Canada and Slovakia battled in the final quarterfinal of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, and featured an unbelievable performance from Slovakia's goaltender Adam Gajan, and another amazing Connor Bedard highlight reel goal.
@@LetsGoWrongboarding Yeah goalies positioning is based on the posts so I get your point in a way, maybe you could say he positioned well enough to not save shots he shouldn't need to save?
Europeans always have great goaltending, a skilled forward group, but really awful defense most of time where Canada had 40+ shots, and not needing to break sweat. They always only need one mcjesus or a Bedard for getting timely offense, actually same year when Canada had Jordan Eberle scoring last minute in regulation.
Once again, the Slovakian goalie puts on the performance of the tournament against Canada, IN Canada. Once again, the Slovakians take us to WAR every minute of a hockey game. You guys always push us to the absolute limit, hats off to you Slovakia! Love and respect from Canada.
The goalie played great. However, they were lucky to Canada hit five goal post in the third period and one goal post in overtime. That game could easily have been 7 to 3 go Canada go.
As a Canadian living in Prague for 30 years, I loved the physical play of the Slovaks...I think they have a lot of respect from the Canadian players and fans...
I'm Canadian and as I was watching the third, I just kept laughing. I didn't even care who won anymore, I was just so thrilled to be watching such an exciting game, and I think the fact that one team was a big underdog made it even more exciting.
@@jasondashney Some fans are upset at the cross checks & big hits but that was literally Slovakia playing how Canada used to play against the Soviet Union back in the day, I wasn't alive at the time but I've watched the 1976 Canada Cup and a few other old tournaments where Canada just beat the hell out of Russian players. Bedard taking it and keeping his composure to come out with a win was to me the most impressive thing he's done in this tournament out all the very impressive things he's done.
That Connor Bedard goal will live on forever especially if Canada can win the Gold. Shoutout to Slovakia though you guys played a hell of a game Gajan is just incredible
@@Wibbly_Wobbly it’s against the best “children” on the planet lmao bedard will be lighting up the NHL against full grown men next year, just like Mcdavid did in his rookie season before he broke his collarbone
This was by far one of the best hockey games I've ever seen! Records broken, insane goaltending, plenty of drama and Bedard finishing it in OT on perhaps one of the prettiest goals in WJC history after nearly losing it minutes before. If you want to introduce someone to the best sport in the world, show them this fucking instant classic. Seeing the kids crying reminds us all how young these kids are and how much playing for your country means to these kids.
@@tamman994 Actually there was a lot more after the whistle stuff going on, without penalties being called for a while. It was grittier than most games and the Slovaks can certainly dish out the hits. The Ref could've called more penalties on Slovakia (in the usual IIHF way). We'll see what the US vs Canada game will be like?
If I didn’t know this was the quarter-final game, I would have thought it was the gold medal game. Absolute hats off to both teams. Such high level of play.
Heroický výkon, bratři. Nechybělo málo a vyřadili jste nejlepší mužstvo na turnaji. Dotahovat proti Kanadě je prakticky nemožné, ale vám se to povedlo. Tato vaše generace ještě světu ukáže. Všichni příští soupeři Kanady mohou jenom snít o tom, že by odehráli takhle těsný zápas. I Švédy si namazali na chleba. Zatímco z vás mají ještě teď stažené půlky. Málem rupli v ČF doma.
Věřím že pokud se s námi utkají znova tak Kanaďani padnou Naši musí porazit Švédy snad si kluci vše nevystrileli Kanada bez Bedarda by byla zklamáním ten kluk dělá nesmysli ale žádnej hráč není víc než tým
Hats off to this Slovakian team. They played with the heart of Lions. That game was anyone's to win. The Slovak team deserves a medal for their gallantry alone. What a great bunch of young men on that Slovak team.
Canadain here, but I genuinely feel awful for the Slovaks man. They played their hearts out in this game and seeing them get so emotional post-game was just gut-wrenching. Hold your heads up high boys, caused you played AMAZINGLY well! Its a shame someone had to lose this game cause it was one hell of a thriller from both ends!
🤩🤩 Hi, I'm Branislav from Slovakia! We only have a population of 5 million, but our young players were fantastic in this match! Congratulations to a big Canada and good luck! ✨✨
Chara, Tatar, Sekera, Panik, Cernak, Hossa, Gabroik, Halak, even Stan Mikita. Done wonders for this nations game. This team is for real. Juraj Slafkovský going number 1. Unbelievable growth.
@@pmccoy8924 u left some big names... what about Peter Stastny and his brothers, Palffy, Stumpel, Demitra, Satan, Visnovsky... also Simon Nemec going 2nd overall and no1 is talking about him. He is getting overshadowed by Slaf so bad...
To our Slovak brothers and sisters; you guys should be so proud of your team. You beat the Americans 6-3 in the preliminary games, and you brought Canada to overtime. Those were the two best teams (on paper). Major respect to you guys.
This game left me with a bittersweet feeling. Slovak boys fought like I probably never seen them before. I’m beyond proud. This was hell of a game. Thank you for that. That’s why hockey is my number one sport in the🌎
@@881terror 1,2 draft bronze olympic 2nd gretzky cup nearly beating can say it again ? Who are you ? FAT ASS HATER TROLL WHO CAN SUCK HIS OWN LITTLE MAAD DICK
Meh…wouldn’t go so far as to say “respect”….they played dirty….taking shots at Canadian players all game after the whistle……trying to knock Canada off their game a dirty way
@@niagarajoe4402 Yeah we had to play a bit dirty, that's true. Dude, on paper, your team is like 50x stronger. All we had is a believe, hearth and teamplay. Fighting your best players is just a way how to "crack" your mentality. In other words, you do whatever it takes , to battle. Yes it was a dirty game, but look what it got us - a respect. We had many games, where we've shat ourselves from the oponent, and these games usually ended with a big debacle.
Canada is Canada. They will always be the best team in the world with the best mentality. If someone had told me before the game that it would be decided in extra time, I wouldn't have believed them. As a Slovak, I expected us to lose at least 7:1. I'm sorry that we didn't keep the score 3:1 with Switzerland after the second period. We could play against Germany. It's a pity, see you in next year and I'm already looking forward to the next tournament.
Yeah that Swizz game really fucked with you big time. So unnecessary but yet so important in the end. However, it's great to see Slovakia back in the game. Have not seen a better Slovakian team since your WC victory.
Pause this video at 8:59. Usually teams don't get this close to eliminating Canada from tournaments. Slovaks respect a ton of respect for this, especially when you realise that similar teams played last summer and Canada won 11-1 back then. Teď v češtině, odvedli jste skvělý výkon, nemáte se zač stydět. Naopak, těším se, co tihle kluci ještě dokážou.
Very nice game. I am so sad for Slovaks not going through considering that I am from Slovakia, but man, this guys Bedard. He will take the NHL by the storm. He is out of this world. And I really hope that Gajan will be noticed by NHL, too. He had a big tournament this time around.
I hope the Slovakian team gives their goaltender some love after this because he was fantastic for them in this game. It's a bummer to lose but he was instrumental in keeping them in the game into overtime. GG Slovakia!
I used to love this when I was playing back in the days... that dead silence when you equalized or won the away game. Dunno whats better.... a buzzerbeater at home or a buzzerbeater while playing away :D
I absolutely love how game Slovakia 🇸🇰 was this night. Their goalie was stellar, Nemecs was clutch, and the whole team played gritty to make it a fantastic game. I truly feel bad that they had to experience coming up short after such an effort. Seems to have mostly come down to the fact that we 🇨🇦 just had Bedard. We’re lucky for that. Over the moon, but lucky none the less. I’m just grateful to all these players for showing us the fruits of all their lifetimes hard work. Amazing hockey!!!!!
What an epic goal by Bedard! Up there in Canadian / World Junior hockey lore with Eberle's game-tying, tournament-saving goal in the last 5 seconds of the SF vs Russia in 2008-09.
I was at a restaurant during the last period of the game, didn't order until the small intermission between the third and OT. Was scared I'd miss something or we'd lose if I peeled my eyes from the screen. Watching OT was insanely nerve wracking but I'm so happy to have witnessed that beauty of a goal by Bedard. Good job Slovakia, you guys put up one hell of a fight!
no they dont they have weakest team on hockey history even mongolia is stronger. Only goalie was good other players can go to trash. Slovakia will fall to B category next year
@@James-nv1wf ‘we’? Who’s ‘we’? Don’t be so presumptuous. That game will go down as one of the most memorable in championship history. Sounds like you have the issues to me.
He would need to play good in more than one game to be drafted. He was only their third goalie coming into the tournament. But it was a good one for sure. Never seen him play before tonight though, so not sure how good he is overall.
@@greatslavia9662 He has 2 wins and 2 loses (including the Q-final). Is 5th in GAA. And 3rd in save percentage. He had a very good game, but also had some luck, with Canada hitting the post/cross bar several times. Overall stats for the tournament are good, but not great. Like any goalie, part of that is dependent on his team as well. He may get drafted, but not solely on this tournament.
Mad respect to Slovakia, what a game they played! Their goaler was on fire! Mesar is awesome to see as a Habs fan. I wonder if with Slakovsky they would have won this game..! But Bedard is just scary to watch! Every team should start scoring into their own net to lose every game just to have better chances at getting him!!
Meh…wouldn’t go so far as to say “respect”….they played dirty….taking shots at Canadian players all game after the whistle……trying to knock Canada off their game a dirty way
Habs should draft slovakian goalie, as your goalies are very bad. Yes with Slafkovski Slovakia would have won this, or more likely won the game with Swizz. They knew not to release him to the tournament. 😛
Krásný hokej od kluků slovenských, nádhera, jak se ti Kanaďané vždy zlobí když hraje někdo stejně tvrdě jako oni.Strašně jsem vám fandil .Je to škoda ale roste vám generace moc šikovnejch hokejistů. Přijde den kdy tu Kanadu zašlapete. A díky za krásnej hokej co kluci hráli...fanda z Moravy
Very impressed by Slovakia...they played thier hearts out and were physical..even if there were a few cheap shots in there. That goalie is unreal too. You could argue the bounces didn't really go Canada's way...they could have easily had 8 or 9 goals but hit alot of posts and were stonewalled a few times by a good goalie. As a Canadian I'm glad to see other teams are closing the talent gap and there are more teams being competitive now in each group. Its good for Canada to be in these close ones.
Slovakia tried to play dirty…..hitting matter the whistle….face washing….to try and knock Canada off their game….a dirty way to try and get an advantage…..they got LUCKY to be in this game at all…..Bedard hit the post multiple times and this game should have been over again and again
@@imBigo nah call were fair and could have been much worst but they didnt want the game to be played on it. Bedard neck crosscheck could have been a 5min and dude delaying the game standing on the puck could have given a penality on top of it but they didnt do it because it would have been lame. They played well but clearly not enough, the goalie and posts kept them in, dont blame it on the ref they did the right thing.
The fans got the money's worth and the emergency department at the hospital has near before had to deal with so many heart attack victims. Unbelievable game. The Slovaks played a helluva game.
Absolutely amazing game. Both teams were on fire. After the heartstopper that was Sweden-Finland, I didn't expect much from this game. While Slovakia really impressed me against the US, Canada is Canada. Moreover, the match was in the middle of the night for me. However, I took a nap after our game and then saw this game. And holy moly. It was the best match of the tournament, easily. Of course it would be Bedard that nailed it in the end, but my god, what a match by Slovakia. What a comeback. Comebacks! Incredible. Slovakia will be a monster going forward. It'll be really interesting to see them play in the regular WC and Olympic games. It wouldn't surprise me if the NHL picks up a lot of them as well.
When you consider the number of players playing in Slovakia vs Canada...Slovakia punches way above it's weight. As does the Czech Rep. (sorry living here 30 years I cant use Czechia), in fact all European teams ice great teams with far smaller talent pool than Canada US and (oh well) Russia (maybe you'll be back in few decades).
As the commentator said at the end - this kid is out of this world! What a goal... Kudos to Slovakia, they almost pulled this one off and they should be proud forever for the game they played...
I've seen Bedard play live and he is absolutely worth the price of admission. I'm an Oiler's fan and I think he's better than McDavid. He has a tiny bit better vision, the same hands, and a better shot. When McDavid loses a step in his 30s he's going to be in trouble whereas Bedard's game doesn't have nearly the potential for the drop off. It's like how Ovi's shot means he doesn't have to have speed to keep scoring in his late 30s.
@@godslayer8894 McDavid will have to reinvent his game for sure though, is what I'm saying, or else Draisaitl will have a far better 30's than he will. Bedard's game right here right now is already poised to age well.
Wow, what a game. Gongrats to 🇨🇦 from 🇸🇰. I really thought this will be a massive one-sided game for Canada, but On the end I am happy to salute to both. Amazing 👏 See you next year
What a phenomenal game of Slovakia! We are used to Canada playing out of this world games, but here one could feel this great spirit of hockey sport in both teams. Slovakia came so close to beat the champions... but this last winning attack was just insane!
@@laurisiltanen8348 As and Oiler's fan that just hurts. I was already a fan of him before that year and then he had that monster tournament and then the Oilers got him and I was over the moon. Turns out the Finnish GM of the Blue Jackets passed over him for a good reason.
Little Slovakia vs big hockey monster Canada. 11,000 vs. 550,000 registered players and only 1 goal difference? Lucky Canada. VERY GOOD JOB SLOVAKIA !!!! We are proud of the Slovak boys' performance!
Im Canadien, but i was finding myself rooting for Slovak to keep it close. Was best game ive seen in a long time. Happy to see Mesar playing so well. Slovaks played unbelievable. So much passion. Not sure Canada would have won without Bedard. What a beast.
You know, me beeing fan of Slovak hockey I always find similarities between or nations (also, could be applied to Finns). Country to well known neighbour (USA/Czechia/Sweden) which is more advanced , more rich and powerful. We only posses more harsh climate :) So naturaly- we will compensate in hockey.
Deserved to win? C'mon. Canada hit 5 posts in the third period and ot and those don't even count as shots on net. The Slovaks played great and the result is about the best they could expect.
Wow! What a fantastic game! Well done Team Slovakia, your team can hold its head high after such a great effort. Congrats Team Canada! Connor Bedard is an incredible talent with an extremely bright future. Onward towards the Gold medal. GO CANADA GO!!!!!
That Slovak goalie is a legend! That game could have gone either way with the open ice of 3 on 3 play. Just a few years ago Canada/Slovakia was a no contest match up. What a game! You know it's a great game when deep down you want your team to win, but feel if it goes the other way you'd have a smile on your face for the opponent in a well deserved win.
Idk if anyone’s gonna see this cuz it’s 5 months after, but holy crap what a game. This was essentially Slovakia’s u19 team as well, only 4 players can’t return to next year’s team. If they had Slafkovsky I doubt they would have lost this game. That being said what a winner from the future Blackhawks legend
That Bedard guy is a prodigy. Interesting to see if he is able to keep it up in the NHL and raise to challenge McDavid. Maybe a modern-day Gretzky - Lemieux rivalry? Could be hopium though. Anyway, gg both teams. And big congrats to team Canada! Greetings from Finland.
this was actually a crazy game, both teams playing exceptionally, all the crazy moments from both teams. Slovakia played absolutely amazing, especially their goalie, huge respect to all those players and i hope they have great hockey careers. Bedard, man, that was just they most unreal thing i've ever seen.
As a Canadian, I'm happy our guys won, but DAMN Slovakia brought their game! I have to raise a beer to those young guys for how skilled and tough they are!
Slovakia is one of my favourite hockey teams now. sort of reminds me of Croatian soccer team! that was a barn-burner of a game. one of the better games i've seen.
Both Slovakia and Czech Republic is on the rise it seems. Very entertaining game it at least, gave me some hope that Canada must fight for the gold not just go get it. Greetings from Sweden.
This game was by far the best game in the tournament. When I was watching it I was feeling sick I was so worried for Canada. But then BEDARD comes in STRONG. He couldn't score with a shot so he took on all 3 players and puts it in. This game and the gold medal game were amazing. But by far this game was insane.
Hats off Canadians, you were much better, deserved win truly. But our boys fought really well and till the end, even in 3rd period we had some really good chances for 4th goal. But this win was truly deserved for Canada, good luck !
Gajan vs Bedard, battle of two titans. Slovakia played with all their hearts, it was an awesome battle and we are very proud of you, for us you are the best ❤ Canada very good game and congratulations to your well earned victory 🇸🇰🤝🇨🇦
