TORONTO – Team Canada and Team Europe will meet in the best-of-three World Cup of Hockey 2016 Final beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN, CBC, TVAS). Game 2 is set for Thursday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2, CBC, TVAS) and Game 3 (if necessary) will be played on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2, CBC, TVAS). All games will be played at Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Team Canada earned its spot in the World Cup of Hockey 2016 Final with a 5-3 win over Team Russia in the semifinals on Saturday behind a two-goal performance by forward Brad Marchand (Halifax, Nova Scotia/Boston Bruins). Team Europe advanced to the Final when forward Tomas Tatar (Ilava, Slovakia/Detroit Red Wings) scored his second goal of the game at 3:43 of overtime on Sunday to give Team Europe a 3-2 win over Team Sweden.
Team Europe, a pan-European roster of players from birth countries outside of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden – features players from eight European nations: Germany and Slovakia (6 each); Switzerland (4); Denmark (3); and Austria, France, Norway and Slovenia (1 each).
Team Canada is appearing in the World Cup of Hockey/Canada Cup Final for the eighth time in as many such tournaments with wins in 1976, 1984, 1987, 1991 and 2004. Team Canada forward Sidney Crosby (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia/Pittsburgh Penguins) leads the tournament in scoring with four goals and seven points in four games. Goaltender Carey Price (Anahim Lake, British Columbia/Montreal Canadiens) is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage in three starts.
Jaroslav Halak (Bratislava, Slovakia/N.Y. Islanders) made 37 saves, including 19 in the third period and overtime, in Team Europe’s win over Team Sweden in the semifinals. He owns a 3-1-0 record in the tournament, stopping 142-of-150 shots for a 1.96 goals-against average, .947 save percentage and one shutout. Forward Mats Zuccarello (Oslo, Norway/N.Y. Rangers) leads Team Europe in scoring with a goal and four points in four games.
