In perhaps the biggest blow of all, the men's hockey team didn't even make it to the final courtesy of a stunning 4-3 loss to Germany on Friday night in the semifinals. For a nation already in despair over no men's or women's curling medals and the women's hockey team losing to the rival Americans in a shootout in the gold-medal game, this one won't be easy to swallow as Canada's bid to win three consecutive Olympic golds fell horribly short.
Through 14 days, 10 of Canada's best-ever 27 medals are gold.
Losing to Germany guaranteed none will be in hockey.
"They came out ready to play," Canada forward Rob Klinkhammer said. "We didn't. They were the better team."
Without NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty, elite goaltender Carey Price — and no Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Babcock, either — Canada was skated out of the building by coach Marco Sturm's team that now faces an even stiffer test in the favored Russians in Sunday's final.
After winning back-to-back gold medals in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014, and three of the past four dating to 2002, Canada's self-described band of journeymen will play the Czech Republic for bronze on Saturday.
"We did not match their work ethic," Canada forward Derek Roy said. "It stings a lot. It is not a good feeling to lose a game like that."
Canada has only settled for a bronze medal twice in 21 previous Olympic men's hockey tournaments and took home gold or silver in each of the six games with women's hockey.
"Disappointed, for sure," coach Willie Desjardins said. "Everybody's disappointed. We knew what we wanted and we worked hard to get here and we came up a little bit short."
