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Pardubice, Czech Republic — Jonathan Bernier has not retired quietly to the end of the Canadian junior bench.
The Laval, Que. goaltender was furious that his Canadian junior head coach Craig Hartsburg decided to stick with Steve Mason for the semifinal match-up against the United States on Friday, and claimed that he found out about his fate from other players and not Hartsburg.
After telling a reporter off the record that he found out from his Canadian junior teammates that he wouldn't start against the United States on Friday, he decided to break the news to the French-language station RDS.
"I respect the coach's decision, but it's hard to swallow," the Los Angeles Kings prospect said. "[Hartsburg] said that Mason had a tough game like he did, but would have a second chance.
Canada's goaltender Steve Mason lets in a goal during the third period of play against Finland in their quarterfinal game at the 2008 IIHF U20 World Junior Hockey Championships in Pardubice, Czech Republic on Wednesday. (Shaun Best /Reuters)
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"I would have liked to have found out from the coach, not the other players."
Mason said he found out on Thursday morning.
"I have a lot of respect for those guys [coaches], but at the same time I guess they weren't fair with me," the 19-year-old Bernier said. "[Mason] had an okay game yesterday and I was thinking for me that I was going to get a second chance.
"I don't think it was fair, but what can I say? It was their judgment and I'll live with it. It's going to be tough to go with it, but it's not a little thing like this going to put me down. I'll get up and show character."
There have been whispers that, besides Bernier, not everyone involved with the Canadian team agrees with Hartsburg's decision. But if that was the case, no player, official or member of the coaching staff was publicly expressing their displeasure with Hartsburg's verdict after practice on Thursday.
In fact, the Canadian players were upbeat and looked forward to meeting the rival U.S. team for the second successive year in the semis. That is, everybody but Bernier.
"Mason is a great goalie," the bilingual Bernier said. "It's not his fault. I'm pretty sure he has [earned] his spot here, but at the same time I wanted to be the guy in the net."
Bernier started the tournament opener against the Czech Republic and turned aside 44 shots to earn the shutout, but faltered in his second appearance against Sweden last Saturday, when he gave up four goals in the third period. He wasn't the calm, cool and collected netminder that showed up for the first game against the host country.
It appears that Hartsburg has more faith in Mason than Bernier because Mason eliminated the coach's Sault Ste. Maries Greyhounds in seven games in the second round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs last spring.
"I didn't expect anything," he said. "I was taking it one game at a time. [Hartsburg] didn't say I was No. 1 even if I started off the tournament, but it turned out the other way."
Mason, also 19, has three wins in three starts. He has stopped 68 of 71 shots, including 21 of 23 in the game against Finland.
The two goals Mason of Oakville, Ont., allowed in Canada's 4-2 victory against Finland were of the fluky nature. The first goal in the first period was a 75-foot wrist shot that changed direction off the stick of Canadian defenceman Karl Alzner. The second goal in the third period occurred after Mason misplayed a rebound to allow Finnish forward Jan-Mikael Juutilainen to corral the puck behind the goal line and bank one in off Mason's pads.
"We said [Mason] would be our guy and we have a lot of trust in him," Hartsburg said. "He didn't play his best game, but he did win the game.
"If you start to waiver back and forth at this point both goaltenders will suffer."
