The IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship is returning to Canada this December with Toronto and Montreal co-hosting this annual celebration on the hockey calendar. Growing up on a farm outside of Orangeville, ON. the World Junior Championships have always been a holiday tradition for my friends and family. Between servings of family dinners and large scale games of pond hockey, I can vividly remember many classic World Junior moments that had a lasting impression on me and ultimately contributed to my decision to pursue a career in hockey.

Canada’s five consecutive gold medals in the 1990s helped cement this tournament into the schedule of hockey fans from coast to coast. Growing up I was a big hockey fan, I loved the World Junior Championships and was thrilled to purchase tickets to attend the 1999 event in Winnipeg for the first time. The atmosphere in the Winnipeg Arena was fanatical, although ultimately, Canada lost the gold medal in heartbreaking fashion in overtime to Russia. 

Since attending that first World Junior Championships in Winnipeg, I have been fortunate to work for both the Canadian Hockey League and Hockey Canada, which has allowed me to see the tournament from many different perspectives. 

The last time this event was played in Montreal, Team Canada’s roster included a 16-year-old OMHA product by the name of Wayne Gretzky. Despite being the youngest player to participate in the tournament, Gretzky led the tournament with 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in just six games played at the famous Montreal Forum.

One of my favourite World Junior games was the final game of the 1991 tournament in Saskatoon. The scenario was a repeat of the 1990 tournament, with the Soviets leading Canada by two points heading into the final game. At the time, the tournament was a round robin format and Canada would have to beat the USSR in order leapfrog into gold medal position. 

The Soviets had a team full of soon-to-be NHL All-Stars, such as, forwards Pavel Bure, Sergei Berezin and Vyacheslav Kozlov.  They were also stacked on the blue-line with the likes of Dimitri Yushkevich, Darius Kasparaitis, Sandis Ozolinch and Boris Mirinov. Canada countered with powerhouse Eric Lindros along with Mike Craig, Patrice Bresbois, Brad May and Scott Neidermayer. The Canadian squad also featured a brilliant pair in goal with Trevor Kidd and Felix Potvin.

With time running out in the third period, John Slaney became the improbable hero when he found the back of the net with a long point shot for his first goal of the tournament. The booming shot gave the home team a 3-2 victory and another gold medal. 

The 2005 World Junior Championships in Grand Forks, North Dakota is one that all Canadian fans will remember as future Canadian Olympians Sidney Crosby, Jeff Carter, Corey Perry, Mike Richards, Ryan Getzlaf, Patrice Bergeron, Shea Weber and Brent Seabrook led Canada to a 6-0 record and a gold medal victory over Russia. I remember many special things about that event; the people of North Dakota, our incredible accommodations, the fun that we had as staff and players and the amazing shrine to hockey that is the Ralph Engelstad Arena. 

For Canadian fans that attended the event, they will remember the amazing act of generosity from the community.  During Canada’s game against Finland there was a public address announcement alerting fans that many of the state highways had been closed due to a winter storm that hit the area.

A group of ten volunteers and staff from the American Red Cross, along with the City of Grand Forks and the Alerus Center, which is the University of North Dakota’s domed football stadium, set up a makeshift shelter for almost 400 fans within the building. The Canadian fans spent the night within the facility where they were served food and a warm place to sleep and were able to make their way home safely the following day.

Volunteers are at the heart of everything that Hockey Canada does, whether it is running minor hockey associations, coaching teams or organizing world class events; we would not be able to do this without the countless hours and commitment from our amazing team of volunteers.  Our volunteer team came to life with our first Host Organizing Committee meeting in January, 2014. This group of seven Host Organizing Committee Chairmen quickly became a group of forty two as more and more coordinators were added to each respective committee. Our volunteer recruitment began in April and we were overwhelmed with the response across Ontario and Quebec!

When the puck hits the ice on Boxing Day over 1500 volunteers will have been recruited, screened and trained for their role in this year’s Championship. Volunteers are the heart of the World Junior Championships and they are our sport’s greatest ambassadors!

Having the World Junior Championships in Toronto and Montreal is a great way for all hockey players and fans to celebrate the game in their own backyard this December. This is a great opportunity to see the world’s next best players compete on hockey’s greatest stage and we anticipate record crowds for all games. 

The World Junior Championships continue to grow around the world. Last year’s tournament in Malmo, Sweden set a European attendance record but it is hard to replicate the atmosphere of when this event is played in Canada. The CHL has a great history and tradition in Canada. Canadian hockey fans have supported the World Junior Championships for 20+ years of this tournament’s history. Playing on home soil is a special experience for all of Team Canada’s players as well as the other competing teams. 

I have many memories from my experience with the World Juniors. By having the tournament in Toronto and Montreal, I am hopeful that local hockey fans can continue to create new memories whether it is watching the game on TSN with friends and family or being in the crowd at Air Canada Centre. Thank-you to all of the volunteers who will bring this event to life and to all of the players that will surely entertain us with some of the world’s greatest hockey.