The Canadians managed to get to know the beauties of Vienna and Budapest even before the start of the championship, where they will fight for the 29th title in history. They played preliminary matches in Austria and Hungary shortly before the tournament and won 5:1 and 4:0, respectively. On Thursday, they enjoyed the beauty of Prague.
“The experience of staying in Europe so far has been really amazing. It’s great. We have a great group of guys here and we’ve been to some really incredible cities. Vienna was beautiful, really beautiful. Budapest was also fantastic, they took good care of us there. And yesterday we arrived in Prague and went into the city.
It was great to be able to visit such wonderful cities where there is so much to see and where one has not been before. I really enjoyed it a lot. Of course, it was also a kind of team building for us, because we discovered it all together and had a lot of fun in the process. But now we have to create a cohesive team, especially on the ice, and try to be as well prepared as possible for the tournament. Being a real team is the most important thing for us right now,” said 18-year-old Bedard.
It is the performance of the talented youngster that will attract huge attention at the World Cup. In his debut season in the NHL, he collected 22 goals and 39 assists in 68 games in the jersey of struggling Chicago, which is undergoing reconstruction.
“Connor is an important player for us. This isn’t about age, it’s about what you can do on the ice. And he really showed a lot during the season at the NHL level. Even in the past, he has already shown at the international level that he is a player for big matches. He will be an important part of our team,” said Tourigny to the already three-time world champion.
Bedard triumphed with the Canadian 18 and twice with the 20. He has also won numerous individual awards. He has a good chance to complete the gold collection this year. “I think we have something of everything. There are skillful players in the team, but also big ones who know how to toughen up. At the same time, they are mobile and play well with the puck. We also have excellent goalkeepers,” praised Tourigny, whose selection received fresh reinforcements in the form of star striker John Tavares, captain of Toronto.
WC in hockey 2024
The 87th World Ice Hockey Championship is taking place in the term 10-26 May 2024 in the Czech Republic, the tournament will be divided between the cities of Prague and Ostrava.
