Ethan MacKenzie scored the game-winning goal in the third period as Canada opened the world junior hockey championship with a nervy 7-5 victory over the Czech Republic on Friday.

Hockey Canada apologized after skipping postgame handshakes following a 7-5 win over Czechia in the World Juniors opener on Friday, Dec. 26.

Czechia will face Canada in this U20 hockey matchup at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship on Friday.

Michael Hage scored on a power play 44 seconds into overtime as Canada survived a blown late lead to pick up a 2-1 victory over Latvia at the world junior hockey championship Saturday.

The Sporting News has all the details on how to watch Canada vs. Latvia at the World Juniors. Canada vs. Latvia will air on TSN and live stream on the TSN app. Fans can tune into the Canada vs. Latvia matchup live on SiriusXM. Coverage will be available on channel 81, which is NHL Network.

Check out the complete preliminary rosters for all 12 teams competing in the 2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey tournament.

Hilary Knight scored twice in the third period and the U.S. women’s hockey team beat Canada 4-1 on Saturday night to sweep the four-game Rivalry Series

The U.S. women defeated Canada 4-1 on Friday night to sweep the 2025 Rivalry Series for the first time in the tournament’s six-year history.

And to answer the question of why they fight, it often has to do with game management. It’s a way for players to police the game. When a player knows the Utah Mammoth’s Liam “Spicy Tuna” O’Brien is on the other side, he might be less likely to put a cheap hit on Clayton Keller.

Latvia upset Canada in the 2025 edition of the tournament and came close this time. But, it was Canada who advanced to 2-0.

The USA routed Canada 10-4 to improve to 3-0 in the Rivalry Series. Highlights from the game between the Olympic rivals: