Canada-USA promises to be special night for Easton Cowan and his mates

Published Dec 30, 2024  •  2 minute read

Team Canada's John Tavares scores on USA goalie Thomas McCollum during their classic New Years Eve clash in 2008. Photo by Tom Hanson /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Easton Cowan has been prepared for the night that awaits him.

Article content

Article content

He has talked about it extensively with John Tavares, the hero of that classic, 2009 world junior championship clash between Canada and the US and now a star with the Toronto Maple Leafs — the same team that made Cowan a first-round NHL pick two Junes ago.

Like his Canada teammates, Cowan can’t wait to experience the atmosphere in the same building Tavares helped create 16 years later.

Article content

“We actually had a lot of talks throughout the summer about his experience,” Cowan said Monday at the Canadian Tire Centre. “And then also, before I came here, he wished me good luck.

“There’s a lot of fun stories there. So hopefully we can make some fun stories here.”

The story that has to rank as one of the most fun ever for Tavares was scoring three goals to lead Canada in a come-from-the-grave, 5-4 victory over the Americans that New Year’s Eve.

“Obviously, scoring that the hat trick is pretty special to him, and helping his team win against the Americans,” said Cowan. “That was really cool.”

After the Leafs practice in Toronto on Monday, Tavares told reporters that Cowan, who was on Team Canada’s fifth-place finishing team at the world juniors 12 months ago “is very driven to wanting a much better finish to the tournament than they did last year.

“I think credit to them and the way they played (Sunday) and how they just stuck with it, especially with a lot of noise with how the game finished up against Latvia,” said Tavares, who has been following this year’s tournament closely . “Just to stay the course and grind their way through it and I think that’ll only help them build throughout the tournament. (Tuesday) night will be a lot of fun to watch.”

Article content

The top seed gets the fourth-place team on the B side in the quarterfinal of the playoff round, while the loser of Tuesday’s game might have to face either Sweden or Czechia — two teams very capable of advancing — depending on what happens in the earlier Finland-Latvia clash.

“The fans would be loud,” understated Cowan. “So hopefully we can get them in the game early. It’s the games that you dream of as a kid, playing against the States and wearing the maple leaf,” said Canada’s captain, Brayden Yager. “It’s going to be a good one.”

Dave Cameron remembers the previous Canada-U.S. New Year’s Eve tilt at the Canadian Tire Centre as more than a good one.

“That game had everything,” said the Canada coach, who stood alongside bench boss Pat Quinn as an assistant at the 2009 WJC. “That’s what this tournament is. We were down 3-0 and there was every reason for the game to be over at that point. But junior hockey being junior hockey, it’s never over. There’s no such thing as a safe lead, and Johnny Tavares got hot, and we came back. It was one of the most exciting games of all time.”

Article content