Nhl Teams Take Heat For Junior Debacle Team Canada Showing A Major Disappointment; Six Chiefs Named To Whl West All-Star Team

The negative fallout from Team Canada’s flop in the World Junior Tournament is still a hot topic up north.

After winning five straight gold medals, Team Canada managed only 13 goals in eight games and failed to reach the medal round in Helsinki.

Canada last failed to bring home a medal in the 1992 tournament.

Some finger-pointing is directed at officials of two National Hockey League clubs, the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers, who withheld Joe Thornton and Boyd Devereaux.

Neither is seeing much NHL ice time. Either would have added some pop to the anemic attack. Having both “would have been instrumental,” Western Hockey League vice president Rick Doerkesen said Monday.

Five NHL players were eligible for the Canadian team, but three, including Patrick Marleau, formerly of the Seattle Thunderbirds and now with the San Jose Sharks, are playing regularly in the league.

Thornton and Devereaux are not.

Although the tournament was a disappointment, Brad Ference of the Spokane Chiefs says he’s looking forward to next year’s WJT in Winnipeg. Ference performed solidly as the Canadians’ No. 5 defenseman. He saw some action on the penalty kill, the Canadian junior team’s scouting director said Monday.

“Brad will be a big part of the program next year,” scouting director Barry Trapp said.

Ference, first-round draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks, was one of three players held out of Team Canada’s loss to the U.S. The three were cited for showing up late for a team meeting. They dressed for the game - won 3-0 by the U.S. - but did not get off the bench.

Coach Real Paiement was not due back in his office until Thursday and was unavailable for comment.

Ference, at home in Calgary, said he was 2 minutes late for an afternoon meeting. The two others were late for a morning session. Tardiness went back to tryout camp, but was not made an issue until after the team lost to Russia with 30 seconds left in overtime and was assured of not making the medal round, Ference said.

Lack of scoring was not the only disappointment. The Canadian team took too many penalties, Trapp said.

Spokane defenseman Zenith Komarniski led Team Canada in penalty minutes.

Chiefs forward Ty Jones played well for the U.S., Trapp said. Jones had two assists in seven games. Ference had an assist. Both Spokane players were plus-one on the plus/minus scale.

Chiefs right wing Marian Cisar, who was No. 3 in the tournament in penalties with 29 minutes, had four goals and an assist for the Slovak Republic.

Finland won the gold. The U.S. finished fifth, Canada eighth and the Slovakians ninth.

Center Petr Sykora of the Czech Republic, taken by the Chiefs in the Canadian Hockey League import player draft, scored four points in the WJT. He has, so far, elected to remain home, but still has time to join the Chiefs, who have only one European (they’re allowed two) on their roster.

Ference, who said he’ll be here in time for Wednesday night’s Chiefs-Portland game in the Arena, was one of six Spokane players named Monday to the WHL West Division All-Star team.

Jones, Komarniski, Trent Whitfield, Greg Leeb and Perry Johnson will also play in the Jan. 21 game in Regina.

The WHL trade deadline is Jan. 23. The Chiefs are said to be actively involved in trade talk.

, DataTimes