More players speak out against IIHF for cancelling World Juniors

In case you missed the news yesterday, the 2022 World Junior Championships has been cancelled.

Earlier in the week team USA was forced to forfeit their game against Switzerland after two players tested positive for COVID-19 and their entire team was forced into quarantine. Today Russia was forced to forfeit their game against Slovakia for the same reasons, ditto for Czechia against Finland.

To be perfectly frank, I honestly can't believe things came to this. But then again how many times have I said that to myself in 2020 and 2021?

Truthfully, I'm baffled by the IIHF's decision to cancel this tournament. There were only four confirmed positive test cases. To me, that's pretty much an ideal situation. What was the IIHF expecting? Zero cases? Because that would have been impossible with the way that the tournament was set up. And I'm not the only person out there who is perplexed by this decision. Players and coaches are taking to social media to express their disappointment and outright anger toward the IIHF for this decision.

Finnish head coach Antti Pennanen:

"I am angry because this was not a COVID problem, but the problem was that this was a poorly run tournament. ... This says a lot about the state of the IIHF."

- Antti Pennanen

Interestingly enough, USA head coach Nate Leaman responded to Pennanen's statement simply saying, "100 percent."

Swedish goalie and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Calle Clang:

"Feels completely absurd, you are mostly in shock. The dreams were extinguished in a second. Feels actually completely sick, we could complete last year's WJC but not this year, which is very strange."

- Calle Clang

Slovakian goaltender Simon Latkoczy did NOT hold back in his criticism for how things were handled:

I would like to say few words about this wolds junior tournament. It is a joke. Nothing else is true. How is this even possible? Every single player has been preparing for this tournament for a days, months, even the years. This is the best part of the junior hockey. I was so excited to play at this tournament because i know how many people watch that and how great experience it is. It is a celebration of hockey. The best players at one place all together. Christmas time without the families? Hard to imagine right? We give everything we can to hockey every day, even spent the biggest holidays without our families. And I can tell you one thing. It is hard. I came here and tried to do my best and this is how it is done? This goes on IIHF. They completely underestimated this tournament. The organization from the first day was terrible. I felt like I am participating at some basic youth hockey tournament. We all know that Covid is the main problem nowadays but this has nothing similar with Covid. All of us know that last year WJC took place as well in Canada. Same city same purpose, and it was to avoid of covid and have fun of hockey. Even tho there was a team Germany that had couple guys tested positive but the other players still could play. And we all know that Covid was more dangerous last year. Last year we spent whole tournament in bubble just at our hotel and at the rink. It was crazy but it worked. The people who worked for us were in the bubble with us during all tournament. They did not go home at all. When I compare it to this year. We came couple days earlier to be quarantined at our hotel rooms to make sure there is no Covid after traveling. Great, everything went great, no Covid cases after traveling. So where is the problem? #nextpostcontinue #pokracovanievdalsompripevku

Simon Latkoczy

I feel for these guys... I really do...

It's safe to say that the players and coaches are NOT happy about the IIHF's decision and neither are fans and media members. Check out some of these reactions:

In all honesty this was an entirely predictable outcome and if the IIHF wasn't prepared to "push through" a rash of positive test cases, then the entire tournament should have been held in a bubble like it was in 2020/2021. You may recall that last year the tournament ran without a hitch while the players quarantined themselves in hotels, restaurants and Edmonton's Rogers Place. 

This year the IIHF elected to open things back up a bit and... well here we are. Again, entirely predictable. If the IIHF wasn't prepared to deal with a number of positive test cases then they either should have run this entire tournament in a bubble or they should have outright cancelled or postponed it. It's clear to me that there was a ridiculous lack of foresight and now the IIHF is scrambling to get things under control... in the end it's hockey fans who pay the ultimate price. So tired of this...