Team Canada opened the World Junior Championship with a chaotic 7–5 win over Czechia on Boxing Day, and it ended with a little extra spice courtesy of Flyers top prospect Porter Martone.
Porter Martone scored the empty-net goal that sealed the win, then immediately earned himself a two-minute unsportsmanlike penalty by skating past the Czech bench and giving Adam Novotny a tap on the ass.
Porter Martone: Empty Net Goal to bury Czechia
Porter Martone letting Czechia have it
It was petty and absolutely hilarious, but unfortunately Porter Martone and Team Canada went full accountability mode after the game.
He met with reporters and called his actions “unacceptable,” apologized repeatedly, and leaned hard into the captain responsibility angle. He admitted he crossed the line, said it set a bad example, and promised it wouldn’t happen again. Head coach Dale Hunter echoed the same message about keeping emotions in check.
Then Hockey Canada piled on with an apology of their own after Team Canada skipped the traditional postgame handshake with Czechia, calling it an “oversight” and promising it wouldn’t happen again.
Very Canadian. Almost aggressively Canadian.
Here’s the thing.
Porter Martone is a young guy. I’ll let this one slide. He also has Canadian blood, so he’s genetically predisposed to being overly nice and apologetic when the moment calls for it. That’s fine. That plays at the World Juniors.
But there is absolutely no way you can bring this “I’m sorry” routine to Philadelphia, brother. That does not fly here. (pun intended)
You’re a Flyers prospect now. That means buck up. Fuck Czechia. Score the goal, talk your talk, and move on. I really hope Team Canada made you apologize, because if this was a self-initiated apology tour, that’s Canadian soft, and we’re going to need Philly tough.
To be clear, the act itself wasn’t even that bad. A little bench chirp. A little extra sauce. Hockey has seen far worse. The problem isn’t the tap. It’s the immediate regret tour afterward.
Still, context matters. Canada is coming off back-to-back humiliations at the hands of Czechia in this tournament. Emotions were high. The game was wild. The crowd was buzzing.
I’m just happy to see our guy, Porter Martone, the Flyers top prospect wearing the C, right in the middle of it. That’s not nothing.
Canada got goals from Zayne Parekh, Michael Hage, Ethan MacKenzie, Tij Iginla, and eventually Martone into the empty net to close it out. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, and Canada desperately needed one to start this tournament.
Now they turn around quickly for Latvia, and Martone gets another chance to channel that edge without the apology afterward.
Learn the lesson. Keep the fire. Lose the press conference.
Philly will take the attitude, just leave the Canadian sorry stuff at the border.