How’d the Habs Do at World Cup of Hockey?

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In total, the Montreal Canadiens had six representatives at the World Cup of Hockey. Carey Price and Shea Weber suited up for Team Canada, Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin for Team Russia, Max Pacioretty for Team USA and Tomas Plekanec for Team Czech Republic. The World Cup of Hockey saw Price work his way back to his old self while others looked less than spectacular for their respective nations.

Max Pacioretty (USA) & Tomas Plekanec (Czech Republic)

Pacioretty was a part of a very disappointing American team that looked promising in the pre-tournament but fizzled in the round robin where they lost all three games. Pacioretty had zero points, and while he had his moments where he looked decent, he was lackluster otherwise. The fact that Team USA head coach John Tortorella admitted that Pacioretty was just okay but needed more out of him was telling. More was expected of Montreal’s captain for Team USA and he didn’t deliver, although the same could be said of the entire team.

Plekanec had the honour of wearing the C for Team Czech Republic, but as expected, the Czechs didn’t do much damage in this tournament. The Czechs’ only win in the round robin came against Team USA, but the odds of them winning many games weren’t high. Like Pacioretty, Plekanec went pointless, which was disappointing considering his role on the team. For Pacioretty and Plekanec, they weren’t the difference makers they were expected to be and hopefully for the Habs, they’ll rebound, and play better.

Andrei Markov & Alexei Emelin (Russia)

Markov and Emelin were on the back end for Russia, where the defence corps was the weakest part of a Russian squad with a ton of firepower up front and a very strong Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. The pace of the World Cup of Hockey was very quick and the lack of foot speed from both Markov and Emelin showed at times.

For Markov, he still has the ability to play at a high level, but age has slowed him down, and it shows when he gets burned by faster players. For Emelin, he struggles with defensive gaps and will take himself out of plays with big hits. Markov didn’t register a point and Emelin had one assist as Russia would lose to Canada in the semifinal.

Carey Price & Shea Weber (Canada)

Now the best for last as Price and Weber won the World Cup for Team Canada. For Habs fans especially, the World Cup of Hockey was the first chance to find out how Price’s recovery went. The first pre-tournament game was a little shaky but he rapidly worked himself back into his old self, which has no doubt calmed the nerves of Habs fans. Price was huge for Canada in the final when the team struggled at times and he has won 16 straight games in a Team Canada uniform dating back to 2007.

Weber once again played a big role for Canada and brought his brand of physical hockey to Canada’s defense corps. For the most part, Weber was his usual solid self, but he was rarely dominant. However, it’s not surprising considering the structure Team Canada plays with, as it emphasizes short shifts and tight defensive hockey.

The Page Turns

Overall, Price unsurprisingly was the Hab that performed the best at the World Cup of Hockey while the others ranged from solid to disappointing. Now the page turns towards the regular season where the Habs are expected to hit the ground running, especially with a healthy Price.