Shane Wright's embarassing dive proves he has a lot of development left to do
When Shane Wright was named the Captain of Team Canada it seemed like the right decision. Wright was a returning player, a top NHL Draft Pick and he had spent all season with an NHL team. Surely he'd be able to take the information he'd learned and translate it to his teammates at the World Juniors.
The Canadians lost their first game of the tournament against the Czechia Team and Wright admitted he and his team overlooked their opponents. Now 4 games later the Canadians needed overtime to beat Team Slovakia and Wright has far from dominated. Through 5 games Wright has 3 goals and 3 assists, while undrafted Connor Bedard leads the tournament with 21 points.
During the game against Slovakia another play caught the eyes of fans watching. As Wright played the puck behind the Slovakian net, he is pushed by a defender. Instead of trying to push through the play Wright instead launches himself into the boards in a laughable manner. Luckily for Slovakia, the officials weren't buying this blatant dive and luck for Wright, he wasn't called for this dive.
Now just a few months from being the center of controversy its becoming more and more clear why 3 teams passed on Wright. There is absolutely no question that Wright is supremely talented, but it appears he still struggles mightily with the mental aspect of the game. While time will tell if Wright figures it out, it's hard to blame the Canadiens, Devils or Coyotes for passing on Wright at this point.
| POLL | ||
Is Canada still the Gold Medal favorite? | ||
| Yes, but barely | 127 | 58.8 % |
| Yes, clear cut favorites | 28 | 13 % |
| No, they definitely aren't | 61 | 28.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
