Patrice Bergeron scores buzzer beater for Canada (Video)

Team Canada really started to find their rhythm towards the end of the first period, as Patrice Bergeron narrowly beat the buzzer to put them up by 3.

All eyes were on Canada on the first day of the World Cup of Hockey. They are the hosts of the tournament, and despite having to make so many replacements, they have by far the deepest roster. Their first game was against the Czech Republic, who were very plucky, and didn’t make things easy.

Canada didn’t get off to a great start, as they got in to penalty trouble. But Sidney Crosby, who is Captain Canada and the best player in the world, is the reason his team is ahead. He has been involved in every goal in the first period, from scoring the first goal, winning the faceoff on the second, then creating the turnover on Patrice Bergeron’s buzzer beater:

That goal is an absolute back-breaker for the Czech Republic. A two-goal deficit with two periods left is manageable, but three goals is too much. But that’s what you get when you play Canada – they can manage a goal when you least expect.

It really isn’t fair that Canada gets to ice a line that includes the best player in the world, as well as the best two-way center. It’s also a pretty big surprise that fans in Toronto would be cheering a last-second goal by Patrice Bergeron, and yet here we are.

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This may just be Canada’s first competitive game, but they already look to be in mid-tournament form. If they keep up this style of play, there’s no reason to think they won’t win the World Cup. You’d have to think that Team USA is very nervous watching this game. After getting shut out in their opener by Team Europe, they must beat Canada if they want to stay in. But combine their unstoppable play along with the hostile atmosphere, and that will be a Herculean task.