Canada puts stunning end to World Cup with two late goals

Reporting from TORONTO —  It was a familiar sight, Canada’s best hockey players standing with their arms draped around each other’s shoulders as their anthem played and their flag rose to the rafters to honor their supremacy at yet another major tournament.

They grinned and sang with as much relief as gusto, appreciating the unlikely and stern challenge they had fended off from Team Europe in this oddly structured World Cup tournament. Most of all, they celebrated the resilience that fueled the rally and 2-1 victory Thursday that allowed them to sweep the best-of-three final and add the World Cup title to their 2010 and 2014 Olympic titles.

“Everyone understands that when you’re playing for Team Canada, you do whatever it takes to win,” tournament MVP Sidney Crosby said. “They were tough to play against and they tested us big time. It was just crazy the way everything worked out. It wasn’t easy.”

The Europeans’ fearless shot-blocking and sound defensive play were their strategic strengths, but their heart was their most effective asset. They led for most of the game Thursday, a feat none of Canada’s other opponents had done for more than a total of two minutes and 41 seconds. They got the lead when defenseman Zdeno Chara finished off a setup from Andrej Sekera at 6:26 of the first period, and goaltender Jaroslav Halak protected that lead well, helped by the right goal post on a shot by John Tavares early in the second period.

It took superb efforts for Canada to come back, but Canada’s depth and knack for rising to the occasion turned the extraordinary into the commonplace.

With Kings center Anze Kopitar in the penalty box for having dragged down Ducks forward Corey Perry, Patrice Bergeron brought Canada even at 1-1 on a deft redirection of a long shot by Brent Burns at 17:07 of the third period. “You’re thinking, ‘All right, let’s just get this to overtime, see what we can do,’” Crosby said.

They didn’t need OT. Playing short-handed while Kings defenseman Drew Doughty served a high-sticking penalty, Canada went ahead for good when Jonathan Toews controlled the puck and held onto it long enough to draw several defenders and create space for Brad Marchand, who scored the winner with 43.1 seconds to play.

“He made a phenomenal play to back everybody off and make the pass,” said Marchand, the tournament’s top goal scorer with five.

Afterward, Canada’s players passed the World Cup trophy around, savoring the cheers of a crowd that had been nervous for most of the night. The trophy isn’t as grand or impressive as the Stanley Cup, but nothing truly is. Still, it was worth fighting for, and Canada needed all of its experience and talent to prevail.

“I think we left everything on the table and I’m really proud of this team,” Kopitar said. “Everybody pretty much thought we’d be the laughing joke of this tournament and the way we came together and played, made it to the finals, I think we gave Canada a pretty good run for it, and unfortunately just came up a little bit short.”

Team Europe was thrown together in order to round out the eight-team field, and its disjointed nature was evident in its two embarrassing pre-tournament losses. But its players somehow became a team in the best sense of the word.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, to have 23 guys get together that way in a short time and play so well together. I’m going to remember this tournament for the rest of my life,” forward Frans Nielsen said. “We thought we had a good team and everybody kept laughing at us. I don’t know why.

“For sure, there were a lot of groups on the team in the beginning. The Slovaks, the Danes, the Germans and Swiss were sitting together at dinner, and by the end everyone was mixed and everybody was good friends. It was awesome to see how we came together as a team. I’m never going to forget this.”

Nor will the Canadians, who got to see their flag hoisted in victory again. “It’s something you can’t describe. I’m at a bit of a loss for words,” Marchand said. “I’m going to look back at this and wish you could do it over and over again.”

There’s every chance they will do it again, and with the same ending.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

Twitter: @helenenothelen