Canada seek to end medal drought at worlds

Led by Sidney Crosby, Canada will be looking to end their five-year medal drought at the ice hockey world championships as the 2015 edition starts in the Czech Republic on Friday.

Played in Prague and the eastern city of Ostrava, the tournament is another opportunity for the 27-year-old Crosby to join the so-called Triple Gold Club of players who have won the Olympic gold, the Stanley Cup and the world gold.

Crosby won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and has Olympic gold medals from Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi last year.

"Anytime you can represent Canada, it's an honour," Crosby said on Twitter.

"I looked at the roster Hockey Canada has put together and I'm excited about the opportunity we have to win gold," added the 2007 and 2014 winner of the Art Ross Trophy awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who has scored the most points per season.

Canada's last medal from the world championships was a silver from 2009. They last won the tournament in 2007.

Looking to whet his appetite for success, Canada coach Todd McLellan, who left the San Jose bench this month after failing to lead the Sharks to the NHL playoffs, has also called up star forwards Claude Giroux, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza.

Arizona goalie Mike Smith is likely to be McLellan's number-one choice behind a defensive line comprising the Florida Panthers' Aaron Ekblad, the top pick in the 2014 NHL draft.

Defending champions Russia will also rely on a Penguins star as 2009 and 2012 Art Ross Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin has agreed to join the team.

The world championships are often shunned by top players who either vie for the Stanley Cup in the NHL playoffs or prefer to heal their injuries or look for a new contract.

Other stars on the Russian team include St Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, New York Islanders defenceman Nikolay Kulemin and former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk, now plying trade at St Petersburg in the Russian-based Continental Hockey League.

The eyes of the home crowd will be set on yet another Penguins legend, the 43-year-old Jaromir Jagr, who won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992.

Jagr, who joined the Florida Panthers from the New Jersey Devils this season, led the Czech Republic to a surprise Olympic gold in Nagano in 1998 and to world titles in 2005 and 2010.

Canada and the Czech Republic will face stiff competition from 2013 champions Sweden in Prague's Group A, which also comprises Austria, France, Germany, Latvia and 2013 runners-up Switzerland.

Sweden have called up 12 NHL players, including Dallas Stars goalie Jhonas Enroth, Arizona defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and 20-year-old Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg.

In Group B played in Ostrava, Russia will take on the US team, the bronze medallists from 2013, alongside 2011 champions Finland, 2012 runners-up Slovakia and minnows Belarus, Denmark, Norway and Slovenia.

In the opening games on Friday, May 1, Canada will face Latvia and the USA will take on Finland. Later on Friday, the Czech Republic are due to play with Sweden while Russia faces Norway.  

The finals are scheduled for May 17.
Source: AFP