A Reminder: Team Canada Is A Team Of Teenagers, Keep Your Toxicity To Yourself
**CONTENT WARNING – PROFANITY BELOW**
Yes, we’re using the T-Word again. Toxic.
And, yes, we can preface this by knowing that people still won’t understand and will likely comment with more hate for Canada’s teenagers, notably Nico Daws. Or, perplexingly, they’ll blame CKSN for making it worse by bringing up the topic.
Now that that is out of the way.
The average age of Team Canada’s World Junior team is 18.61 years. Every player on the team is a teenager. Two are 17-years-old.
Did they play great against Russia? No. But we’ve made the World Juniors a spectacle. It is an incredible event that is fun to watch, but these are still teenagers. They are still developing mentally and physically. So it’s important to keep our toxic comments to ourselves. We should be in awe of their amazing talents. Talents almost none of us have ever possessed.
Let’s be critical of defensive systems, analyze areas for improvement, but let’s not demean or demonize any individual kids here.
You’d think people would have learned listening to Maxime Comtois after last year’s World Juniors, where he was attacked online following his missed penalty shot for Canada.
“It changed me in a way, I’m aware now of the suffering people go through when they’re attacked, and it can happen anywhere and to anyone,” Comtois said to media following thousands of online attacks and comments.
This from a then 19-year-old player, who was the captain of Team Canada, and who had already played in the NHL. He has gone on to launch anti-bullying campaigns following his experience.
This year, it was Nico Daws, who was pulled from a loss to Russia, and subsequently demonized online.
Daws was the best goaltender 19-years-and-under in Canada. That’s why he was selected as Canada’s starter. People used the fact he wasn’t drafted last year by an NHL team (he’ll be drafted this year) as ammo.
Again, hockey fans and the culture is toxic. We have no reason or right to make fun of this talented player calling him trach, or horrible, or telling him he will never reach his lifelong goals. Yes, this would likely happen in other sports, but it doesn’t mean the hockey community doesn’t need to be better.
Remember, this is a teenager, who is one of Canada’s best players. Chosen as the best goalie of thousands upon thousands. Canada lost a game. Daws hurt no one, and he has an incredibly bright future.
What should we have done? Build him up, send messages of support, send messages of encouragement, or just keep our mouths shut and fingers from typing. Instead, you’ll see what many chose to do below.
The good news is, MANY people did defend Daws, but it doesn’t change the fact that there is still clean up to do in online communities, cyber bullying, and the world of sports.
Again, hockey players, hockey coaches, hockey parents, and hockey fans need to be better. We’ll leave this here for you, and hopefully many of these Tweets have already been deleted. These were about a 19-year-old playing a game, just a game, that means nothing, that’s supposed to be fun, that he loves. Again, profanity warning below.
We can all be better.
Daws is a trash can… Holy hell kid make a save
— BET BULLY (@BetBully) December 28, 2019
Nico Daws showcasing why he was undrafted
— Matviyko (@kingmatviyko) December 28, 2019
Daws is not a good goalie.
— Maple Leaf’s Daddy (@SaleCyYoung) December 28, 2019
Nico Daws is fucking atrocious
— Brett (@StecherSnipes) December 28, 2019
Sorry but Daws sucks
— Chase. (@chaser321) December 28, 2019
Wouldnt have happened if they didnt start an undrafted goalie….but everyone loves that goof.
— Scotty Knaughty🇨🇦 (@ScottyKnaughty) December 28, 2019
DAWS FUCK YOU!
— #RYUSZN Dolphins 4-11 #TankForTua #FinsUp (@LetsGoBlueJays2) December 28, 2019
Daws is horrendous omg
— OG (@IceSchmaltz) December 28, 2019
Daws u effin suck man
— cartichoke (@cartermacg) December 28, 2019
Pull Daws out now! He couldn’t even see a beach ball #WorldJuniors
— Rusty James (@TheHabinator) December 28, 2019
Nico Daws is horrible. he won’t even have a career in the NHL.
— jason (@country_music30) December 28, 2019
Daws can’t stop a beachball today, why was he given the start in the 2nd period?!🤦🏼♀️ #rattled #netchange #restthekid @HC_WJC
— Christina L (@Kulbabs29) December 28, 2019
Daws is putrid #WorldJuniors
— J Cards (@Jcardamone9) December 28, 2019
Finally! Daws is trash. Undrafted for a reason!
— 🍜 (@Grayson_Besser_) December 28, 2019
This Daws is a shit goalie #wjc
— JoeLeafzfanaticsince77🖕 (@JoeBonneville) December 28, 2019
Good article but why the hell would you repost all the hate??? How about posting all the support???
So people can target the hate duhhhhhh
Those were my thoughts exactly after reading the article. Media only makes it worse by reprinting all those horrible comments.
Because life isn’t all Rose’s and rainbows. Go hide in your safe space you big baby
Which nhl team did you play for?
So Gord you played hockey at a high level and never made a mistake? Wow good for you.
Totally – only the appropriate should have been posted. And people please remember this is a TEAM no loss is one person’s fault!!!
I would love to see everyone of these awful and insulting people try to play the game…they would eat their words and hopefully a puck to the face!!!😡
Leave this young man alone.So he had a bad day, give him some support and he will be better next game.I CAN’T believe so called adults would harass a young player the way you are.Do you think he didn’t feel bad?
Keepers are a different breed but cut us and we bleed red too; I can’t speak for the young keeper, all I can say is that it takes 6 players to make team. Up front must bear some of this waste being dumped on keeper.
What problem I do have is our captain not removing his helmet during Russian anthem
That too is something that shouldn’t have happened but it did. His head must have been all over the place. It was NOT on purpose. Maybe the Russian player who was so upset could have skated over and nicely asked him to take off his helmet. Problem solved, crisis averted.
I’m sure the poor fellow was in total shock about the loss and just wasn’t thinking.These people making all those awful comments about these young men are just bullies, armchair athletes who could never play like these dedicated young hockey players. So they had a bad game, so what? We are spoiled here in Canada and expect our players to win all the time. Guess what….there are great players in other countries too. Give them a break from your poisonous comments.
Wow, so you must be a close personal friend of his to know that he didn’t leave his helmet on during the anthem ON PURPOSE. I am the parent of an 18-year old Jr hockey player who has been around kids like this for the last 13 years, and it’s very possible that he DID IT ON PURPOSE. He is a teenager and his brain is still developing proper impulse control. He is an elite athlete with a competitive drive and was mad that they lost and especially got shut out. He is human and made a bad decision in a moment of frustration. But don’t say he didn’t do it on purpose. Every kid playing at his level knows, or has been told by their Team Canada coaching staff, to remove their helmet. He’s the team captain, he knew.
Absolutely Correct. Don’t sugar coat a very poor unprofessional disrespectful poor loser decision.
Yes, leave this young man. You’re a bunch of bullies in hiding. Hopefully none of you will ever know what bullying feels like, a lot of people especially teenagers do know what it feels like. It’s not a happy feeling, it’s a very painful feeling. We’ll be cheering for you Daws and all of the other players. Team Canada is our team, win or lose. Go Canada Go.
makes me sick to see how terrible people can be to a kid trying to represent his country.Good luck next game Nico Daws. Show them all why you were chosen. I doubt any of those internet tough guys would do any better. GO Canada !!!!!
If everyone looks hard enough they would see the team as a whole played poorly.Easier to blame the goalie than the 5 that gave him no help.Even if he had of only let one goal in the end result would still be a loss.Hope nobody makes those comments to your son or daughter if that happens to them.
Tearing others down to elevate themselves is a way of life for people who have nothing going for them in their own lives. It’s so easy to sit in front of their TVs with their laptops or phones in hand and spit venom through their poisonous fingertips. It’s easier than getting off their lazy asses and trying to accomplish something positive themselves.
Typical lol , the team plays horrible , so naturally it’s the goalies fault. Let’s just talk about the 4 goals that they scored on him. Team Canada brass dropped the ball on that one, offsides twice. 2nd one , a forward blows by buddy in front of the net instead of taking him and boom puck ends up on his stick and then a nice deak but should never of got to that point. 3rd goal shot from point save made , D watches instead of taking man coming out of corner , loses race bc wasn’t paying attention and in back of the net. 4th goal forward beats D down low and power move across the crease which should never happen. So zero goals scored if everyone does their job correctly but they are all a bunch of kids and you win as a team and lose as team, Go Canada Go, I’ll be cheering for you next game , Go get em , make us proud!
If any of the haters think they can do better then go play where he is and stop those shots…oh …you can’t? Then shut the f up
Yes!
Goalies are the last line of defence…. five players have to be passed before the puck gets to a goalie – games are neither lost or won by goalies, but by teams…..these boys are part of an elite group of boys that have had the amazing opportunity to play for their country….. did they have a bad game? Absolutely…. but should it define them? Absolutely not….. brush it off and move forward….. and the country needs to stand behind these kids and build them up….. these boys need to see words of encouragement from the country they are so proud to represent – Brush it off and go get boys…… #goteamcanada #futureNHLers
A goalie can win a game for you but most of the goals man left alone no chance for him defensive breakdowns they are kids and must be given a break you get down early and it is difficult it worked against US but it cant happen everygame
Well said Sara! 🇨🇦
Anyone remember a kid named Binnington Dec. 2012?
Glad social media then wasn’t what it is now or where he is at currently may not
Be the same.
So very true!!
I know they will bounce back. Daws was outstanding against the Americans and deserved the start.Good Luck boys the rest of the way. We all have not so good days.u7
Ignore the naysayers , they obviously do not understand the nuances of the game ! The Russians played well , deserve credit .
It’s a team effort when you win and likewise, with a loss .
I would be more concerned with what happened at the end of the game , that is , the lack of poor judgement by the captain , than the game , itself .
I acknowledge that he apologized but the inane act may serve as fuel for other teams ! Should take further responsibility by asking the coaches remove his “C ” ! Now that would demonstrate true leadership !!
Go Canada Go !
That’s the way the puck bounces, if we could win every game, wouldn’t that be boring after a while. These teens are representing Canada and I’m sure they’re giving their 110%. You gotta remember these young men are selected from all over Canada and don’t play together on a regular basis. They are just learning to play together as a team. We’ve had some very successful teams in the past, and if we let this team play with our support maybe they’ll come through, but in the meantime, let them play their game and whatever happens is beyond our control. Best wishes to our Juniors🇨🇦
Daws keep up the good work never mind listening to those ignorant people their just jelly they never made it this far!!! Keep your head up high!!! ✌🏾💪🏾
The point lost in all this is that they are teenagers. The rest of the planet doesn’t care about this tournament. Why are Canadians so invested? Find something else to do with your time and let’s the kids play their little Xmas tourney.
Nice to see there are so many perfect people out there, that they can tear apart a young man. Bullying is at it finest in the nasty remarks. Do not let them drag you down to their level!
Wow!! I am in shock of the brutal comments being thrown at this kid and his teammates!! How many of these ignorant bullies played in the World Juniors?? or represented our country in any sport?? And we wonder why bullying is so prevalent in our society! Remember folks – children aren’t born racist or bullies….they learn that from their environment! Try showing some support and encouragement to these young hockey players and just maybe it will help them with their confidence for the next games. I always try to seethe best in people but it’s getting harder and harder these days! GO TEAM CANADA!
It isn’t if you win or lose, but how you play the game.
Hold your heads high Team Canada 🇨🇦 & don’t let the ignorant bastards knock you down.
Let’s let them strap the pads & skates on & we’ll see how they perform.
So many arm chair coaches and a lot of asses in them . For some it’s great when we win and when we lose these arm chair coaches have a list of excuses at the ready to throw back at the players , these young teenagers in particular , do you truly believe that these young men aren’t feeling the pressure , to know that they carry high expectations from us all .How many out there when you were that young and you made a mistake remember how you felt when reprimanded, wasn’t pleasant , so stop and think before you come out with such hate . These so called “fans” are a farce and don’t deserve to be called a fan of the game , shame on you and for those of you who probably never played the game to be so quick to condemn , you call yourself Canadians , I have a few choice words I would call you but not Canadian . Congratulations to the true fan of the game who is always behind their team with full support , win , lose or draw . Go TEAM Canada
I think people should grow up its not a player team and the biggest thing people should remember they are a bunch of kids I know they are representing our country but people should not forget how our NHL stars performed in the Olympics at one point and they were a bunch of growing men which makes millions and there was nothing said so give it a break
Funny how offended all these liberals are. Every comment counts, good or bad. That was a bad game overall for the team.
Goalies are the last line of defense these players are kids…of you didn’t have a part in his being on this earth you have no right to comment on his performance he is already beating himself up .people suck and it’s easy to play from the couch or stands. This infuriates me to no end. Win or lose these kids are team Canada and we should be building them up not tearing them down.the fans need to grow up .this kids are carrying the weight of a country on their shoulders not many people can say they know what that means. Go Canada Go
I have a big problem with our captain refusing to remove his helmet during the Russian national anthem. Very disrespectful.
I can not believe the way people are attacking this young goalie. Have any of you ever strapped on those pads and tried to do what he does?? If not, how are you able to justify your comments.
These young stars are NHL future. You want the cash and glory, gotta take the dirt as well. Fans have every right in the world to vent tastefully.
You people who trash Team Canada are not true supporters of this young team. Plus omg it is only one game and no it a playoff game. Freaking chill out and leave these kids alone. Lots of time to regroup and win it all. They have a world class coach so they will be better moving forward!!! Go Canada
Hockey Canada sucks at picking teams it isn’t the kids fault. Hockey Canada is an old boys club who falls in love with players at a young age and keeps with them, while not looking for new talent, because they can’t be wrong. Time to fire everyone at hockey Canada and start over there first.
That makes a lot of sense? Dawes is the number one goalie in the OHL and had not been a favourite of “”old boys club”. He is exactly what you are suggesting Hockey Canada should look for.
Go Team Canada!!Proud of all you guys…
It’s good to know that all these haters could stand up and do his job….by all means, suit up!! I certainly hope that we can all aspire to be as perfect everyday, in everything we do as the people that a making these horrible posts. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all because I’m sure you have never walked the path that Daws has, or we would have seen your name on a Team Canada jersey. Show some damn respect.
Guys people can have opinions both good and bad, hence the status/tweets. When you learn to play at that calibre, your not paying attention to negativity or social media platforms,you are thought to focus on the game not to what people are saying. Look at Maple leaf fans, some players call it a curse playing their, the fans are love/hate towards players, when you mess up you will hear it!!! Why because they are die hard fans and expect the best out of players, some people take hockey just as serious as the players (so it may seem) so yes when a goalie messes up their will always be trash talk, but honestly it’s the price you pay, you will have up’s and you will have downs. But when you are playing for the great country of Canada, you will be held accountable by all die hard hockey fans. They are well aware of this which makes the pride feel that much better when your at your best. It’s how players take it constructive criticism.
We win some we lose some. Those players gave it all and made us proud
Then stop treating them like hero’s and in a year pay them millions of dollars cause the play hockey. Way to much hype put on these hockey players to win and produce.
They are called Team Canada for a reason~. They WIN or LOSE as a TEAM! But haters will continue to hate and will always find someone to blame. Each and every one of you should be Proud, go Team Canada!!
Wow this is so unreal how sad are these people that bully a kid. I can only imagine how they would speak to and treat their own children. Shame on you bullies!!!
We teach our kids not to bully and yet there are some adult that act like children…
Bulling is wrong.. some adults need to grow up
Maybe just maybe the hyped up sell of this tournament by TSN and the “gold medal or bust” mentality combined with the idea that we are defending our national past time has something to do with the erratic, over emotional responses. Fact is, the players are expected to manage the pressure like men and for many of those who are 1 year away from the NHL…they had better get used to the pressure. Its all part of the deal.
Is the bashing wrong? Yes. Is it part and parcel of the risk inherited with the experience? Yes.
Again..the all or nothing pursuit of the gold medal may be the nexus behind the toxic response from those who can barely skate and if they have played, never got beyond pee wee house league!
Ya
makes me ashamed that so-called Canadians would act, or talk, like that. But then again, they’re hiding behind their keyboards like the fat, whiny, 6 year old cowards they are.
Hockey is a game of mistakes. From the moment the puck is dropped someone has to make a mistake or the game would just end there. It is never just one player’s mistake it is the team mistakes. And one team has to lose. One team has to make at least 1 more mistake than the other team. Stop taking sports so seriously that a single player is treated terribly over the whole teams efforts. We can’t win them all.
It’s a shame that people need to lash out at teenagers like this. An NHL player making money most of us will never see doesn’t show up to play maybe that comes with the territory… fans buy tickets indirectly paying the player and feel ‘entitled’ to spout off if they don’t like it. These kids aren’t paid to do this and they are trying to do their best. Daws looked pretty good in a win against the USA but of course he’s trash when the whole team is flat in a terrible loss. If you don’t like what you see from one of the youngest teams we’ve ever sent then get in touch with Hockey Canada and tell them what a piss poor job you think they’ve done… They’re at least grown ups and better equipped to deal with irate twits. These kids put everything they have into this for their country. The least they can expect is that we have their back.
Oh and as far as showing the negative comments in this story… unfortunately if you are going to talk about how stupid people are acting you sometimes have to show it for the sake of informed response.
Thank you for a thoughtful article. I understand you reposted the awful comments to illustrate just how awful they were, but I think this article would have been more effective without again giving those nasty people a platform.
This is the very reason I kept my five boys out of minor hockey completely. I’ve seen it first hand over and over what an unbelievable toxic environment it is.
It can also be a lot of fun. My son played for many years and made a lot of friends and now my grandson plays and he loves it.
Win or lose we stand together. Players deserve the respect for just being at the WJC. The ones that bully have no respect for themselves, so they can just keep it to themselves. These bullies are wanna be high paying coaches. There is a reason why they do it from the couch, no class,no leadership,no respect. Shut up and let our boys play, Win,Lose or tie, Team Canada is world class.
CKSN delete these obnoxious comments as all you are doing is feeding the fire. Shame on you!
Anyone who watches the OHL games, knows that Daws is a good goalie. He has been lights out for Guelph this year with a .939 SAV%. He wouldn’t have won his spot on the WJ roster if the powers that be, didn’t think he was good. EVERY player, EVERY goalie have bad games. It happens. Unfortunately, this time it happened in front of millions of viewers around the world and Daws has been bashed and bullied because of it. Remember back a few years to 2013, when Owen Sound Attack goalie, Jordan Binnington, was pulled in his only start of the WJs , in the bronze medal game vs Russia. Same thing happened . Bashed and bullied for his poor showing. Jordan who ??? oh yeah, the guy that led the way for St Louis to win last years Stanley Cup. Daws will have a great future. After all, he still is a teenager with lots of room to grow into a great player.
Please Mr Daws, let me apologize for all the bullying. Yes there are mean, evil spirited people out there who are jealous of the talent you possess. YOU did nothing wrong, you are a part of a team, a team that most Canadians are thankful to have and proud of all you do.. Real people stand behind our young professional-to-be guys.
Please do not let these people get into your head or heart. They do not speak for honest Canadians. I for one are thankful that in your young years, u possess this talent as do your team mates. I could never do what u guys do. Most of us couldn’t. You are special. You worked hard to get to this point as did your teammates. And as u know u win some u lose some, but in no way did you deserve the negativity you got. Shame on those people. It’s so easy to watch a screen on a television and look at the game, it’s another thing to be on that ice, playing one team against another.
Once again hold your head high, shoulders back and be proud of who u r and what u do. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to watch some great hockey. Not everyone can do what our team does. What each players on every team can do. The hours, days, weeks, money it took to get this team to represent our country. Thank you and your team mates.
Last time I checked there is 5 other players on the ice as well and 15 more on the bench win as a team and lose as a team even in the NHL were they get paid millions they have bad games they played agreat game today go team Canada
I mean…if this was really Daws’ fault, then why did the team post a goose egg? You can’t blame only goaltending in a shutout loss. If it was a 6-5 or 6-4 loss…sure…maybe goaltending might have helped. However, the entire team failed to produce.
It’s easy for armchair experts to insult Daws from behind their keyboards, but it’s unlikely that any of them could even hold his jock in terms of playing at that level. Even the experts said that while he didn’t play well, neither did the rest of the team.
This isn’t the old glory days of hockey where Canada just steamrolls everyone. There is a lot more parity, and if Canada has a bad night, they can be blown out by a good team like Russia. Even Germany gave us a run for our money yesterday.
Bottom line though, if you’re an adult screaming profanities at a kid that you don’t even know, then you need to seriously evaluate where you are in life.
My Dad, who was a goaltender, always said there are 5 mistakes before any goal is scored. Learn from this trial but Don’t let this one moment define who you are!! This is a team sport. You win as a team and lose as a team.
Wishing Team Canada all the best now that they have made us proud by winning their pool. Good luck in the medal round. Win or lose we know you are all trying your best.
Nico Daws, YOU THE MAN!!!Prove these idiot wrong. GO CANADA GO
Would like to see all you haters go out and play as good as these kids
The TEAM lost the game not just the keeper
The world today is sickening. Young men trying their best but even Canadians can’t appreciate it. The world is about entitlement. But we are not entitled to success ever time. This young goalie went out to do his best. Just wasn’t there that day ! But he wore the Maple Leaf with pride. Congratulations to Canada for the gold medal. To all the bullies out there, this gold is not yours!