Tavares named Canada captain at Men's Worlds
Published
John Tavares has been named captain of Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF Men's World Championship in Czechia.
Tavares did not dress in Canada's opener Saturday morning against Great Britain, a 4-2 Canada win. TSN's Lindsay Hamilton reports Tavares would dress in Canada's second game against Denmark on Sunday.
Andrew Mangiapane of the Calgary Flames, Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues and Damon Severson of the Columbus Blue Jackets will serve as alternates for Canada.
Tavares is the fourth player to join Canada's roster after being eliminated in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Earlier this week, Los Angeles Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning were added to the roster, with top draft prospect Macklin Celebrini and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli returning home after previously having been named to Team Canada.
The 33-year-old forward had one goal and one assist as the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of their first-round series last week. He had 29 goals and 65 points in 80 games during the regular season.
Tavares has won gold four times while representing his country, doing so at the 2014 Olympics, the world juniors in both 2008 and 2009, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. His only appearance at the men's worlds came in 2010, when Canada was eliminated by Russia in the quarter-finals.