It wasn’t a normal rendition of the men’s hockey world championship.
The 2021 tournament ended on Sunday in Riga, Latvia after being played under quarantine conditions for players who kept the number of NHL regulars lower than usual. That didn’t detract from the excitement of the tournament, which Canada won by leading Finland for the gold medal in extra time.
There were also many Blue Jackets storylines to follow. Here is a breakdown:
• Gerard Gallant demonstrated his coaching skills by leading Canada to their 21st World Championship gold medal and third place in the past six years. The Canadians overcame three defeats in a row plus one shootout loss to Finland on the last day of the preliminary round, snuck into the medal round and then switched to top gear.
Gallant, a former NHL player, got his first NHL head coaching experience with Columbus and has also coached the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. He reportedly interviewed for the New York Rangers coaching position before moving to Latvia, where he videoconferenced the Blue Jackets.
• Gregory Hofmann finished with eight points, six goals and two assists for Switzerland. He also finished third on goals with Canadian Adam Henrique (Anaheim Ducks) and US striker Conor Garland (Arizona Coyotes).
Hofmann, 28, is expected to sign with the Blue Jackets this off-season. He is a friend and former teammate of Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins and won the NLA championship with EV Zug this season. He scored 18-23-41 scoring lines in the regular season (36 games) and 6-8-14 in 13 playoff games. The Blue Jackets acquired its signing rights from the Carolina Hurricanes on February 13 for a round seven pick (2021).
• Liam Foudy won his second gold medal in less than two years, representing Canada in that tournament and the 2020 Junior World Cup. Foudy was 0-2-2 with a minus-2 rating in 10 games this time.
• Justin Danforth has signed a one-year contract with the Blue Jackets for next season and has spent the last three years in the top professional circles in Finland and Russia. After spending two years with Lukko in the Finnish Liiga, the 5-foot-9 forward moved to Vityaz Podolsk in the Continental Hockey League that season, scoring an impressive 23-32-55 in 58 games. Danforth, 28, played center for Canada and ended with an empty goal.
• Striker Eric Robinson and defender Adam Clendening lifted the US bronze medal. Robinson finished 0-3-3 in 10 games and Clendening had 2-3-5 in seven games.
• Russia had multiple connections with Blue Jackets including defender Vladislav Gavrikov, center Dmitri Voronkov (2019 fourth round election) and forward Mikhail Grigorenko. Gavrikov had 0-2-2 and Voronkov 2-4-6 in eight games. Grigorenko, who returns to the KHL next season, had 3-4-7 in five games.
Former Blue Jackets goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky also joined the Russian team after the Florida Panthers were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was playing in a game.
• Blue Jackets goalkeeper Matiss Kivlenieks played for hosts Latvia and impressed despite a 1-2-0 record. Kivlenieks excluded Canada in the preliminary round of Latvia’s first win against the Canadians. He finished the tournament averaging 2.18 goals and a save percentage of 0.922.
Others with Blue Jackets connections were the 2020 draft picks, Samuel Knazko (Slovakia) and Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm (Norway). Knazko signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets on Wednesday.
Chinakhov top rookie
Yegor Chinakhov was awarded the KHL’s Alexei Cherepanov Award as the best rookie in this league on Tuesday. Chinakhov, 20, was selected 21st by the Blue Jackets in last year’s draft and helped Avangard Omsk win the KHL’s Gagarin Cup 5-2-7 in 21 playoff games.
He had 10-7-17 in the regular season (32 games) and has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Blue Jackets.
@BrianHedger
