The excitement had been growing for a while before the microphones showed up.
Canada’s wins against Switzerland and Czechia were really tough to achieve.
They were rough, well-planned, and came down to very close scores.
Every player had to be exact with their movements.
Every chance with a power play felt very important.
But instead of getting compliments for being strong, the talk after the game blew up into an argument.
Matthew Tkachuk was the first to speak out.
He called Canada’s wins unfair favoritism.
He suggested that there were hidden people influencing the referee’s calls.
Brady Tkachuk took it further, saying the games were like a six-on-seven mockery of real sports.
The message was clear.
In their opinion, the tournament was unfairly set up.
Just minutes later, sports channels switched from showing highlights to discussing anger.
Former players were shocked by what was happening.
Fans got divided into angry groups online.
The term rigged game was all over different social media.
Inside Canada’s locker room, the atmosphere turned from normal recovery to complete shock.
Some players shook their heads in disbelief.
Others just looked down at the ground.
Claims of unfairness affect players more than just normal trash talk.
They challenge the credibility of the competition.
They challenge the idea of honor.
They question everything that players strive for.
Brad Marchand leaned back against his locker, listening as someone on the staff repeated the comments out loud.
His face didn’t show surprise at first.
It slowly turned serious.
Marchand has always taken on the role of a troublemaker.
He gets the mind games better than anyone else in the league.
But this time, it felt different.
This wasn’t just about talking loudly.
It was about honesty.
When the journalists came into the space, their questions were straightforward.
Did the Tkachuks have a valid argument?
Were the referees showing a preference for Canada?
Was there anger within the team regarding how things were being viewed?
Marchand stayed calm.
He let the chatter rise.
Then he made a statement that cut through all the noise.
“If they can’t beat us on the ice, they complain to the press. ”
His words were sharp.
They had a flow.
They showed clear resistance.
For a brief moment, everyone in the room was silent.
There were no smiles.
There was no cheering.
Just a shocked realization that the atmosphere had changed.
Marchand continued speaking.
He leaned in a bit and talked about something that wasn’t caught on camera.
He talked about the lines for handshakes after each game.
He pointed out that nobody spoke up directly.
No one made claims right after the games ended.
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