Photo credit: IG
Following Team Canada Junior’s loss in the semifinals of the World Junior Hockey Championship, an announcement involving Michael Hage is generating a lot of reaction.
On Sunday, an announcement indeed caught everyone around Team Canada Junior by surprise.
After the heartbreaking loss, the federation revealed its three best players of the tournament for Canada. The official selection landed on Sam O’Reilly, Tij Iginla, and Zayne Parekh – and it set social media on fire.
The issue is clearly the absence of Michael Hage from this honorary trio.
For Montreal Canadiens fans, this is exactly the kind of decision that doesn’t sit right, because Hage was at the heart of Canada’s offense throughout the entire tournament, in the eyes of many. He may even have been THE best player on Team Canada Junior over the past few weeks.
Michael Hage is completely ignored by Hockey Canada in its top 3
The reactions were immediate. Some fans wrote that he was robbed, others said they were still stunned. Even with all due respect to the three selections, the general feeling is simple:
Hage deserved his spot, and there were hundreds of reactions echoing that sentiment.
The decision is also peculiar because it points to three players associated with other organizations – the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Calgary Flames, and the Utah Mammoth.
That takes nothing away from their performances, but it does help explain why Canadiens fans reacted so strongly and so quickly, especially considering that Michael Hage finished the tournament with more points than them. And it wasn’t just Habs fans, either.
In the end, Canada does not advance to the final, but the selection decision will linger. The team will face Finland in the bronze medal game.
Hage didn’t receive the title, but he clearly won the hearts of a lot of people.
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
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Michael Hage’s absence from Team Canada Junior’s top three leaves fans stunned
Did Michael Hage deserve a spot in Canada’s top 3 at the tournament?