A year-by-year history of Canada's last 5 years at the World Juniors

By Matt Reynolds

After a 2-1 loss to Russia in this morning's bronze medal game, it has now been 5 World Junior tournaments since Canada last won gold. This also marks the first time that Canada has finished without a medal in back-to-back years since 1982, when Hockey Canada began its Program of Excellence. Here is a recap of the last five years for Canada at the World Juniors, how they finished, and what went wrong.

2010: Regina/Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Result: Canada loses to the U.S. in the overtime period of the gold medal game. John Carlson breaks the hearts of many Canadian hockey fans, who were hoping for (and nearly got) a sixth gold medal in a row. 

The good: Practically everything. Canada had many returning players from the 2009 team which was one of the most memorable World Junior tournaments for Canada, including Canadian hero Jordan Eberle, who scored the game-tying goal against Russia in the '09 semis with 5.4 seconds left in regulation. Eberle came clutch for a second year in a row, scoring 2 huge goals for Canada in the gold medal game, both coming in the last 3 minutes of the 3rd period, with Canada trailing 5-3. Gord Miller's call on Eberle's second and game-tying goal, which came with 1:35 left in regulation, still give me goosebumps ("he's done it again!"). Canada also played another classic New Years Eve showdown against the U.S., which ended with Canada winning in a shootout after being down 2 goals in the third.

The bad: Honestly, hardly anything could be considered "bad" for Canada in this tournament. 2010 can still qualify as Canada's "glory days" of the World Juniors since there were still a handful of players on the team who had won gold (Eberle, Pietrangelo, Cormier, Ellis, Della Rovere and Colten Teubert), and they came the closest possible to winning the gold by going to OT (other than sending the game into a shootout). Canada's one weakness in this tournament, which has been a weakness ever since, was their goaltending. Jake Allen was the starter for most of the tournament, but was pulled in favour of Martin Jones during the gold medal game after letting in 5 goals, the fifth goal being a very shaky one that put Canada down by 2 with time running out in the third period. However, no one really noticed Canada's sub-par goaltending for two main reasons, firstly because the rest of their team was so good, and secondly because in the high pressure games for Canada (i.e. the two games against the U.S.), the opposition's goalies were not rock-solid either. Jack Campbell and Mike Lee were the American goalies, and although Campbell played well on NYE against Canada, the U.S. went with Lee in the gold medal game, who was pulled after letting in 3 shaky goals. Overall, this was a very good tournament. I still think Eberle should have been captain, especially since shortly after the tournament, Canada's captain Patrice Cormier laid a brutal hit on QMJHLer Mikael Tam, which somewhat destroyed his reputation. 

2011: Buffalo, New York

Result: Another heartbreaking loss in the gold medal game, this time at the hands of the Russians. 5-3 is the final score.

The good: Canada had another solid run at the tournament, despite a New Years Eve loss to Sweden that would put them in 2nd place in their group. Ryan Ellis was the captain and became the highest-scoring defenceman in the tournament's history. Brayden Schenn scored 18 points in 7 games, including a 4-goal game against Norway. There were not many returning players on the Canadian team from 2010, along with Ellis and Schenn only defencemen Calvin de Haan and Jared Cowen had played the previous year. Schenn and Ellis were clearly Canada's best players at the tournament, but Ryan Johansen, Louis Leblanc and Curtis Hamilton also had impressive showings. Canada actually beat Russia 6-3 in the opening game of the tournament. Yes, Canada, Russia and Sweden were all in the same group in this World Juniors. This was mainly due to Switzerland's massive upset in the relegation game over Russia in the previous year. Canada also won a huge game in the semi finals against the U.S. with a convincing 4-1 defeat. Zack Kassian's 4-0 goal was probably the most memorable part of this game, since he was in just his second game back from a suspension for a hit on Czech player Petr Senkerik, which had many people questioning whether he belonged on the team or not (the hit itself was clean, the only problem was that Senkerik didn't have the puck at the time of the hit). The 4-0 goal basically screamed "redemption" to all Canadian fans.

The bad: It's incredibly hard to talk about, and most Canadian hockey try their hardest not to have it brought up in conversations about the World Juniors. Canada was going into the third period of the gold medal game with a 3-0 lead over Russia. The country was going into full party mode, especially since it was Brayden Schenn, who was everyone's favourite player in the tournament, who had made it 3-0 in the second. Then in the third, everything went wrong. Russia scored 5 goals, unanswered in front of a stunned Canadian crowd (even though the tournament was in Buffalo, everyone at the games were Canadians) and snatched the gold from right under Canada's nose. No one really can explain what went wrong for Canada in that third period from hell-- was it the goalie's fault? The defencemen? The coaches? Russia just came on full-force and walked all over team Canada. Goaltending was once again a problem for Canada. Olivier Roy had appeared to have locked up the starter's role for Canada, until a very bad game against Sweden on New Years Eve, which resulted in a 6-5 shootout loss. Roy did not look very good during the game, but was even worse in the shootout, letting in 2 bad goals while Canada failed to score. Mark Visentin took over and was quite good against Switzerland and the United States, and had been playing shutout hockey for 40 minutes in the gold medal game, until the disastrous third period. To this day, it hurts to think about that gold medal game.

2012: Calgary/Edmonton, Alberta

Result: For the first time in 11 years, Canada did not make the gold medal game, after losing the semi finals to guess who, the Russians. Canada wins bronze with a 4-0 score against Finland. 

The good: Canada had some major contributions from some unlikely sources at this tournament. Mark Stone, Ottawa's 6th-round pick at the 2010 draft, was the leading scorer for team Canada, putting up 7 goals and 10 points in 6 games. Brendan Gallagher, a Montreal 5th-rounder from the same draft, was a chippy forward who scored some key goals despite his size and became a fan favourite, a reputation he has kept up with his time as a Montreal Canadien. Mark Visentin redeemed himself somewhat, with a shutout in the bronze medal game, even though he couldn't pull off the win against Russia. Other players that had a memorable tournament for Canada were Jonathan Huberdeau, Ryan Strome, and brothers Dougie and Freddie Hamilton, who were the first brothers to play in the World Juniors in the same year for Canada since Mike and Randy Moller did in 1982. Returning forward Quinton Howden also had a solid bronze medal game, scoring 2 goals. Other returning players were forwards Jaden Schwartz, who missed most of the previous year due to a broken wrist and Brett Connolly, who was on loan from the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The bad: Once again, the Russians had Canada's number. They jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the semifinal game, and held on despite a Canadian comeback that just fell short. The emotional game ended in a 6-5 Russian win. Canada showed some heart in the third period after 40 horrible minutes. Ryan Murray especially had a rough game as three of Russia's goals were defected in off his stick. Scott Wedgewood, who had captured the hearts of many Canadian fans in the preliminary round of the tournament, did not play well against Russia either, and was pulled in favour of Visentin after letting in 4 goals. Wedgewood had played two solid games against the Czech Republic and the U.S., who were two very good teams, but did not seem to be able to find his groove in the semis. Once again, the inconsistent goalie was Canada's Achilles heel.

2013: Ufa, Russia

Result: Canada leaves empty-handed for the first time in 14 years, losing the bronze medal game to those darn Russians in overtime.

The good: Canada looked extremely strong during the preliminary round, beating the U.S. and Russia to claim first place in their group. Thanks to the lockout, Canada was able to have stars such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jonathan Huberdeau, Dougie Hamilton and Mark Scheifele, who would otherwise have been in the NHL. Malcolm Subban seemed to emerge as a consistent starter after convincing wins against the U.S. and Russia, although he did have a rough start to the tournament, mainly in the game against the Slovaks, where Canada rallied back from a 3-1 defect to win 6-3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a very strong tournament, winning the award for best forward with 15 points in 6 games. Players like Jonathan Drouin, Brett Ritchie and Ty Rattie emerged as stars for team Canada.

The bad: Unfortunately there wasn't much more good for Canada in this tournament. After a solid start in the preliminary round, Canada was steamrolled by the U.S. in the semifinals, suffering a 5-1 defeat. Malcolm Subban was pulled and replaced by Jordan Binnington, who was decent in the remaining period after Subban let in 4 goals. The diappointment continued in the bronze medal game, as Canada fell to Russia, 6-5 in overtime. Canada had another slow start, with Binnington getting pulled  after Russia jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Canada showed some grit and kept coming back, and the game was tied after 3 intense periods. However, in overtime, Valeri Nichuskin was allowed to walk right into the Canadian zone and score the bronze medal winner, with hardly any resistance from the Canadian defencemen or Subban. Throughout the tournament, Nathan Mackinnon, who was projected to go first overall in the upcoming draft, received third/fourth line ice time. Coach Steve Spott didn't give Mackinnon enough of a chance to play and prove what he could do for team Canada. It was a disappointing end to the tournament, but luckily, most of the country didn't see it since the games were early in the morning (4:30 to be exact).

2014: Malmo, Sweden

Result: Canada takes another huge loss in the semifinals, this time at the hands of Finland, and loses the bronze medal game to Russia, 2-1.

The good: After an intense preliminary round that saw coach Brent Sutter lose his first World Juniors game ever in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Czech Republic and a great New Years Eve game against the USA, Canada came out on top of their group once again. This year's tournament had a new format however, where the top 4 teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinals. Canada beat Switzerland pretty easily, 4-1 and advanced to the semis once again. Nic Petan, Jonathan Drouin, Curtis Lazar and Anthony Mantha were Canada's best forwards, while Griffin Reinhart had a solid few games after serving his 3-game suspension. Zach Fucale took over for Jake Paterson after the shootout loss to the Czechs, and did so quite well. Canada once again had trouble with the Slovaks, falling to a 3-1 deficit before a third period comeback led by Jonathan Drouin and Nic Petan. Anthony Mantha was named to the tournament all-star team.

The bad: This time, it wasn't the goaltending to blame. Sure, Jake Paterson played badly against the Czechs but Zach Fucale came in and was solid for Canada. This time, Canada had a weak showing against Finland partially due to their poor defensive play and their inability to complete a pass. Overall, Finland was dominant in the semifinal game, and Canada let their guard down which the Finns took advantage of. Fucale, in fact, made what is likely the save of the tournament against Finland, diving across the net to stop the puck with his glove (although he did let a goal shortly afterwards). Captain Scott Laughton quiet offensively during the tournament, putting up just one point. Defenceman Mathew Dumba, who had NHL experience with the Minnesota Wild prior to the tournament, was also shaky during the key games. Another player who had high expectations coming into the tournament was 16 year-old Connor McDavid, who put up decent offensive statistics (4 points in 7 games), but was often benched by Brent Sutter due to poor play.

Overall, it is hard to say which loss is tougher to swallow, 2013's or 2014's. Next year's tournament takes place in Toronto, and Canada hopes to get back onto the podium after 2 disappointing runs.