Sixth place was not exactly what Russia had in mind heading into this year's World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Canada. Nikita Filatov, one of the dominant players in last year's tournament (11 points, including eight goals in seven games) knew that it was his last chance to win gold at this level and he intended to take it.
"The first time I played in WJC in the Czech Republic we lost to Sweden in the semifinal," Filatov said. "Second time, last year, we were five seconds away from knocking out Canada and going to the final. Because of all this I was really hoping to win the gold medal in this tournament.
"When I realize that it was my last chance to win the WJC it becomes really hard to swallow. And not just for myself, but for the whole country, that believed in our victory. We not only let ourselves down. We let our whole country down. That's why it's twice as upsetting."
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Marat Ryndin