‘Really dumb decision’: Canada captain Martone apologizes for unsportsmanlike conduct

Porter Martone sealed Team Canada’s big Boxing Day win over Czechia at the World Juniors with an empty-net goal. Canada’s captain then proceeded to pat Adam Novotny on the back as he skated by the Czechia bench, which resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

“I need to apologize for the actions I took yesterday at the end of the game,” Martone said. “That’s unacceptable and that can’t happen. As the captain of this team and the leader of this team, it just sets a bad resemblance for the rest of the guys. That’s on me, and I can’t do that. It’s a learning experience. It’s in the past now, but I take full responsibility of the actions I took yesterday.”

“It wasn’t anything hurtful,” said Canada coach Dale Hunter. “You just got to make sure you keep your emotions in check.”

Martone is one of six Canadian players returning from the team that lost to Czechia in the quarterfinals last year. Martone had mentioned his team was seeking “revenge” heading into the game.

“You can’t be emotional,” said Hunter. “You gotta be robotic.”

Martone, who was the sixth overall pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in June’s NHL Draft, admits the emotions of the moment got the better of him.

“I’m a player who likes to play on the line and I went over the line,” the 19-year-old from Peterborough, Ont. said. “That can’t happen. It’s something I can learn from but, yeah, I apologize to everyone. That’s unacceptable and it can’t happen again.”

Even in warm-ups, Martone appeared to be extra amped up as he skated over the red line and bumped into a Czech player.

Canada was the most penalized team at the World Juniors last year in Ottawa, which is a big reason why they finished fifth. Discipline has been a major talking point for the team dating back to the summer camp.

“I just need to be smarter,” Martone said. “It was a really dumb decision by me and not a smart play, so I’m going to learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“He’s just got to be smart all the time,” said Hunter. “You don’t need penalties. You see how good the power plays are here.”

Hunter allowed his players to vote on who should be captain at the World Juniors this year and Martone came in first. He previously captained Canada to the gold medal at the under-18 World Championship in 2024.

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Teams shake hands after games at the World Juniors, but that didn’t happen after Friday’s emotionally charged rematch between Canada and Czechia.

“No one was trying to be disrespectful or anything like that,” said Canada winger Tij Iginla. “We actually didn’t really know we were supposed to shake hands, but now we do and we’ll shake them after every game no matter the result.”

The coach also plead ignorance.

“You know something, though, I didn’t know,” said Hunter, who guided Canada to gold at the 2020 World Juniors. “But I know now, so there’ll be a handshake, and I’ll say sorry to the Czechs. We shaked the coaches hands, but we’ll do it tonight for sure.”

Hockey Canada issued a formal apology via a statement on Saturday.

“Hockey Canada takes full responsibility for this oversight and we have apologized to the team, Czech Ice Hockey Association and IIHF for our mistake.”

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Zayne Parekh breathed a sigh of relief after seeing his second-period shot enter the enter net against Czechia.

“Kind of just a weight lifted off my shoulders,” the Calgary Flames defenceman said. “It’s been a tough year for me. I’ve dealt with a lot. For me, it’s a confidence builder and I know I still got it.”

Parekh added another goal in the third period.

“I needed this,” the 19-year-old from Nobleton, Ont. said. “Mentally, It’s been a grind. For me, I’m happy I could help the team win and I’m getting back to where I am.”

Producing offence is what Parekh does. He piled up 33 goals and 107 points in his final Ontario Hockey League season in 2024-25. It was his second straight 30-goal campaign with the Saginaw Spirit.

But the transition to professional hockey has not been smooth for Parekh, who mustered just one assist in 11 games during an injury-plagued start to this season with the Flames before being loaned to Hockey Canada for the World Juniors.

How challenging has this season been?

“Yeah, tough,” he said. “It’s probably the question that will get me in trouble, but it’s been a tough season. I haven’t found my groove and that’s why I’m here, so looking to find it.”

Due to injury, Parekh didn’t play between Nov. 7 and when he got into a pre-tournament game with Canada on Dec. 17. So, the Boxing Day game at the World Juniors was Parekh’s first meaningful action in some time.

“For him to not play a game in almost two months and then go out and do that, it’s pretty special,” said goalie Carter George. “For him to stay calm, and just the way he plays it’s so unique and no other player plays like him.”

Parekh scored on a pair of snipes, but downplayed the idea that he has a great shot.

“It’s not even that great,” he said. “I just place pucks pretty well. A couple screens here and there and shoot through traffic and you get lucky.”

George has a different take.

“He’s got a super long stick and a whippy release,” Canada’s starter said. “He’s got a good shot on him.”

Friday didn’t exactly start well for Parekh, who experienced flu-like symptoms.

“It was a grind to get up,” he said. “Feeling really under weather, but I pumped a bunch of electrolytes into me and some meds and felt great.”

So, this was his flu game?

“Yeah, I’m [Michael] Jordan," he said with a grin. “My legs were dead and I had some body aches, but a little Tylenol and felt good.”

Parekh was named Canada’s top player by team management on Friday after logging a team high 22 minutes and 27 seconds.

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Canada’s second line – Michael Hage between Gavin McKenna and Brady Martin – started the scoring on Friday. McKenna made a beautiful spin pass to find Martin open in the slot.

“Gavin sees the ice really well and he knows where everyone is at all times,” said Martin. “Yeah, I just stayed there and figured he was going to get me the puck and he did.”

“I saw him there,” McKenna confirmed. “I mean, I saw Hager make a great play to me. I knew Marty was flying down the left side and I thought maybe catch the Czechs a little bit off guard, and when Marty gets the puck there, he’s not going to miss very much.”

Martin was actually surprised to see the puck go in.

“I thought I hit him in the chest, but I guess it squeaked through somehow,” he said.

Things just seem to be working out for Canada’s second line, which caught fire when put together in the first pre-tournament game.

“They’re both so skilled and they just find me,” Martin said. “They get me the puck, and I go to the net and put it in. It’s pretty easy to play with guys like that.”

Hage (one goal, two assists), Martin (one goal, one assist) and McKenna (two assists) all registered multi-point nights.

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Martin is sticking to his pre-game routine of eating two chocolate-glazed donuts despite not having access to his beloved Tim Hortons in Minneapolis.

“I’m not too happy we’re playing in the States right now,” the Soo Greyhounds forward said. “There’s no Timmies but, hey, I gotta work around it, I guess.”

What’s he doing?

“I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”

But just like on the ice, Martin is finding a way.

“Oh yeah, getting it done,” he said with a wide grin. “No worries.”

Martin started his media session by chomping down on a piece of pizza.

“He’s one of a kind,” said McKenna. “He’s just so energetic. Every single guy loves him in that room. He’s a glue guy. I don’t know what to say about his diet, but it’s working.”

“It’s just who he is,” said George. “It’s so unique. He’s so funny. He’s an absolute character. We were talking about this earlier, you can’t describe him to anyone. He’s just his own person that’s why everyone loves him.”

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Canada wanted to get revenge against Czechia after the country knocked them out of the last two World Juniors.

“Obviously sitting with that loss for that last year sucked so for us to get that win, it feels good and I’m sure the country’s pretty happy about it,” said McKenna.

“It means a lot to us, but even more to the country,” said George, who took the loss in last year’s quarterfinal. “I mean, last two years they’ve knocked us out so for us getting the first win against them it means a lot, and if we do see them in an elimination game I know we’ll be hungry for that one too.”

Despite allowing five goals, George felt pretty good in net. He described it as a “weird” game.

“When I was younger I watched the Grant Fuhr documentary and they said that no matter how many goals he let in, it could be an 8-6 game, but you knew he was having the next one," said George. “My mindset was just get the next one and making the save and keeping the team in it. Make the saves when it matters most. You’re never happy with five, but at the end of the day it’s a win so happy with that.”

Canadian players readily admitted they have a lot to work on moving forward.

“Not where we want to be,” said Parekh. “We got to manage pucks more. You look at all their goals and they come off pretty much turnovers and won battles by them.”

Hunter is stressing puck management.

“The turnover ratio was big, I betcha, for both teams,” Canada’s head coach said. “Turnovers are the problem. They come right back at our D and they have no gap so it’s a problem.

And it’s not just defence that can be better.

“We got to find ways to get pucks to the net a little bit more,” said McKenna. “We scored seven goals or whatever it was, but we could’ve scored more if we got more traffic and pucks to the net. And obviously we can’t be giving up five goals a game. We gotta clean that up a bit and just little details. But first game of the tournament, there’s lots of time.”

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Canada’s second game at the World Juniors presents another opportunity for revenge as they face Latvia, who shocked them in a shootout last year.

The vibe going into this year’s game is much different.

“A big thing for us about this year is just being humble,” Martone said. “We got to take every opponent serious. Every opponent is a good team here, and everyone can win at any given night. So, you know, we enjoyed that win until about 12 o’clock last night. We reset, and now we’re on to Latvia. Yeah, and we’re going to be ready to go.”

“They’ll probably be more cautious for us and ready for us,” said returning Latvian winger Bruno Osmanis. “If we play our game and play as a team, it’s going to be a great game.”

Latvia is not dwelling too much on last year’s shocking shootout win over Canada.

“That’s history,” said head coach Artis Abols. “You know, OK, of course, the memory, that’s the first time ever we beat Canada, it’s good, but that’s past. You can’t live in the past. It’s new chapter. New year. New thing.”

And yet that win over Canada in Ottawa does provide some confidence ahead of Saturday’s showdown.

“The odds still are against us,” said Abols. ‘But, at the same time, two years ago Latvia got the bronze medal in the world championship. Last year we beat Canada [at the World Juniors]. In one hockey game everything is possible."

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Jack Ivankovic took the loss last year. The Michigan Wolverines freshman is grateful for a shot at personal redemption on Saturday.

“I’m pretty excited,” the 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont. said. “They’re a good team. You can’t take anyone lightly in this tournament, but we’re pumped for that game.”

Ivankovic performed well against Latvia last year, stopping 24 of 26 shots, and then seven of eight in the shootout, but it wasn’t enough.

“You never want to lose, especially like that,” he said. “Our whole team, we remember what happened last year and we’ll come forward this year and do what we do.”

Ivankovic is off to a tremendous start in the NCAA with a 16-4-0 record and .927 save percentage.

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Latvia needed a heroic effort from goalie Linards Feldbergs to beat Canada last year.

“I talk to him quite a bit,” said Newfoundland Regiment goalie Mikus Vecvanags, who is a Montreal Canadiens prospect. “He’s one of my best friends. I asked for advice about how he prepared and what he took away from it. I try to stick to my routines as well but try to learn from him as well.”

What did Vecvanags learn from Feldbergs?

“Just try to go out there, compete all the time, all 60 minutes if not more,” he said. “Have fun and try to stay calm. That’s it.”

Vecvanags describes his style of play as “competitive” and said he models his game on Spencer Knight.

“Similar build and similar style as well,” he said. “I read the game well and I communicate with my D.”

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Latvia will be leaning heavily on draft-eligible defenceman Alberts Smits.

“I feel alright,” the 18-year-old from Riga said. “There’s nothing going inside of me. I’m just here to play hockey.”

Is he looking forward to measuring himself against McKenna and Canada’s draft-eligible defenceman Carson Carels?

“I have played against bigger guys,” said Smits, who plays for Jukurit in the top Finnish league. “I don’t think, ‘What I’m going to play against?’ I’m just going do my thing out there.”

The kid as no-nonsense as they come, but Abols pulled him aside for a chat.

“He’s back with his age group and everyone will see him and compare how good he is,” said the coach. “Play your game. Don’t try to do more than the situation asks. You can play, but don’t overplay the situation.”

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Projected Team Canada lineup for Saturday’s game:

Iginla - Misa - Martone

McKenna - Hage - Martin

Reschny - Beaudoin - Luchanko

Desnoyers - Cootes - O’Reilly

Greentree

Reid - Parekh

Carels - Brunicke

Aitcheson - Danford

MacKenzie

Ivankovic starts

Ravensbergen

Scratches: Bear, Verhoeff, George