Red Wings’ Emmitt Finney deals with NHL woes: ‘It’s been tough’
Emmitt Finney and Todd McClellan of the Detroit Red Wings speak in Detroit on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
Hockey Canada apologized Saturday after players omitted postgame handshakes following an emotional 7-5 win over the Czech Republic at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
It is customary for teams to shake hands after games at the World Juniors, but Canada skated onto the ice without shaking hands after a heated fracas in Minneapolis on Friday that included pregame antics, cheers among players and a scrum after the whistle.
“After last night’s game, the Canadian junior team skated off the ice before shaking hands with the Czech team,” Hockey Canada said in a statement. “Hockey Canada takes full responsibility for this oversight and has apologized to the team, the Czech Ice Hockey Association and the IIHF for the mistake.”
Perennial favorites Canada, who suffered heart-breaking defeats to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals of the past two World Junior Championships, needed four goals in the third period to secure victory in their first game of the tournament.
Team Canada captain Porter Martone scored an empty-net goal with a minute left to give his team a two-goal lead, but was then given a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for slipping through the Czech bench and tapping forward Adam Novotny on the backside.
The players and Canadian coach Dale Hunter admitted ignorance in not participating in the traditional postgame handshake.
“I didn’t mean any disrespect to anyone,” Canadian winger Tigi Iginla said. “Actually, we never thought we should shake hands, but now we do and we will shake hands after the game, regardless of the result.”
Hunter said: “But you know something, I didn’t. But now I know. So there will be a handshake (after tonight’s game against Latvia) and I’m going to say I’m sorry to the Czechs.”
