Europe has had a Cinderella run at the World Cup of Hockey, but Canada is its midnight

TORONTO - The last team standing in the way of mastodon Canada won the Hockey World Cup was the fruit of the imagination of the NHL.

Oh, but they are for real, all right.

Team Europe faces shockingly Canada in the best of the last three after upsetting Sweden in the semifinals.

Flash back to September 11, when, after four periods of play preseason games, Europe was down 9-1 to North American children. Can you imagine the reaction of European players in this moment even if you had told them they would be in the final of the World Cup two weeks later?


"It was a turning point for our group," defenseman Roman Josi Nashville Predators said after dramatic 3-2 OT win over Sweden Europe. "[W] e have just told us, or we try to get together and play as a group or pack now. We showed a lot of character. I think we played really well the rest of the preseason period and we realized that in tournaments. "

Team Canada Hockey Jersey beat Europe 4-1 in the preliminary round, so he has an idea of ​​the new outfit.

"You put all these countries together, there are many good players there," Team Canada coach Mike Babcock said immediately after 3-2 overtime Sunday's victory by Europe over Sweden in the second semifinal. "I love their rear end, I like the goalkeeper, I think they did a really good job through the middle of the rink with their team. they have a good team mine. that's why you play these games. All the experts can predict what they want, but you have to play the games and decide. "

Composed of veteran players from eight countries, Europe plays a patient game and limit mistakes. The team is not soft.

"They are a great story," said Doug GM Canada Armstrong, "Shame on us if we do not take seriously for what they have done to this point."

to not fool ourselves here, Europe will still be massive underdogs in the World Cup. Since Sweden has won Olympic gold in Turin in 2006, Team Canada went into cruise control, winning gold in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 while carrying a 14-game winning streak in the best over- best hockey in the best position of the three world Cup finals hockey championship.

Game 1 goes here Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN).

This is a giant Canadian side that outclassed the opposition 19-6 in four games of the tournament and trailed for only 2:41 in total. But Europe has nothing to lose, right?

Want to know any more, please click: world cup of hockey jersey