This Week in Sports: Major snubs on Canadian Olympic hockey team, Canada falls to Czechia in world juniors heartbreaker, Auston Matthews becomes Leafs’ all-time scorer

As the world of sport continues to grow, Canadians and their sports teams are front and centre as they make their mark around the globe — and in no small way. ​This past week, there were numerous major moments featuring Canadian talent, and some highlights from across pro sports that are just too good to ignore.

Canada fell to Czechia in a heartbreaking semifinal clash at the world juniors, the Canadian Olympic men’s hockey roster was announced, and Auston Matthews became the Toronto Maple Leafs’ all-time leading goal scorer.

Outside of hockey, RJ Barrett continued to make his mark on the Toronto Raptors, Ali Ahmed is leaving the MLS to join England’s Norwich City, and Cynthia Appiah earned silver in the women’s monobob event at the IBSF World Cup.

With that being said, here’s an update on some of the things you might’ve missed from our Canadians last week, and what you should have marked on your calendar moving forward.

Canada falls to Czechia in heartbreaking world juniors semifinal, will play Finland for bronze

For the third straight year, Canada fell to Czechia at the world junior hockey championships in the knockout rounds.

In a tightly knit semifinals affair, the Canadians fell 6-4 to the Czechs, taking away their chances of securing a possible gold medal. Czechia previously defeated Canada in the quarterfinals over the past two years, preventing them from making the final four of the men’s U-20 tournament for the first time in their history.

With just 1:14 left in regulation, and the game tied at 4, Tomas Poletin’s foot deflected the puck past Jack Ivankovic to give Czechia the lead. And less than a minute later, an empty netter from Vojtech Cihar would put this one to bed.

The Czechs will play Sweden for gold tongith at 8:30 p.m. EST, while Canada will play Finland for bronze shortly before at 4:30 p.m. EST. This also marks the first time since 2016 that both Canada or the United States won’t be featured in the gold medal game.

Canada defeated Czechia in the opening game of the tournament on Boxing Day, giving them a strong amount of momentum coming into this one. However, they weren’t able to take control at any point of the matchup. The Czech’s aggressive forechecking and physical play proved to be too much for most of the contest.

If there’s a silver lining, a win over Finland would give Canada their first bronze medal since 2012.

Three biggest snubs from Canada’s Olympic men’s hockey roster

On Wednesday, the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey roster was revealed, and not without controversy.

Aside from the obvious names, there were a few notable players that were left out of the selection. And as always, anytime a best-on-best roster is announced, there will be questions about who should’ve or shouldn’t be on the team. With that being said, here are three of some of the biggest snubs left off the roster.

Mackenzie Blackwood

Of all the three players left off the team, Mackenzie Blackwood might have the best case considering the season he’s had.

Since being traded to the Colorado Avalanche, Blackwood leads all Canadian goalies with a .924 save percentage and a 2.07 goals against average this season. Instead, Canada opted to go with the experienced Jordan Binnington, a rising star in Logan Thompson, and veteran Darcy Kuemper

Although experience matters, sometimes it’s just about being in form. And as of now, no Canadian goaltender is better than Blackwood.

Connor Bedard

The most popular snub on the list, Connor Bedard, was in the middle of a solid third year with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Before his shoulder injury on Dec. 12, Bedard had 44 points in 31 games, putting him seventh among Canadian players in scoring. He was also on pace for 100 points at the time.

Although general manager Doug Armstrong said that Bedard’s injury had nothing to do with the decision, it’s hard to imagine that it didn’t have an impact.

Matthew Schaefer

For most young players, it usually takes some time to get acclimated into a league that’s much faster than the junior level.

However, Matthew Schaefer isn’t most young players, and that’s why there’s a solid case for him to be on Team Canada. The 18-year-old is averaging a team-high 23 minutes and 47 seconds of ice time for the New York Islanders this season.

The Hamilton, Ont., native also became the youngest defenceman in NHL history to reach 25 points in a season. Even NFL legend and future hall of famer Tom Brady gave Schaefer a co-sign, saying that the young defender would be the NHL player that he’d sign to his sportswear brand.

However, it should be noted that if there were an injury before the Games, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Schaefer receive a call into the roster.

Auston Matthews becomes Leafs' all-time leading goal scorer

Auston Matthews has officially solidified himself as a Toronto Maple Leafs legend.

On Sunday, Matthews became the franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer, netting his 421st career goal against the New York Islanders. With this, he surpassed former Leafs captain and hall of famer Mats Sundin, who held the record for nearly 16 years.

Matthews tied Sundin with his 420th career goal mid-way through the second period, when he took advantage of a loose puck across the blue line. Then, just over eight minutes later, the Leafs captain ripped a one-timer from a Bobby McMann pass to give him the record.

Shortly after the goal, the Leafs released a video of Sundin congratulating Matthews for the accomplishment. The 28-year-old accomplished the feat in just 664 career games. Sundin scored 420 goals in 981 games with Toronto from 1995 to 2008.

It’s been a terrific small stretch for Matthews, as he now has five goals in his last two games. He was also one of the first six players named to the United States team that will compete at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games in just over a month from now.

He’ll look to continue finding the back of the net on Tuesday, when the Leafs host the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena.

Canadian Player of the Week: Sidney Crosby

There’s only one player in NHL history with at least 50 career overtime points, and his name is Sidney Crosby.

In the midst of a great nine-point week, Crosby closed it with a memorable performance against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. The Canadian Olympic captain took advantage of a late line change, and made a nice move on Jet Greaves before finishing with his backhand to give Pittsburgh a 5-4 victory.

The overtime winner was the 25th of Crosby’s career, the second most in NHL history behind only Alex Ovechkin. His 50 career overtime points are four ahead of Connor McDavid, who’s arguably the best player in the league.

At this point, just saying that Crosby is turning back the clock would be an understatement. The 38-year-old now has 47 points through 41 games, putting on pace to score 94 points in his 21st season in the NHL.

Crosby’s consistency and brilliance shouldn’t be understated, and it’s likely that it will be something that might not be seen again for a long time.

Raptors improve to 14-6 with RJ Barrett in lineup with win over Hawks

Thanks in large part to RJ Barrett, the Toronto Raptors were able to take down the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

Barrett scored a season-high 29 points, and added four rebounds to help Toronto take a 134-117 win over Atlanta. The Raptors are now 14-6 with Barrett in the lineup this season, compared to 7-8 without him.

Early in the third, Toronto led 107-106, when Barrett decided to kick it into another gear. His eight points were part of a 16-0 run to open the final frame, leading the Raptors to take a 123-106 lead with just over seven minutes to go in the game.

Since returning from his injury on Dec. 28, Barrett is averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 51 per cent from the field. Barrett’s impact on the Raptors shouldn’t be understated, with the team averaging 10.7 points better per 100 half-court possessions with him on the court.

The Mississauga, Ont., native will look to help the Raptors build their Eastern Conference standing tonight, when they take on the Hawks once again. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.

Canadian international Ali Ahmed to leave MLS for Norwich City

The Canadian men’s national soccer team will have another player that will feature in Europe this season.

Ali Ahmed will leave the Vancouver Whitecaps and join Norwich City on a two-year contract in the next transfer window. The Canadian midfielder will join the English side after having a strong season in 2025, recording a goal and 11 assists in all competitions with the MLS side.

Ahmed was a major part in the Whitecaps’ successful season, helping them earn a Canadian Championship title and a berth to the MLS Cup final. He spent the last four seasons with Vancouver, earning 68 appearances with the team.

The 25-year-old is also a prime candidate to represent Canada at the 2026 World Cup, and will likely be slotted as one of the wingers for the team. He has 22 career appearances for the red and white, with his lone goal coming against Romania in a friendly back in September.

Cynthia Appiah wins silver in World Cup monobob in Germany

It’s been a while, but on Saturday, Cynthia Appiah found herself back on the podium once again.

The Toronto native earned silver in the women’s monobob event at the IBSF World Cup. It’s her first World Cup medal of the season, and the eighth of her career in the event. Her time of one minute and 58.23 second also matches a career-best mark, and something she hasn’t gotten close to since the last Olympic season.

Appiah was fourth after the first heat, but she managed to pull off the fastest time in the second and final heat to jump two spots up.

The 35-year-old has her eyes set on a second straight Olympic appearance, and a finish like this will only help her chances as we get closer to the start of the Games.