarding eligibility and the tournament’s format.
The Bearcats were granted the right to represent Canada after the Halifax Wolverines, winners of the 1935 Allan Cup over the Bearcats, disbanded prior to the 1935-36 season.
The Port Arthur club would eventually be supplemented with players from other clubs, but still had several members from the 1934-35 season, including Max Deacon of Schreiber, James Haggarty, Ray Milton, Jackie Nash, Alex Sinclair, and Bill Thompson.
Johnny Coward, who grew up in Fort Frances, was on the winning side of the 1936 Olympics, skating for Britain’s team.
Coward was playing in the English National League at the time of his selection.
Port Arthur-born Gerry Davey was also on Britain’s team.
Hank Akervall captained Canada’s entry at the 1964 games in Innsbruck, Austria, where the team lost its final two games to miss out on a medal for the first time.
Wayne Stephenson, who was born in Fort William but learned to play hockey in Winnipeg, played in the next winter Olympics held in Grenoble, France, where Canada won bronze.
Chris Lindbergh of Fort Frances skated for Canada at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
Lindbergh joined the national team the season before, and was among the team’s top scorers during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.
Canada finished in a three-way tie for first in their pool but earned the top seed over the Unified Team, recognizing nations of the former Soviet Union that broke up just before the games, and Czechoslovakia.
The Canadians edged Germany, then upset the Czechs to reach the gold-medal game against the Unified Team, but lost 3-1.
Lindberg scored Canada’s only goal.
The silver medal was Canada’s first Olympic medal in ice hockey in 32 years.
Two years later, Greg Johnson of Thunder Bay was the region’s representative on Team Canada in Lillehammer, Norway.
Canada earned silver after a shootout loss to Sweden in the final.
Northwestern Ontario’s representation continued when NHL players made up the Olympic teams in 1998.
Dryden’s Chris Pronger was part of the team that lost in the bronze medal game to Finland in Nagano, Japan.
Pronger would make four consecutive Olympic appearances, winning gold in 2002 and 2010.
Thunder Bay’s Eric Staal, Mike Richards of Kenora, and former Fort Frances resident Duncan Keith were also members of the 2010 team that won gold a dramatic overtime game over the United States in Vancouver.
Keith and Patrick Sharp of Thunder Bay were selected for the 2014 gold medal-winning team in Sochi, Russia.
Staal was back with Team Canada in 2022, selected as captain and helping to win bronze at Gangneung, South Korea.
There have been several players with ties to Fort Frances who have suited up for Team USA.
Robert Rompre of International Falls was selected to the 1952 team that earned a silver medal at the games in Oslo, Norway.
His college hockey career had been interrupted that year when he was drafted by the United States Marine Corps for the Korean War.
The Marine Corps allowed him to skate for the US when news of his selection was made.
Rompre scored eight goals in the tournament, including 4 in the team’s opener against Finland.
A 3-3 tie with Canada secured Rompre and his American teammates a silver medal.
Ed Sampson and Dick Dougherty were part of the 1956 USA team that won a silver medal at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Both were born in Fort Frances, but held US citizenship and lived in International Falls.
Sampson was a member of the Fort Frances Canadians at the time of his selection, while Dougherty was starring with the Warroad Lakers senior club.
Dan Dilworth was selected to the 1964 American team that finished 5th at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
Dilworth, who had played hockey in Fort Frances, was coming off a strong season with the USHL Waterloo Black Hawks, where he led the team in scoring in the 1962-63 season.
The 1972 Olympic team saw three from International Falls make the squad.
Keith Christianson and Tim Sheehy, who were born in Fort Frances but played hockey in the Falls, were members of the US National team for three years leading up to the games.
Fellow International Falls resident Mike Curran joined them and helped the American squad to a silver medal at Sapporo, Japan.
Bob Mason and Gary Sampson were the last from International Falls to make an Olympic team, selected for the 1984 US team, which had a 7th-place finish.
Sampson was born in Atikokan but raised in the Falls.
Mason and Sampson were also teammates at the University of Minnesota-Duluth before joining the national team after their college careers.
Northwestern Ontario has also had representation on the rosters of other countries than Canada and the US.
Bob Deperio and Tom Milani of Thunder Bay played for Italy in the 1984 Olympics.
The first games in this year’s winter Olympics will begin on February 5th.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League is out with its first list for 2026 of the top twenty junior A clubs in Canada.
The Dryden GM Ice Dogs are ranked number 12.
The Fort Frances Lakers hold down the number 19 spot.
The two clubs are one and two in the SIJHL standings.
The Ice Dogs went 2026 with a 20-4-2-1 record, winning their last three games before entering the Christmas break to stay 3 points up on the Lakers.
The Lakers are 18-5-2-2, and have lost only one game on home ice, and are 8-0 in their last home games.
The season resumes for both teams this weekend.
The Rockland Nationals of the Central Canada Hockey League hold down the number one spot in the weekly top 20.
The Niverville Nighthawks from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League are ranked number two.