Team Canada has lost its first game of the IIHF World Championship—and Nathan MacKinnon was absolutely livid afterward. A reporter’s question made him snap back and storm out of the room.
While Team Canada and Team Sweden have star-filled rosters at this year’s Worlds, Finland hasn’t been as lucky. They only have a handful of players who regularly play in the NHL, and during the tournament, they’ve had tight games against nations like France and Austria.
So when Finland faced Canada—with superstars like Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby in the lineup—on Monday, many expected an easy win for the Canadians. But despite Canada dominating play and outshooting Finland 37–20, the game ended 1–1 in regulation. In the shootout, Finland came out on top.
Nathan MacKinnon loses it
MacKinnon, who has eight points in six games at this year’s tournament, had a rough night. He was sent to the penalty box for a two-minute roughing minor and also missed his shootout attempt. After the game, he was furious—at the officials, Swedish referee Mikael Holm, and Czech official Jan Hribik. MacKinnon felt Canada deserved more power plays, and when asked about the referees, he didn’t hold back.
“Horrible. We have the puck all game but only get one power play. Why do you ask, are you from Finland?” he said, according to a Swedish newspaper.
According to the outlet, MacKinnon grew even more frustrated when the reporter wouldn’t clearly say whether they were from Finland—prompting him to storm out of the room.
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