world jr's [Archive] - CANADA BODYBUILDING - CANADIAN BODYBUILDING FORUM

UkrainianGuy

22-12-2008, 11:09 PM

Team Canada's drive for five is alive when TSN's annual hockey holiday tradition returns with complete live coverage of the 32nd annual IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship from Ottawa, airing Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 on TSN.

TSN will produce 16 games with exclusive live coverage of every Team Canada round-robin game, the quarter-final and semifinal match-ups, and the Bronze and Gold Medal games all available in High Definition on TSN HD. TSN's 16-game schedule also includes live coverage of three Team Canada pre-competition games and three round-robin games not involving Team Canada. All games will be available on-demand on TSN.ca following each live broadcast. Prior to every Team Canada tournament game, TSN will broadcast a 30-minute pre-game show, also available in HD. (See 'Broadcast Schedule' below.)

TSN will also air the 2009 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW SHOW on Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, at 7 p.m. ET. The 60-minute show features TSN's hockey experts analyzing Team Canada's chances at a fifth straight gold medal, and breaking down the rosters of every team taking part in this year's tournament.

Broadcast Team
TSN's Gord Miller and Pierre McGuire will once again be in the broadcast booth for the World Juniors, marking the seventh consecutive year the duo has provided play-by-play and analysis, respectively, for the event. Also featured in the booth this year will be play-by-play announcer Dave Randorf and analyst Dave Reid, who will call the action for two non-Team Canada round-robin games.

James Duthie will be live on location in the nation's capital to host the pre- and post-game shows, as well as intermissions, alongside Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie. James Cybulski will be the rinkside reporter while Brent Wallace will file daily reports for SPORTSCENTRE.
In October, TSN's coverage of the 2008 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP was honoured at the 23rd Annual Gemini Awards. McGuire and McKenzie were named Best Game Analyst and Best Studio Analyst, respectively, for their work on last year's Gold Medal game.

TSN.ca
TSN.ca once again provides extensive coverage of the World Juniors right through the Gold Medal game, including a comprehensive tournament preview. In addition to on-demand games available following the conclusion of each live broadcast, TSN.ca's online coverage includes World Juniors highlights, reports, player interviews, and a live scoreboard. Fans will also have access to up-to-the-minute tournament news, schedules, results, standings, statistics and rosters, as well as year-by-year tournament history, and a player registry containing every player who has ever worn a Team Canada jersey at the tournament.

TSN Mobile
Fans on-the-go can keep tabs on Team Canada with up-to-the-minute World Juniors news on TSN Mobile - the portable version of TSN's industry-leading sports website, TSN.ca. TSN Mobile features news and information from TSN.ca, along with fast downloading and easy navigation on any wireless device with Internet capabilities, providing Canadian sports fans with a highly interactive and enhanced mobile sports experience. Fans can also sign up for TSN Text Alerts for breaking news delivered directly to their wireless device.

Chevrolet Traverse Million Dollar Shootout
One lucky fan will take to the ice on New Year's Eve (Wednesday, December 31) during the round-robin tilt featuring Canada vs. USA for a chance to win $1 million in the third annual, international award-winning million-dollar giveaway, the Chevrolet Traverse Million Dollar Shootout. The fan will also have the chance to score up to four new Chevrolet Traverse Crossovers as part of the promotion.

World Juniors Produces Record Ratings for TSN :flagC
The 2003 Gold Medal game from Halifax was TSN's most watched program of all time with 3.5 million viewers. In fact, eight of the Top 10 most watched programs ever on TSN are World Juniors telecasts, while a total of 25 World Juniors broadcasts have cracked the one million viewer mark.
TSN's coverage of Canada's 3-2 OT win over Sweden in last year's Gold Medal game attracted a national average audience of 2.22 million viewers, making it the network's 5th most watched program of all time.
TSN has been televising the IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP since 1991.

UkrainianGuy

22-12-2008, 11:10 PM

Medals History Since 1974

All-Time Medal Count

Year ...... Site .......................... Gold ......... Silver ........... Bronze

2008 Pardubice, Czech Republic.....Canada........Sweden..........Russia
2007 Leksand, Sweden.................Canada.........Russia...... United States
2006 Vancouver, Canada..............Canada.........Russia......... .Finland
2005 Grand Forks, United States....Canada.........Russia.....Czech Republic
2004 Helsinki, Finland..............United States......Canada........Finland
2003 Halifax, Canada....................Russia..........Canada.. .......Finland
2002 Pardubice, Czech Rep............Russia..........Canada.........Finl and
2001 Moscow, Russia..............Czech Republic.....Finland.........Canada
2000 Skelleftea, Sweden..........Czech Republic......Russia.........Canada
1999 Winnipeg, Canada.................Russia...........Canada.... ....Slovakia
1998 Helsinki, Finland...................Finland............Russi a......Switzerland
1997 Geneva, Switzerland............Canada......United States.....Russia
1996 Boston, United States...........Canada..........Sweden.........Ru ssia
1995 Red Deer, Canada.................Canada...........Russia.... ....Sweden
1994 Czech Republic.....................Canada.........Sweden .........Russia
1993 Gavle, Sweden.....................Canada.........Sweden.. ....Czechoslovakia
1992 Germany................................CIS........ ....Sweden......United States
1991 Saskatoon, Canada............Canada.......Soviet Union.....Czechoslovakia
1990 Finland............................Canada.......So viet Union.....Czechoslovakia
1989 Anchorage, United States.....Soviet Union.....Sweden.....Czechoslovakia
1988 Moscow, USSR.....................Canada..........Soviet Union........Finland
1987* Czechoslovakia................Finland........Czech oslovakia..........Sweden
1986 Hamilton, Canada...............Soviet Union.......Canada......United States
1985 Finland............................Canada......Cze choslovakia.....Soviet Union
1984 Sweden.....................Soviet Union..........Finland.........Czechoslovakia
1983 Leningrad, USSR..........Soviet Union......Czechoslovakia.........Canada
1982 Rochester, United States.....Canada......Czechoslovakia..........Fin land
1981 Germany..........................Sweden........... Finland...........Soviet Union
1980 Helsinki, Finland..............Soviet Union.......Finland..............Sweden
1979 Karlstad, Sweden...........Soviet Union....Czechoslovakia.......Sweden
1978 Montreal, Canada...........Soviet Union........Sweden.............Canada
1977 Banska, Bystrica............Soviet Union.........Canada.............Finland
1976 Turku, Finland...............Soviet Union.........Canada......Czechoslovakia
1975 Winnipeg, Canada..........Soviet Union.........Canada............Sweden
1974 Leningrad, USSR............Soviet Union..........Finland............Canada

* Canada and Soviet Union were disqualified for brawling.

Total Medals (since 1977 - previous tournaments unofficial)

Rank....Team........................Gold.........S ilver.........Bronze............Total
1. Russia (Soviet Union, CIS).......12..........9...............5.......... .........26
2.Canada ................................13..........6..... ..........4...................23
3.Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia).2...........5..............6..... ..............13
5.Finland....................................2.... ......4..............7...................13
4 Sweden..................................1......... ..6..............4...................11
6 United States..........................1...........1..... .........4....................5
7 Switzerland.............................0......... ..0...............1...................1
8 Slovakia.................................0........ ....0.............1.....................1

UkrainianGuy

22-12-2008, 11:10 PM

UkrainianGuy

22-12-2008, 11:11 PM

Top 10 IIHF World Championship Plays 2008

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UkrainianGuy

22-12-2008, 11:13 PM

physique

23-12-2008, 10:07 PM

was announced yesterday, saskatoon and regina will play host in 2010. i am looking righjt now at getting tickets. $1550+gst for 21 games in saskatoon. includes the medal round. thinking of taking my dad for xmas, before he leave this fine place we call earth.

Houstonbc

23-12-2008, 10:18 PM

i went in saskatoon in 1991 i believe
that would be a great xmas present for your dad

UkrainianGuy

26-12-2008, 07:12 PM

:beer

UkrainianGuy

26-12-2008, 08:55 PM

CAN 5 - CZE 0 (2nd)

...and counting :beer

UkrainianGuy

26-12-2008, 10:18 PM

TAVARES LEADS CANADA TO VICTORY OVER CZECH REPUBLIC

John Tavares is certainly living up to his billing at the World Junior Hockey Championship, scoring Canada's first two goals on the power play and assisting on another as the defending gold medalists soundly beat the Czech Republic 8-1 in their opening game.

Angelo Esposito, Ryan Ellis, Tyler Ennis, Chris DiDomenico, Zach Boychuk and Alex Pietrangelo also scored for Canada, who are seeking their fifth straight World Junior title for the second time in tournament history.
Tavares, in his fourth season with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, has generated plenty of attention over the last few years as a potential first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old is already two points shy of last year's totals (five points) when he made his first appearance in the tournament.

Dustin Tokarski, who led the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs to a Memorial Cup last spring, was solid in goal for Canada stopping every shot until Jan Kana broke his shutout bid with two minutes left in the game.

The offensive output was surprising for a Canadian squad that did not score more than four goals in a game in last year's tournament. The last time Canada scored eight in a game was in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 2005 when they defeated Sweden and Finland 8-1, and Germany 9-0.
Prior to Friday, Canada's largest margin of victory over the Czech Republic was a 7-1 victory in 2004.

The Canadian squad honoured the memory of Luc Bourdon during their game, wearing "LB" on their helmets to pay tribute to the two-time World Junior gold medalist. Bourdon, a member of the 2006 and 2007 teams, was killed in a motorcycle accident back in May. In addition to their tribute, no Canadian player is wearing Bourdon's No. 6 in this tournament.

Team Canada looked impressive in their three warm-up contests leading up to Friday's opener. They defeated Sweden 4-2 last Friday, topped Finland 7-3 on Sunday and then crushed Slovakia 7-0 on Tuesday.
Canada has won four straight World Junior gold medals and if they can capture another one in Ottawa they will tie a national record set from 1993 to 1997.

The Czech Republic has not won a medal at this tournament since a bronze in 2005 and has not captured gold since their 2001 squad won in Moscow.

Team Canada is 9-0-2 over their last 11 games with the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championship.

UkrainianGuy

28-12-2008, 11:44 PM

RUSSIA KICKS OFF WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP WITH WIN

OTTAWA - Russia has found the win column at the world junior hockey championship.

Pavel Chernov had a goal and an assist to lead the Russians to a 4-1 win over Latvia in the tournament's opening game on Friday.

"It wasn't a great game on our part, but it was a solid win in the first game," Russia's Nikita Filatov told the IIHF website. "So this was okay. Latvia in an opening game is not easy."

Vyacheslav Voinov, Maxim Goncharov and Dmitri Klopov also scored for Russia.

Janis Ozololins replied with Latvia's lone goal.

UkrainianGuy

28-12-2008, 11:45 PM

U.S. PUMMELS GERMANY IN FIRST GAME AT WORLD JUNIORS

James van Riemsdyk and Drayson Bowman each scored a pair of goals to lead the U.S. to a 8-2 win over Germany to open the world junior hockey championship Friday.

Bowman is a forward with the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs and was named player of the game for the U.S.

Van Riemsdyk, the second overall pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft by Philadelphia, is in his sophomore year at the University of New Hampshire.
Minnesota's Jordan Schroeder had a goal and three assists in the victory. Colin White of Boston University contributed a goal and an assist.

Michigan's Matt Rust and Bowman's Chiefs teammate Tyler Johnson also scored. Spokane forward Mitch Wahl had two assists.

"No matter who you are playing, you want to have a good start to the tournament and get the ball rolling," van Riemsdyk said. "We wanted to play well, we got rid of some nerves out there and we got better as the game went on.

"We just kept it simple, making chips of the boards and getting the puck in deep. We generated a lot of offence off that."

The Americans peppered the German net with 46 shots. Timo Pielmeier, who plays for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Shawinigan Cataractes, gave up five goals on 27 shots in the first two periods.
Pielmeier was replaced by Philipp Grubauer of the Belleville Bulls to start the third. Grubauer allowed two goals on 19 shots.

Thomas McCollum of the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm stopped 16 of 18 in net for the U.S.

Toni Ritter and Patrick Pohl scored for the Germans, who earned promotion to this tournament by winning one of two world 'B' junior championship earlier this year.

The Americans are in a pool with Canada, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan and Germany. They face the Czechs on Sunday.

The team with the best record at the end of the preliminary round earns a bye to the semifinals. The runner-up and third-place teams will play a quarter-final.

UkrainianGuy

28-12-2008, 11:46 PM

SWEDEN OPENS WORLD JUNIOR TOURNAMENT WITH WIN OVER FINLAND

OTTAWA - With Sweden and Finland sharing a long rivalry, it seemed only fitting that the two should meet on the opening day of the world junior hockey championship.

Thanks to a pair of first-period goals, Sweden was able to take a 3-1 win and bragging rights on Friday.

"It's always a battle against Finland," said Swedish forward Andre Petersson. "I think we did a pretty good job in the game."

Marcus Johansson, David Rundblad and Mikael Backlund scored for Sweden, while David Ullstrom had two assists. Jacob Markstrom was solid in goal stopping 21 shots.

Toni Rajala scored the lone goal for Finland and Harri Sateri faced 20 shots.

Sweden dominated the first 20 minutes, but failed to maintain the level of energy. If not for the goaltending of Markstrom the end result could have been different.

With six returning players from last year's silver-medal team, Sweden is considered a favourite, but players know a complete effort will be needed to make a run for gold.

"We had a good first period and then Finland really came out," said top prospect Victor Hedman. "We didn't play the full 60 minutes."

With Hedman being touted as a potential first overall pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft he knows his every move will be scrutinized.

"It's pressure, but the biggest pressure comes from myself," he said. "I can't focus (on the scouts). It's important for us to be a team and stay focused on the game."

It's easy to see why Hedman is considered a top prospect. He's a big, fluid defenceman who moves the puck well and isn't afraid to jump in offensively.

Hedman admitted he would have liked to jump into the play a bit more.
"It was a tight game and I'm a defenceman," said Hedman. "I have my responsibilities."

Fans at the Civic Centre were treated to a different style of play as the two teams were allowed to play for nearly four minutes before the first whistle.

A couple of mistakes from the Finnish defence then allowed Sweden to take control.

Johansson was allowed to come from behind the net uncontested and beat Sateri on the short side at 9:15 of the period. Just over four minutes later another breakdown resulted in a goal as Rundblad skated into the slot and scored on a wrist shot.

Rajala scored on a breakaway in the opening minutes of the second to cut the lead in half.

The second period featured a much more balanced game as both teams created a number of chances, but both goaltenders looked solid.
"We lost the game in the first period," said Sateri. "We played stupid in our zone and that was it. We played better hockey later on, but it was not our best."

With 59.7 seconds remaining in the second Sweden was given a two-man advantage for 96 seconds, but failed to generate any solid scoring chances.

After a mad scramble in the crease Sweden was awarded a penalty shot after it was ruled Sateri threw his stick.

Oscar Moller took the shot for Sweden, but failed on his attempt.
Both coaches admitted their teams might have been dealing with some nerves and excitement and are expecting a more solid effort from their respective players.

Mikael Backlund scored an empty-net goal for Sweden with 40.9 seconds remaining.

Sweden will next play Slovakia on Sunday while Finland will play Russia.

UkrainianGuy

28-12-2008, 11:47 PM

SLOVAKIA WINS IN ROUT OF LATVIA, GERMANY BLANKS KAZAKHSTAN

OTTAWA - This was a first for Slovakia's Jaroslav Janus.
In a 7-2 win over Latvia in the world junior hockey championship on Saturday, Janus faced only 17 shots but not a single one of those came in the second period.

"That's never happened to me before," said Janus with a laugh. "It was kind of tough."

Janus, who plays for the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters, had the best seat in the house to watch his team run over Latvia.

"This was the kind of game we talked about," said Janus. "We really wanted to win our first game."

Radoslav Tybor and Ondrej Rusnak each scored a pair of goals to lead the Slovaks. Marek Hrivik, Tomas Tatar and Adam Bezak also scored.
Janis Straupe and Ronalds Cinks scored for Latvia, while Nauris Enkuzens faced 43 shots. Latvia is now 0-2 at the tournament and will play Sweden on the 29th.

The first period featured end-to-end action as both teams exchanged a pair of goals.

"We were kind of surprised after the first period," admitted Janus. "But we knew they might get tired since they played (Friday)."

Slovakia's Tybor opened the scoring at 1:54 of the first period beating Enkuzens high stick-side.

Latvia went on to take the lead on goals from Straupe and Cinks. Cinks' goal came on a beautiful second effort as he got the puck off while being hauled down.

With less than four minutes remaining in the period, Slovakia tied the game as Rusnak tipped Radek Deyl's shot from the blue-line.

Slovakia took control of the game in the second, scoring three unanswered goals.

"The second half of the game was really bad for us," said Latvia's Roberts Bukarts, who had one assist. "We didn't make any shots in the second and in the third we wanted to come back, but it was too late."

Latvian coach Andrejs Maticins said he couldn't repeat what was said to his team after the second period.

"There were too many mistakes," said Maticins. "We had breakdowns for about six or seven minutes. If you want to play in Group A you can't make so many mistakes."

The game remained close until the latter half of the second when Slovakia scored twice in a span of 38 seconds.

In the day's other game, Germany downed Kazakhstan 9-0.

Hrivik broke the 2-2 tie with a questionable goal as his shot got just under the crossbar. After review the goal held up despite protests from the Latvians.

That goal seemed to give the Slovakians some confidence and allowed them to open things up.

"I think they were a little nervous because they're not favoured," said Slovak coach Stefan Mikes through an interpreter. "It was really important to play Latvia and win. Once we scored the third goal everything went our way."

Seconds later Rusnak was left all alone to beat Enkuzens high glove side.
With just under two minutes remaining in the period Tybor scored his second of the game to make it 5-2.

Moments after the Latvians recorded their first shot on goal in over 22 minutes the Slovakian's scored again as Tatar picked up a rebound and scored into an empty net.

"I think it's good when lots of players score," said Rusnak. "I think we will be less nervous for next game."

Despite Latvia's obvious struggles its fans could still be heard cheering among the 9,370 on hand at the Civic Centre.

Slovakia faces Sweden on Sunday.

Germany 9, Kazakhstan 0

Germany saw goals from seven different players in a 9-0 domination of Kazakhstan on Saturday.

Germany controlled the game, spending most of its time in the offensive zone. But it was a second period, three-goal explosion in a 1:14 span that ultimately put the game out of reach for the Kazakhs. Jerome Flaake was the only German to score twice. Timo Pielmeier earned the shutout for Germany.

UkrainianGuy

28-12-2008, 11:48 PM

CANADIANS LIGHT UP KAZAKHSTAN AT WORLD JUNIORS

Team Canada continued on with the punishment that the Germans handed out the night before, scoring eight power play goals en route to a 15-0 victory over Kazakhstan at the World Junior Hockey Championship on Sunday.

Less than 24 hours after a 9-0 drubbing by Germany, the Kazakhs were victimized again - this time by the host team. Canada's aggressive forecheck at start the game quickly wore down their opponents, causing them to make early mistakes and take careless penalites.

"I think before the game we were really prepared," John Tavares told TSN after the game. "We were really focused on getting better again, and coach (Quinn) wanted to make sure we were playing hard and weren't getting lazy habits.

Jordan Eberle capitalized early with his first goal of the tournament at 1:28 and Jamie Benn followed it up on the power play to make it 2-0.
With a 5-on-3 power play for almost two minutes, Canada didn't slow down. Benn took a feed from John Tavares for a three-goal lead and P.K. Subban added another as the second penalty ended to make it 4-0 after one period.

The offence continued to roll in the second, with Cody Hodgson scoring less than two minutes in, Chris DiDomenico cashing in with second goal of the tournament and Benn's third goal of the game - with reserved celebration - to complete the hat trick.

"It's just one of those games where you can't get too excited out there," Benn told TSN. "You got to stay focused out there for the full 60 minutes and we did a pretty good job."

With Canada's second unit out on the next power play it was Tyler Ennis's turn to get on the scoreboard, scoring his second goal in as many games to make it 8-0. Tavares added another goal with the man advantage just over two minutes later, becoming Canada's all-time leader in power play goals with six.

When the dust finally settled after two periods, Canada beat Kazakh goaltender Andrei Yankov nine times on 44 shots.

Yankov was replaced by Maxim Gryaznov to start the third period and the goaltending change did little to stave off the Canadian onslaught.
Vancouver Giants forward Evander Kane, who was cut earlier this month but returned to the lineup to replace the injured Dana Tyrell, scored his first goal of the tournament less than a minute in to give Canada a double-digit lead. Tavares, Hodgson and Subban each added their second goal of the game to make it 13-0. Stefan Della Rovere, who was a game-time decision because of a shin injury, scored the 14th goal and defenceman Tyler Myers finished things off with his first goal of the tournament.

Canada also set team records in power play goals. Their three goals with the man advantage in the second and third period tied a team record for most power play goals in a period (done seven times before) and their total of eight in the game beat the previous record of six that was set in 2002.

Through Canada's first two games of the tournament, 14 different players have scored goals. "We've got four great lines that can score," said forward Tyler Ennis. "We play physical and are just very deep and it showed tonight. Everyone contributed."

After Dustin Tokarski earned Canada's first win of the tournament on Friday, goaltender Chet Pickard got the start in net against the Kazakhs. A first-round selection of the Nashville Predators in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the 19-year-old made just 11 saves for the shutout in his international debut representing Canada. "It wasn't the most difficult (shutout)," said Pickard. "But you definitely have to stay sharp out there because you only get one or two shots a period. The guys were great in front of me tonight and I didn't have to do very much."

Pickard is also the second goalie to represent the Western Hockey League's Tri-City Americans in three years. In 2007, his former teammate Carey Price led Canada to gold at the world junior tournament in Leksand, Sweden.

UkrainianGuy

30-12-2008, 01:21 AM

FILATOV, KLOPOV SCORE TWICE AS RUSSIA BEATS FINLAND

OTTAWA - It was only a matter of time before Russian sniper Nikita Filatov started filling the net at the world junior hockey championship.
Filatov scored his first two goals of the tournament Sunday as Russia stayed undefeated with a 5-2 win over Finland.

Russia (2-0-0), which beat Latvia 4-1 on Friday, has six points in the three-point scoring system. Finland, meanwhile, is 0-2-0 following two regulation losses in Group B play.

"I just tried to play hard and I was just luckier than in the game against Latvia," said Filatov, who is on loan from the Columbus Blue Jackets for the tournament.

"I had chances but I wasn't lucky, so it's always nice to get that first goal."

Dmitri Klopov had two goals and an assist while linemate Evgeni Dadonov had a goal and two assists for Russia. Nikita Klyukin added three assists.
Danila Alistratov made 12 saves for the win.

In other results, Sweden beat Slovakia 3-1, while the United States edged the Czech Republic 4-3.

Jani Lajunen and Joonas Nattinen scored for Finland, who were outshot 28-14. Harri Sateri did his best in the Finland goal to keep his team in the game, but it was Nattinen who picked up player-of-the-game honours for Finland.

Filatov was the Russian player of the game.

"We weren't hungry enough. We have to shoot more and play better offensively and that's the only way we can be successful," Nattinen said.
The Finns lost 3-1 to Sweden on Friday.

The score could have been much worse had Russia had a touch more accuracy. Klopov scored with less than two minutes remaining for the only goal of the third period but the Russians hit two crossbars that could have put the game out of reach earlier.

The Finns were able to skate with the Russians through the first half of the game, despite what the stats were saying. They were hitting hard and moving the puck but were tentative and seemed to offer the Russians too much respect.

In the second half of the second period though, the Russians took control.
Lajunen opened the scoring and gave Finland a 1-0 lead at 5:10 of the opening period, but Russia responded with three goals before the end of the frame for a 3-1 lead.

Filatov scored the first of his two goals to tie the game at 7:56 and just 38 seconds later Dadonov gave the Russians their first lead of the game. Klopov put the Russians ahead 3-1 at 11:29.

"It was a pretty tough game. They got a fast goal but we responded pretty quick and then got two more goals. Then we really started to play better and we were really dominating," Filatov said. "We just have to play better and better and try to progress and I think we can do that."
Nattinen scored a power-play goal at 3:55 of the second period, cutting the lead to 3-2, but that was one of just three shots Finland had in the second period following a four-shot performance in the first.

Six minutes after that goal Filatov put Russia up 4-2 as he fired a slapshot past Sateri from the slot.

The Russians will face Slovakia on Tuesday while Finland will play Latvia later that day.

Both teams will close out the preliminary round of the tournament with games Wednesday.

The tournament takes a break on New Year's Day and will open the playoff and relegation rounds on Friday.

Sweden 3 Slovakia 1

Erik Karlsson and Mikael Backlund each had a goal and an assist as Sweden defeated Slovakia.

Simon Hjalmarsson also scored for Sweden (2-0), while Los Angeles Kings rookie Oscar Moller and highly-touted draft prospect Victor Hedman added assists.

Martin Uhnak replied for Slovakia (1-1).

United States 4 Czech Republic 3

University of Minnesota freshman Jordan Schroeder scored a pair of goals and also had an assist for the United States.

Schroeder, who is eligible for the 2009 NHL entry draft, leads the U.S. in scoring with three goals and four assists in two games.

New Hampshire's James van Riemsdyk, the second overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft by Philadelphia, contributed a goal and an assist. Michigan's Matt Rust also scored in the win, which tied the U.S. with Canada at 2-0 atop Pool A.

Ondrej Roman, a Dallas Stars draft pick who won a Memorial Cup with the Spokane Chiefs last season, Ottawa's 67's defenceman Martin Paryzek and forward Jan Kana replied for the Czechs (0-2).

UkrainianGuy

30-12-2008, 01:23 AM

SCHROEDER SCORES TWICE AS USA HOLD ON TO BEAT CZECH REPUBLIC

OTTAWA - University of Minnesota freshman Jordan Schroeder scored a pair of goals and also had an assist for the United States in a 4-3 win over the Czech Republic at the world junior hockey championship Sunday.
Schroeder, who is eligible for the 2009 NHL entry draft, leads the U.S. in scoring with three goals and four assists in two games, though individual stats aren't the forward's main concern.

"I'm focused on winning," Schroeder said. "I'm glad we got the win today and it was big for the round robin. If we would have lost that game, it could have been a different story."

New Hampshire's James van Riemsdyk, the second overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft by Philadelphia, contributed a goal and an assist. Michigan's Matt Rust also scored in the win, which tied the U.S. with Canada at 2-0 atop Pool A.

"Playing with van Riemsdyk and (Colin) Wilson, I knew we'd have a big impact in the tournament. They're great players, fun to play with and they make plays," Schroeder said.

The top team in each of the two pools earns a bye to the semifinals. The runners-up face the third-place team from the opposite pool in the quarter-finals.

Goaltender Thomas McCollum, who plays for the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm, earned his second win of the tournament by stopping 24 of 27 shots.

Ondrej Roman, a Dallas Stars draft pick who won a Memorial Cup with the Spokane Chiefs last season, Ottawa's 67's defenceman Martin Paryzek and forward Jan Kana replied for the Czechs (0-2)

Czech goaltender Dominik Furch made 23 saves on 27 shots.
The Americans face Kazakhstan (0-2) on Tuesday and conclude the preliminary round Wednesday against Canada, a game Schroeder is looking forward to.

"Right now we're focused on Kazakhstan, but it will be fun when we get there," he said.

UkrainianGuy

30-12-2008, 01:25 AM

CANADA'S POWER PLAY THE DIFFERENCE AGAINST GERMANY

Zach Boychuk, Jamie Benn and John Tavares cashed in with four goals on the man advantage as Canada beat Germany 5-1 in their preliminary round game at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

After two lopsided wins over the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan, the Canadian team faced some stiffer competition in the early going. Both teams charged out of the gate with heavy hits and aggressive forechecking, highlighted by Patrice Cormier's hit on German blueliner Florian Mueller and a solid check on Canada's Tyler Ennis against the boards by defenceman Dominik Bielke.

"The other games were kind of boring," said Cormier. "The other guys (in those games) were smaller. Tonight, they wanted to crash and bang and match our intensity, but we got a few good bodychecks and built some energy for our guys."

With a 5-on-3 power play just over five minutes into the game, the Canadians capitalized when Boychuk put in a rebound on Ennis's shot to make it 1-0.

"We needed that situation that we didn't get with the Czech Repbublic or Kazakhstan," Boychuk told TSN. "It's good to realize that there's good teams in this tournament and we're not the best team by any means or by a large margin."

Another two-man advantage helped Canada again in the second period, with Benn taking a pass from John Tavares to bury it past German netminder Philipp Grubauer for a two-goal lead. With Stefan Della Rovere in the penalty box just two minutes later, the Germans cut the lead in half with their own power play goal by David Wolf.

Canada got some breathing room in the first minute of the third period with Evander Kane's second goal of the tournament, tapped in on a rebound after a great rush to the crease by defenceman PK Subban.
"I saw that they were changing and I wanted to get the puck up ice as quick as I can," Subban explained. "I looked up ahead and I had a lot of steam coming out of our zone. I just took it wide on the defenceman and kept on going and took it to the net. Luckily, Evander got it in on the rebound."

With their sixth power play of the game, Tavares padded Canada's lead by three with his fifth goal of the tournament and ninth career world junior goal on the man-advantage. The consensus No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft leads the tournament in scoring with five goals and four assists.

The Canadian squad got a scare later in the stanza, when Canada's Angelo Esposito was drilled into the backboard by German defenceman Denis Reul. Reul received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit, which is also subject to review. With a four-minute power play to work with, Canada added one more goal with Boychuk's second of the game.

The Germans didn't go down without their share of chances. Canada took seven trips to the penalty box, but their oppponents could not cash in on their opportunities, including a 5-on-3 man-advantage midway through the third period. By contrast, the power play has been a strength for Canada in the tournament, connecting on 14 of 24 chances through three games.
Chet Pickard started in goal again for Canada, stopping 13 shots to earn his second victory in as many games.

"The guys are playing well in front of me," said Pickard. "I haven't faced many shots and it's been good. That's all you can ask for - to go out there and put up your best effort and I'm pretty happy with the way I played."

Team Canada is now undefeated in ten games against Germany at the World Junior tournament since 1992. The win assures Canada at least second place in Group A. The United States is expected to beat Kazakhstan on Tuesday, which would make Wednesday's game between Canada and the Americans (TSN, TSN HD and TSN.ca at 7pm et/4pm pt) a battle for first place in the group and a bye to the semifinal. The runner-up faces the third-place team from Group B in a quarterfinal.

UkrainianGuy

30-12-2008, 08:54 PM

PAAJARVI LEADS SWEDEN TO ROUT OF LATVIA

OTTAWA - Sweden has met all expectations so far at the world junior hockey championship, and now it's time to see if they can continue to excel as things get tougher.

Magnus Svensson Paajarvi scored two goals and assisted on two others Monday afternoon as Sweden routed Latvia 10-1.

Nicklas Lasu also had two goals for the Swedes, who improved to 3-0-0 at the tournament with one game remaining in the preliminary round. The Swedes face Russia on Wednesday afternoon, potentially with a semifinal berth at stake.

"This was a pretty easy game. We did what we had to do and we won I think we're going to win the next game," said Swedish defenceman Erik Karlsson, who, along with Simon Hjalmarsson and Joakim Andersson, had a goal and two assists for Sweden.

Andre Petersson, David Ullstrom and Mattias Tedenby each added a goal.
"Now is when the hard part starts and I think we're ready for that," Karlsson added. "Now the fun begins. We have high expectations of ourselves because we know we have a good team. We feel we have the skills that are needed to take home the trophy. Yes there's pressure but I think we can handle it."

Mark Owuya was pretty relaxed in the Swedish goal as he faced just 11 shots. Sweden outshot Latvia 61-11.

Roberts Jekimovs had the only goal for the Latvians, who are 0-3-0 and close out their preliminary round against Finland (0-2-0) on Tuesday night.
The Latvians managed to keep the score relatively respectable for two periods, trailing 6-1 after 40 minutes, but as was the case in their previous two games at the tournament, they just ran out of gas.

They were outscored 4-0 in the third and were unable to beat Owuya during a two-man advantage for the final 26 seconds of the game, despite getting three shots.

"It doesn't (matter) if you get 40 shots or 10 shots, you have to focus on the next one. Of course I'd rather have 40 shots than 10," Owuya said, afterwards joking about the late barrage of shots by Latvia.

"I was thinking of my (save) percentage. It was just below 90 so I need two more shots. Luckily they were easy ones although I lost my balance on the last one."

Andersson scored at 33 seconds of the final frame and Karlsson gave Sweden an 8-1 lead exactly a minute later. Ullstrom scored a power-play goal at 8:31 and Lasu closed out the scoring with his second of the game at 9:18.

Hjalmarsson had the only goal in the second period and it gave Sweden a 6-1 lead.

Sweden completely dominated the first period outshooting Latvia 26-1 and outscoring them 5-1.

The only area of the game that Latvia was better in the first period was shooting percentage as Jekimovs scored with seven seconds left on his team's only shot.

By that point that game had already been decided as the Swedes built a 5-0 lead and chased Latvian starter Raimonds Ermics from the goal after he allowed three goals on 17 shots.

Tedenby opened the scoring at 2:13 on the power play and Svensson Paajarvi scored the first of his two goals at 9:15 to put Sweden up 2-0.
Petersson scored at 13:42 for a 3-0 Swedish lead and an early exit for Ermics.

Nauris Enkuzens came on to replace Ermics and allowed goals by Svensson Paajarvi at 17:39 and Lasu at 19:10.

Jekimovs then scored on a nice pass from Janis Ozolins to draw the biggest cheer of the game from the crowd of 9,622.

"It was great to get that goal on the first shot, but I credit my linemates for setting me up with a wide open net to put it in," Jekimovs said.

UkrainianGuy

30-12-2008, 08:54 PM

PRIME MINISTER HARPER DROPS IN ON CANADIAN JUNIOR PRACTICE

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his son Ben dropped in on the Canadian team's practice Tuesday to wish them luck at the world junior hockey championship.

Harper spoke to the Canadian players in their dressing room before he and his son went to the team's bench for a photo with the players. Ben is participating in a minor hockey tournament in the Ottawa area.

"Ben's team in the tournament is also 3-0, but their goal differential is better than ours," Canadian head coach Pat Quinn said. "It was really pleasure to have our Prime Minister come and visit with these kids.

"It was a pretty quiet room while he walked around and visited with them for a short time."

Canadian goaltender Chet Pickard was taken aback to see a dog sniffing for possible explosives in the dressing room.
"The guys were a little quiet and security was in there and everything," Pickard said. "I was kind of wondering what was going on when a dog came running out."

Canada, winner of four straight world junior titles, meets the U.S. in the final round-robin game of Pool A on Wednesday.

"(Harper) just said 'go out and compete hard,"' defenceman P.K. Subban said. "He said everyone is behind us and he was very supportive.

"It was kind of a weird feeling. You see him on TV all the time. He's a leader of our country. He's someone a lot of people look up to, but he was really down to earth and he seemed like he was a fan. The guys appreciated him being there today."

Harper left practice without speaking to the media.

UkrainianGuy

30-12-2008, 08:59 PM

CANADA READY FOR TOUGH TEST AGAINST TEAM USA

OTTAWA - Canada's team was still a mystery after three games at the world junior hockey championship.

The question still lingered as to how Canada (3-0) would perform when tested to its limits, because it hadn't happened yet.

All should be revealed Wednesday against tournament co-favourite U.S. (TSN, TSN HD and TSN.ca, beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt.) in the final round-robin game of Pool A.

The top team in the pool gets a bye to Saturday's semifinal and two days of rest, while the runner-up has to get there via a quarter-final win Friday.

Russia beat Slovakia 8-1 in Pool B and will play Sweden for first place in that group Wednesday. Czech Republic advanced to the quarter-final with a 6-0 win over Germany, which was knocked into the relegation round.
Head coach Pat Quinn was still waiting for a goaltender to prove himself as Canada's starter. He had yet to decide whether Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs or Chet Pickard of the Tri-City Americans would play Wednesday.

Tokarski made 20 saves in the tournament opener versus the Czechs, but let in a questionable goal late in the game. Pickard faced a total of 23 shots over the next two games and gave up a power-play goal.
''In this tournament, certainly neither one has been tested,'' Quinn acknowledged Tuesday. ''In the opening game, I think young Tokarski didn't concentrate all the way through it, so I don't know what to expect at this point.

''We're going to have to go off our scouting reports and say 'you've got this game' and let's see where it goes. That's probably what we'll do.''
A solid outing versus the U.S. would likely solidify the starting job for the medal round, so both goalies want to be in their country's biggest game of the tournament so far.

''I know me and Dustin would be lying if we said we didn't want to play,'' Pickard said. ''We want to play every game if we can.

''It's going to be a great atmosphere because we both know a lot of guys on the other team and Canada against the U.S., it doesn't get any better than that.''

Quinn said prior to Monday's 5-1 win over Germany there was a lot he didn't know about his goaltenders yet. That sentiment could be extended to the rest of the team, although the skaters' abilities and talents have been more evident.

Canada's power-play is clicking at a spectacular rate of 60 per cent. Tavares, Canada's scoring leader, is lethal around the net when his team has a man advantage. The possible No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft has scored four of his five goals a man up and set up numerous power-play goals for teammates.

After outscoring the opposition 28-2 over the first three games, it was difficult to gauge how the Canadians would react if they trailed by one or more goals, or got into major penalty trouble, or if the opposition actually mustered a sustained attack.

''Gear-wise, I think we're probably on in third right now,'' defenceman Ryan Ellis said. ''We've been playing average hockey. That Germany game we weren't playing too well, moving our feet or playing as a team as well as we wanted to.

''If we're going to beat the Americans, we have to kick it into a couple more gears and we're going to have to come out a lot hungrier and a lot stronger.''

The U.S., led by its big forward line of James van Riemsdyk, Colin Wilson and Jordan Schroeder, is capable of putting Canada in those situations. For the first time, Canada will face a country that can take the game to them.

''They're a skilled team like us,'' Tavares said. ''They've got that big line and we've got to keep them under control.

''We've got to make sure we're playing physical as well and we don't give them time and space because they can make things happen, unlike maybe the teams we've already played.''

The U.S. has more six-footers up front than Canada and the Americans on average are heavier.

''I don't remember the last time Canada was intimidated by anyone,'' declared defenceman P.K. Subban.

The Americans' road in the Pool A hasn't been particularly difficult either, even though they had to hold off a charging Czech team 4-3. They're certainly talented enough to win the title, but the country hasn't been able to close out big games in recent years.

They've played for a medal the last six years and won two, including the gold in 2004.

For this generation of Canadian players, the rivalry with the U.S. is as heated - if not more - than the country's established rivalry with Russia, although the players are aware their country has a long history with the latter that goes back to the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.
While Canada has played Russia in the world junior final five of the last seven years, Canada's shootout win over the U.S. in the 2007 semifinal and the devastating collapse against the Americans in the 2004 final are vivid memories in these Canadian players' minds.

''The U.S., right across the board is always going to be a big rivalry,'' said the 17-year-old Ellis. ''Their program has picked up a lot in the last few years and they've been playing really well the last few tournaments.

''They always seem to be matched up against us in semis and finals and all that kind of stuff. That rivalry just kind of intensifies each year.''

Tokarski has three Spokane teammates on the U.S. squad: forwards Mitch Wahl, Drayson Bowman and Tyler Johnson. Eric Tangradi is Subban's teammate in Belleville.

Bragging rights in their respective club dressing rooms are on the line. Both Tokarski and Subban say they haven't trash-talked with their American teammates via e-mails or text-messaging during the tournament.
Goaltenders Thomas McCollum and Josh Unice are well-known to the Canadian players from Ontario, as they play for Guelph and Kitchener respectively.

Notes - Canada is 27-5-3 all-time versus the U.S. at the world junior hockey championship . . . Prime Minister Stephen Harper and son Ben, a hockey player, visited the Canadian team's dressing room Tuesday and had their picture taken with the team.

UkrainianGuy

30-12-2008, 09:02 PM

CANADIAN JUNIORS NAMED CP TEAM OF THE YEAR

Canada's junior hockey team won The Canadian Press Team of the Year award like it captured the gold medal at the 2008 world junior championship.

It came right down to the wire.

The Canadians beat Sweden 3-2 in overtime Jan. 5 in Pardubice, Czech Republic, to win a fourth straight gold medal for their country.

In a survey of sports editors and broadcasters across the country, the junior squad trailed the men's Olympic eight rowing crew for Team of the Year honours until a late surge.

Although the gold-medal winning rowers finished with 36 first-place votes and the junior team with 25, the hockey team was bolstered by more second- and third-place votes.

The hockey team finished with 141 points to the rowers' 139 in a tight race. The Grey Cup-champion Calgary Stampeders were third with 102 points a year after the Grey Cup-champion Saskatchewan Roughriders won the award.

"A toss-up for us on a number of fronts - could have easily picked 10 teams for these top three positions," said Al Coates, sports editor of the Waterloo Region Record.

Wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc claimed female athlete of the year honours Friday while Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau captured the male award Sunday.

The junior team was young with an average age of just under 19 for what is considered a showcase of the world's best 19-year-old players.
The Canadians matured by leaps and bounds during the 11 days of the tournament.

By their own admission, they went into the event feeling bulletproof because of their 18-game winning streak in the tournament. The majority of the players had thumped the Russians in an eight-game series just a few weeks prior to the junior championship.

That cockiness crashed in a third-period collapse against Sweden in Canada's third game of the preliminary round. The Canadians couldn't protect a 2-0 lead and lost 4-3.

While Matt Halischuk's overtime goal in the final was the defining moment of the tournament for head coach Craig Hartsburg, the loss to Sweden was the pivotal one.

"You hate to say when you lose it's good, but it was the best thing that happened to the team," said Hartsburg, now head coach of the NHL's Ottawa Senators.

"I think when they finally lost, to me there was an immediate response that 'We've got to be better than this to win the gold medal."'

But Canada still didn't look like a gold-medal team in a nervous 4-2 quarter-final win over Finland.

A subplot to the tournament was Hartsburg's decision to go with Steve Mason in goal for the medal round, even though some hockey pundits felt he should put Jonathan Bernier in net.

Despite the goaltending controversy and finding out the day of the semifinal his junior rights had been traded from London to Kitchener, Mason was outstanding in Canada's 4-1 win over the U.S., to bring on a rematch with the Swedes for gold.

Hartsburg had less than 24 hours to prepare his team for the final and was ill with the flu.

"You just find a way," Hartsburg said. "It's the most important moment of your life right there."

The final was almost a repeat of the preliminary-round game as Canada built a 2-0 lead heading into the third, only for the Swedes to score twice and tie it with 38 seconds remaining in regulation.

Hartsburg had a job to do in the dressing room before overtime to calm his distraught players down.

"The first thing was to get them off thinking 'Well, we just blew the gold medal,"' Hartsburg said. "We had to get them settled down because there were kids who were devastated by it and they were pretty close to tears.
"The biggest thing we had to do was get them refocused right away off of what had just happened and focus on what's going to happen here now. It was one shot. We needed one shot and we talked about that immediately."

And it was just one shot. After Mason's three saves on the Swedes in extra time, Halischuk scored the winner at 3:36.

"In all my hockey life, that right now is the most memorable moment just watching those kids react after Halischuk scored," Hartsburg said. "Their reaction was unbelievable. There had to be 10 kids in tears."

In the six years the world junior tournament format gave the two pool winners a bye to the semifinal, only Russia in 1999 had come through a quarter-final to win gold before the Canadians did it in Pardubice.

Hartsburg had coached the junior team three straight years. He was an assistant to Brent Sutter in 2006 and the 2007 Canadian junior team also won gold under Hartsburg.

The 2008 edition had a distinct personality.

"This was a group that had all kinds of energy," Hartsburg said. "They loved to be on the ice and they loved to be around each other, whether it was in the hotel or at the rink."

Players from that junior team, such as Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn, Washington Capitals defenceman Karl Alzner and Tampa Bay forward Steve Stamkos, now line up against his Senators.

Hartsburg says when that happens, there's an unspoken acknowledgment of what they accomplished in Pardubice.

"You kind of make eye contact with them if they're playing against you," Hartsburg said. "Some of them will go on to do great things in their lives in the NHL and in the Stanley Cup, but that's something I'm sure they'll remember for a long time."

UkrainianGuy

31-12-2008, 01:54 PM

UNDEFEATED TEAMS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD AT WORLD JUNIORS

The four remaining undefeated teams meet at the World Junior Hockey Championship today as Team Canada squares off with the United States in Group A while Russia faces Sweden in Group B action.

The winners of each game will receive byes into the semifinal round while the losing teams will begin the playoffs in the quarterfinal round.

You can catch the Russia-Sweden game live on TSN at 2:30pm et/11:30am pt. Then, the Canada-United States game can be seen on TSN, TSN HD and TSN.ca at 7pm et/4pm pt.

During the first intermission of the Canada-USA game, Rick Abbott of Quesnel, BC has the chance to become an instant millionaire as he takes to the ice in TSN's third annual, international award-winning contest, the Chevrolet Traverse Million Dollar Shootout.

Dustin Tokarski gets the start in goal for Team Canada, which has given up just two goals in three tournament games so far.

Despite the undefeated record, Team Canada defenceman Ryan Ellis feels there is plenty of room for improvement.

''If we're going to beat the Americans, we have to kick it into a couple more gears and we're going to have to come out a lot hungrier and a lot stronger,'' said Ellis.

And Canadian sniper John Tavares expects to face the toughest test yet from the Americans.

''We've got to make sure we're playing physical as well and we don't give them time and space because they can make things happen, unlike maybe the teams we've already played,'' said Tavares, who is tied for the tournament scoring lead with five goals and four assists. Teammate Cody Hodgson and American Jordan Schroeder also have nine points.
Canada is 27-5-3 all-time against the United States at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

In Group B, Russia and Sweden have been equally dominant through roundrobin play, outscoring their opposition by 13 goals each.
Columbus Blue Jackets' prospect Nikita Filatov leads Russia with five goals while highly touted Magnus Svensson Paajarvi has five points with a +5 rating for Sweden.

Team Canada Lines
Esposito - Tavares - Didomenico
Boychuk - Hodgson - Eberle
Benn - Sonne - Ennis
Kane - Cormier - Della Rovere

Defence Pairings
Hickey - Teubert
Myers - Aulie
Subban - Goloubef
Ellis - Pietrangelo

UkrainianGuy

31-12-2008, 10:29 PM

WJHC: FILATOV SHINES AS RUSSIA ROLLS OVER SLOVAKIA

OTTAWA - Canada's team was still a mystery after three games at the world junior hockey championship.

The question still lingered as to how Canada (3-0) would perform when tested to its limits, because it hadn't happened yet.

All should be revealed Wednesday against tournament co-favourite U.S. (TSN, TSN HD and TSN.ca, beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt) in the final round-robin game of Pool A.

The U.S. (3-0) hammered Kazakhstan 12-0 on Tuesday, setting up a battle for first place in the pool between the powerful North American rivals. The top team gets a bye to Saturday's semifinal and two days of rest, while the runner-up has to get there via a quarter-final win Friday.
Russia beat Slovakia 8-1 in Pool B and will play Sweden for first place in that group Wednesday. Czech Republic advanced to the quarter-final with a 6-0 win over Germany, which was knocked into the relegation round.
Head coach Pat Quinn was still waiting for a goaltender to prove himself as Canada's starter. He had yet to decide whether Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs or Chet Pickard of the Tri-City Americans would play Wednesday.

Tokarski made 20 saves in the tournament opener versus the Czechs, but let in a questionable goal late in the game. Pickard faced a total of 23 shots over the next two games and gave up a power-play goal.

''In this tournament, certainly neither one has been tested,'' Quinn acknowledged Tuesday. ''In the opening game, I think young Tokarski didn't concentrate all the way through it, so I don't know what to expect at this point.

''We're going to have to go off our scouting reports and say 'you've got this game' and let's see where it goes. That's probably what we'll do.''
A solid outing versus the U.S. would likely solidify the starting job for the medal round, so both goalies want to be in their country's biggest game of the tournament so far.

''I know me and Dustin would be lying if we said we didn't want to play,'' Pickard said. ''We want to play every game if we can.

''It's going to be a great atmosphere because we both know a lot of guys on the other team and Canada against the U.S., it doesn't get any better than that.''

Quinn said prior to Monday's 5-1 win over Germany there was a lot he didn't know about his goaltenders yet. That sentiment could be extended to the rest of the team, although the skaters' abilities and talents have been more evident.

Canada's power-play is clicking at a spectacular rate of 60 per cent. Tavares, Canada's scoring leader, is lethal around the net when his team has a man advantage. The possible No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft has scored four of his five goals a man up and set up numerous power-play goals for teammates.

After outscoring the opposition 28-2 over the first three games, it was difficult to gauge how the Canadians would react if they trailed by one or more goals, or got into major penalty trouble, or if the opposition actually mustered a sustained attack.

''Gear-wise, I think we're probably on in third right now,'' defenceman Ryan Ellis said. ''We've been playing average hockey. That Germany game we weren't playing too well, moving our feet or playing as a team as well as we wanted to.

''If we're going to beat the Americans, we have to kick it into a couple more gears and we're going to have to come out a lot hungrier and a lot stronger.''

The U.S., led by its big forward line of James van Riemsdyk, Colin Wilson and Jordan Schroeder, is capable of putting Canada in those situations. For the first time, Canada will face a country that can take the game to them.

''They're a skilled team like us,'' Tavares said. ''They've got that big line and we've got to keep them under control.

''We've got to make sure we're playing physical as well and we don't give them time and space because they can make things happen, unlike maybe the teams we've already played.''

The U.S. has more six-footers up front than Canada and the Americans on average are heavier.

''I don't remember the last time Canada was intimidated by anyone,'' declared defenceman P.K. Subban.

The Americans' road in the Pool A hasn't been particularly difficult either, even though they had to hold off a charging Czech team 4-3. They're certainly talented enough to win the title, but the country hasn't been able to close out big games in recent years.

They've played for a medal the last six years and won two, including the gold in 2004.

For this generation of Canadian players, the rivalry with the U.S. is as heated - if not more - than the country's established rivalry with Russia, although the players are aware their country has a long history with the latter that goes back to the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.
While Canada has played Russia in the world junior final five of the last seven years, Canada's shootout win over the U.S. in the 2007 semifinal and the devastating collapse against the Americans in the 2004 final are vivid memories in these Canadian players' minds.

''The U.S., right across the board is always going to be a big rivalry,'' said the 17-year-old Ellis. ''Their program has picked up a lot in the last few years and they've been playing really well the last few tournaments.
''They always seem to be matched up against us in semis and finals and all that kind of stuff. That rivalry just kind of intensifies each year.''

Tokarski has three Spokane teammates on the U.S. squad: forwards Mitch Wahl, Drayson Bowman and Tyler Johnson. Eric Tangradi is Subban's teammate in Belleville.

Bragging rights in their respective club dressing rooms are on the line. Both Tokarski and Subban say they haven't trash-talked with their American teammates via e-mails or text-messaging during the tournament.
Goaltenders Thomas McCollum and Josh Unice are well-known to the Canadian players from Ontario, as they play for Guelph and Kitchener respectively.

Notes(at) - Canada is 27-5-3 all-time versus the U.S. at the world junior hockey championship . . . Prime Minister Stephen Harper and son Ben, a hockey player, visited the Canadian team's dressing room Tuesday and had their picture taken with the team.

UkrainianGuy

31-12-2008, 10:31 PM

CANADA DEFEATS U.S. IN A THRILLER AT THE WORLD JUNIORS

Thirty-three years to the day after the Montreal Canadiens and Central Red Army took part in the greatest hockey game ever played, Canada and the United States put together a New Year's Eve classic of their own at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Down 3-0 early to a very strong American squad, John Tavares led the Canadians right back into the game with a hat trick as the four-time defending gold medallists defeated the United States 7-4 in one of the most exciting games ever played at the tournament.[/COLOR]

"It was unbelievable," Canadian defenceman Ryan Ellis told TSN after the game. "After that first period, we were jumping up and down in the dressing room and going nuts - we had to settle down. There were so many momentum changes and so many emotions, but it was a fun game to play and a fun game to watch."

With the win, Canada gets a bye to the semifinals on Saturday while the Americans head to the quarterfinal round with a game against Slovakia. Since the introduction of the 10-team, tournament-style format in 1996, teams with a bye have a record of 15-5 in the semifinals.

The U.S. squad got off to a quick start with Kevin Shattenkirk opening the scoring at the 3:49 mark on a two-on-one.

The Canadians didn't respond well to their first deficit of the tournament, with Chris DiDominico, Cody Goloubef and Tyler Myers taking three straight trips to the penalty box and allowing Jimmy Hayes to make it 2-0 with a 5-on-3 power play. Jim O'Brien then beat netminder Dustin Tokarski from the top of the right faceoff circle for a three-goal lead.

John Tavares replied with his fifth power play goal of the tournament to put Canada on the board. Just over two minutes later, Tavares beat U.S. goaltender Thomas McCollum with his second goal of the game less than 60 seconds later and Jordan Eberle added another goal on the man-advantage to put Canada and the sold-out crowd of 20,223 back in the game.

"We didn't really get tested and it was great to get tested in this game," said Eberle. "Were were down three goals and came right back. Even when we went back and forth for a while we got stronger as the game went on."

With Canada on another power play to start the second period, Zach Boychuk beat McCollum just 37 seconds in to give Canada its first lead of the game. The Americans responded again with the man-advantage on Colin Wilson's goal to make it 4-4, but Cody Hodgson put Canada back on top with yet another power play marker.

With all the offence generated by both teams, there was also some great goaltending on display. With Wilson holding the puck at the Canadian crease for what seemed to be an eternity, Tokarski read him perfectly and made a brilliant glove save on his point-blank shot. McCollum was equal to the task just a few seconds later, breaking up a scoring play by Evander Kane and Patrice Cormier.

Tokarski, making his first start since Canada's 6-1 win over the Czech Republic, settled down in the third period and held off the U.S. from there. He foiled the Americans' top line of Colin Wilson, Jordan Schroeder and James van Riemsdyk on several scoring chances, including a great two-on-one chance and another point-blank shot by Wilson in front of the crease.

Tavares scored into an empty net with 47 seconds left to complete the hat trick, and Tyler Ennis added another to cap a three-goal victory. Tavares now has 12 career goals at the World Juniors, tied for the all-time record held by both Eric Lindros and Jeff Carter.

Canada is 27-5-3 all-time against the United States at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

UkrainianGuy

31-12-2008, 10:56 PM

UkrainianGuy

01-01-2009, 12:15 AM

natenator

01-01-2009, 08:29 AM

Amazing game last night dudes. The atmosphere was simply unreal. Great energy in SBP for the entire game!!!

UkrainianGuy

01-01-2009, 07:41 PM

TEAM CANADA CAPTAIN HICKEY ELEVATING HIS GAME

Regardless of what a player displays consistently on the ice; respect can be hard to earn. Just ask Thomas Hickey, star defenceman for the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds. Selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, pundits still questioned his abilities.

While his Thunderbirds head coach Rob Sumner agrees he lacks the attention that conventionally accompanies being identified as a burgeoning NHL star, it has had a positive affect on his game without having to deal with the distractions.

"I think (Thomas) has handled it fine," said Sumner. "He has had a huge role here ever since he came in here at 15, and was prominent in most games. At 16, he played in all situations, and it is no different now."
Scott Jackson, Hickey's defence partner during his rookie season in Seattle, agrees.

"He has played the same as he did when he first came into the league," he said. "He is really solid every game, and he is the kind of guy you know he will give it his all."

One of the reasons he received such little consideration in his draft year two seasons ago was the geographical location of his team. Playing in the Pacific Northwest, his name rarely entered the mainstream media and attracted little exposure - at least compared to more hockey-saturated markets. What fans are missing is an old-time hockey player reminiscent of defencemen from decades passed.

Another reason could be that Hickey is not the prototypical 6-foot-3 and 215 pound defenceman that every team covets - he's not the offensively gifted power play quarterback that causes hype.

But the aspects about Hickey's game that are noticeable are his smooth skating abilities and knack for making the right play under duress. Sumner believes he was one of those guys that brings a highly competitive game and you may need to see him a few times to really appreciates what he brings to a team.

"He can really skate and he is so strong on his feet and he is not the tallest guy," he explained. "But he rarely gets knocked off the puck where he loses battles down low and he is an effective guy at moving the puck."
Even Jackson clearly sees what makes Hickey an elite player.

"The one thing is he is really dedicated to the game of hockey," he said. "He sits on the bus and will read anything on hockey and try to learn something and he always has his nose in some book."

One attribute that goes unnoticed is Hickey's combative nature - he is willing to drop the gloves and is a respectable pugilist. In one such instance, he squared off toe-to-toe with tough guy Garet Hunt of the Vancouver Giants. He surprised many in attendance during that bout because he never gave an inch. That's no surprise to Sumner, who shrugged his shoulders with the assertion that it's just his nature.

"It was in response to one of their guys hitting one of ours," he explained. "He did not like it so he stood up to him and that is the type of player he is. Although he is a young player, he has a real leadership role with us."
When asked about the tussle, Hickey laughed about it and had that you gotta do what you gotta do expression.

"Well that all started as I thought it was a unfair hit," he said. So I went over to stand up for my teammate and it led to a fight with Hunt, who is a pretty tough guy around the league. I just tried to stand in there and get some punches in and not take too many."

While Hickey is never worried about what others think, he always makes sure to acknowledge his opponent with a manner of respect and to not make a circus out of the situation.

"I am not trying say I am the toughest guy," he explained. "But you have to send a message that you will stand up for yourself and your teammates regardless of the opponent and play a hard gritty style of game plus those wounds always heal."

The opportunity to play at the World Juniors at the Czech Republic last year in Ottawa in 2009 was not lost on Hickey, who said it all started earlier with Team Canada at the Under-18 tournament.

"I cannot begin to even explain how much fun and the experience I had in the Under 18 program with Team Canada," he said. "First of all, it is great to go over there and see all the best players in the world in your peer group and see how you match up against them, and at the same time you meet so many new friends and I learned a lot from the Under 18 team and that allowed me to move on to the Under-20 team the past two years."
Now that he is the captain of Team Canada, he understands the pressure that the role entails and fortunate for the opportunity.

"I fully appreciate the pressure from not only myself but the entire country," he said. "And I embrace the honor and the challenge."
Canada's alternate captains Zach Boychuk and PK Subban have equal admiration for their leader, but also have a unique perspective on his leadership ability.

"It's hard for people to see," said Subban. "But the way he communicates and builds relationships with each player on the team brings us all closer together like a family."

And while the hockey world gets to see Hickey in this brief tournament, don't forget about him after it is all over. If you're wondering where Hickey disappeared to, he's in Seattle patiently waiting for his time to play in the NHL.

And it will come soon enough.

"I have worked out with him in the summers and have played with and against him," said Boychuk. "And his dedication and work ethic earn your respect."

And for Hickey, it's not just about respect. It's about results.

UkrainianGuy

01-01-2009, 07:44 PM

WJHC: SWEDEN CRUISES TO VICTORY OVER RUSSIA

OTTAWA - Andre Petersson and Sweden's national junior team put Russia away early.

Petersson, an Ottawa Senators draft pick, scored twice as Sweden (4-0) registered four first-period goals to beat Russia 5-0 and secure a semifinal berth Wednesday at the world junior hockey championship.

"The first period was brilliant," said Swedish coach Par Marts. "We took command and didn't give up anything."

With the loss, Russia (3-1) will face the Czech Republic in quarter-final action. These two teams met in a quarter-final game last year, with the Russians winning 4-1.

"It's the same as last year," said Russian forward Nikita Filatov. "(Playing) the Czechs will be a tough game."

But Filatov was at a loss to explain his club's terrible opening period.
"It was difficult to understand," said Filatov, a member of the AHL's Syracuse Crunch. "We just didn't have our best start and then we started to play better in the second and third.

"That's the way we have to play the whole game."

In Wednesday's other afternoon game, the Czech Republic routed Kazakhstan 10-2.

Simon Hjalmarsson, Mikael Backlund and Marcus Johansson had the other goals for Sweden, which has six returnees from last year's team that lost to Canada in the tournament final. Jacob Markstrom stopped 31 shots for the shutout.

Swedish captain Oscar Moller left the game at the six-minute mark of the second period with an undisclosed injury and didn't return. No update was provided on his condition.

Russian Danila Alistratov allowed four goals on 12 shots before being replaced by Vadim Zhelbnyuk, who stopped 25 of 26 shots.

"I think it was a really good job by their goalie," said Filatov. "We know we need a better start the next game.

"Now every game can be your last and I think all the guys understand that."

Sweden's power play was solid in the first, converting on both of its chances. The Swedes finished 2-for-8 overall while Russia was 0-for-3.
Petersson opened the scoring at 5:01 of the first, firing a shot between Alistratov's legs. Hjalmarsson made it 2-0 five minutes later, beating Alistratov with a shot to the glove side.

Sweden went ahead 3-0 with its first power-play goal. Alistratov misplayed the puck, allowing Petersson to score his second of the game. Backlund gave the Swedes a four-goal advantage with just over two minutes remaining to chase Alistratov.

"It's kind of nice to get some lights on you," said Petersson. "I'm happy to play like that."

Russia had several good chances in the second but couldn't capitalize. Midway through the period the Russians had a 2-on-1 advantage but couldn't even muster a shot on goal, epitomizing the kind of game they were having.

Johansson rounded out the scoring early in the third when he took the puck from the side boards and beat Zhelobnyuk to the glove side.

Czech Republic 10 Kazakhstan 2

Jan Kana scored four goals and Tomas Knotek and Vladimir Ruzicka each added a pair as the Czechs trounced Kazakhstan to secure a berth in the quarter-final.

Roman Szturc and Zdenek Okal added singles for the Czechs (2-2), who outshot Kazakhstan 45-24. The Czechs will face Russia in a quarter-final game Friday.

Oleg Onichshenko's goal 7:27 into the first period ended a Kazakh scoring drought that had lasted nearly 9 1/2 periods. Konstantin Savenkov had the other goal for Kazakhstan (0-4).

Slovakia 3, Finland 2

Tomas Tatar scored the shootout winner as Slovakia edged Finland to move on to the quarter-final.

Richard Panik and Adam Bezak also scored for Slovakia (1-2-1) which will face the United States in the quarter-finals.

Niclas Lucenius and Nestori Lahde scored for Finland (1-2-0-1) which will now play in the relegation round.

UkrainianGuy

01-01-2009, 07:46 PM

X-RAYS ON BOYCHUK'S ANKLE COME BACK NEGATIVE

Team Canada received some good news Thursday as X-rays on forward Zach Boychuk's injured right ankle came back negative.

The Lethbridge Hurricane suffered the injury during the second period of Wednesday's 7-4 victory over the United States when he was driven into the endboards by American defenceman Teddy Ruth.

Boychuk, who was a first round pick, 14th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2008 NHL Entry draft left the arena on crutches following the game, however the swelling in his ankle had gone down considerably by Thursday and the 18-year old was able to walk without crutches.

Boychuk hopes to skate on Friday prior to Canada's semifinal encounter with the winner of the Russia/Czech Republic quarterfinal game. He is listed as day-to-day. He has four goals and three assists so far in the tournament.

UkrainianGuy

01-01-2009, 07:51 PM

UkrainianGuy

01-01-2009, 08:01 PM

UkrainianGuy

01-01-2009, 08:02 PM

UkrainianGuy

02-01-2009, 09:07 PM

TAVARES MAKING IT A TOURNAMENT TO REMEMBER

OTTAWA - John Tavares once viewed a fourth year of major junior hockey as a boring prospect.

The Oshawa Generals forward watched his peers go into the NHL after spending far less time in the Canadian Hockey League than him.

Tavares entered the Ontario Hockey League at 14 under an exceptional player clause. His 18th birthday five days too late for the 2008 NHL entry draft meant it would be a long wait for his first NHL training camp.

His former agent once asked the NHL and the Players' Association to consider creating their own exception player clause, so Tavares could be drafted in 2008.

After scoring 72 goals in the OHL at the age of 16, the concern was that Tavares had already accomplished everything he could in junior hockey.

Would he get tired of the same routine and frustrated that he hadn't been able to attend an NHL training camp yet? Would his game flatline, thus affecting his draft stock for 2009?

Canadian junior hockey team head coach Pat Quinn wondered that aloud at the start of the Canadian team's selection camp.

But Tavares has found sources of motivation this season. One of them is winning another gold medal at the 2009 world junior hockey championship to go with the one from 2008.

Tavares leads this year's tournament in goal-scoring with eight in four games heading into the medal round.

"It's just self-motivation and just being a competitive guy," Tavares said Thursday. "I wanted to become better and improve and be counted on for that leadership and be a guy that can produce, or a guy you look at in the NHL like Steve Yzerman or Joe Sakic.

"Guys you look and say 'that guy is a hockey player at all levels' and show people that's what I want to be."

He's developed the defensive and leadership sides of his game with the Canadian team in mind. Tavares also wants an OHL title and a Memorial Cup before he's done.

The proximity of the NHL draft in June also makes his graduation to that league seem much closer than it did last season.

"When you go through a season scoring 72 goals, (the season after) is boring," Canadian teammate P.K. Subban said. "I don't care who you are.

"This year, it's an opportunity for him to take that next step in his career and he's relishing that. He's excited to play now and I think that's the difference."

Most of Tavares's goals in the world junior tournament have come in crucial situations, when Canada needed to take control of the game - or, in the case of Wednesday's win over the U.S., spark a comeback.

Even his empty-netter to complete the hat trick Wednesday was impressive both in easing the tension for his team and the style in which he scored it. It wasn't the garden-variety long shot from the other end of the ice.

Tavares carried the puck with one hand on his stick, holding off an American defender with the other, and swept the puck with one hand.

On his second goal of the night, which Quinn labelled "a big-time goal", Tavares deked a sprawling U.S. defenceman and roofed the puck.

The six-foot, 200-pound centre scores often from the corner of the net, either taking the puck there himself or sneaking in the back door to receive the pass. Five of his goals have come on the power play because that extra space and time make him even more dangerous around the goal crease.

"On that off-side, he finds a way to peel his way in," Quinn observed. "He doesn't have blinding speed, but he has that change of pace and body motions that trick defencemen. They get cautious around him.

"He gets the puck into good positions. He hides it and then he'll bring it into that scoring position real quick. He's got a great release."

In the absence of an NHL camp, this world junior tournament is Tavares's best opportunity to prove how close he is to playing in that league.

He's getting measured against the planet's best 19-year-olds, some of whom are already in the NHL or play in minor pro leagues.

Because they're playing in the same tournament, scouts can compare Tavares's potential to that of Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman, who is Tavares's rival to go No. 1 in the draft.

"To be part of this and have good success gives you good confidence," Tavares said. "I want to prepare myself the best I can for (the NHL draft in) June and my first camp."

Canada (4-0) reaped the benefit of earning the bye to Saturday's semifinal round by getting a day off from the ice Thursday.

They await the winner of Friday's quarter-final between Russia and the Czech Republic (TSN, 7:30 ET).

Sweden, also 4-0, will meet the winner of the U.S.-Slovakia quarter-final Friday (TSN, 3:30 ET).

Lethbridge Hurricanes winger Zach Boychuk is day-to-day, according to Quinn. U.S. defenceman Teddy Ruth hammered Boychuk into the end boards in the third period. Boychuk skated to the bench favouring his ankle, although he played another shift.

"We'll have a couple days to have treatments on it," Quinn said. "Apparently it's not as painful as it was originally. We're optimistic."

Quinn has yet to decide if stick with Spokane's Dustin Tokarski in net again Saturday, or switch to Chet Pickard of the Tri-City Americans.

"I've been trying to have a moment's peace," Quinn said. "We haven't come to any firm decisions. We'll make that call late tomorrow after we run through a practice and do more thinking about our team play."

Tokarski had a shaky first period against the U.S., but made game-saving stops late in the second and third periods.

UkrainianGuy

02-01-2009, 09:09 PM

WJHC: JANUS BACKSTOPS SLOVAKIA TO WIN OVER USA IN QUARTERS

OTTAWA - Jaroslav Janus called it "the best game of my life."

The 19-year-old goaltender who went unselected in the NHL draft last June made 44 saves to lift Slovakia to a 5-3 quarter-final victory over the United States in the first big upset of the world junior hockey championship on Friday afternoon.

"It's one of the biggest moments in Slovakia's history - it's unbelievable," said Janus, who plays in the United States with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and joked that he may not be welcomed back after putting what was considered a powerhouse U.S. squad out of medal contention.

The Slovaks advanced to a semifinal meeting on Saturday against unbeaten Sweden. Russia meets the Czech Republic later Friday in another quarter-final, with the winner facing 4-0 Canada on Saturday night at Scotiabank Place.

Tomas Tatar scored twice while Adam Bezak, Jozef Molnar and Richard Panik also scored for Slovakia, whose best world junior performance was a bronze medal in 1999.

Slovakia had not beaten the U.S. in their previous eight meetings at the tournament since 1998.

The Americans, beaten 7-4 by Canada on Wednesday in their final round-robin game, got power play goals from defencemen Ian Cole and Jonathan Blum and a late goal from James van Riemsdyk with goalie Thomas McCollum pulled for an extra attacker.

"It was a game of bounces," said U.S. forward Jordan Schroeder, whose team now must play a consolation game. "It was just an unbelievable performance by their goalie - probably one of the best I've seen."

The Americans were considered gold medal contenders going into the tournament, but have a history of falling short of expectations. Since beating Canada for gold in 2004, they have only one medal, a bronze in 2007.

This time, they outshot the Slovaks 47-19 and had a huge advantage in puck possession and scoring chances, but Janus stood his ground.

"We just kept trying to throw pucks at him," said American forward Jim O'Brien. "The dam just wouldn't break. We kept piling it on."

Janus set the tone early when he stopped Schroeder on a penalty shot only 55 seconds into the game after Colin Wilson was hooked on a breakaway.

Bezak went end to end down the right side and beat a shaky McCollum with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle 11:05 into the game.

Less than a minute later, a tic-tac-toe play with Wilson and Schroeder was capped by Cole sliding a puck under Janus on a power play. With the assist, Schroeder passed Doug Weight's team record for assists at the world junior championship with 15.

Panik stole a puck in the U.S. zone and sent Tatar in to score on a backhand shot at 13:41 and Molnar scored after Cole's clearing attempt hit one of the referees and stayed in the zone.

The Slovaks were outshot 16-2 in the second frame, but Janus held the lead, making a blocker save on Eric Tangradi on a backhander from the doorstep 12 minutes in and robbing Tyler Johnson with a glove grab at the side of the net at 16:55.

Janus made two more saves before the puck trickled behind him and Blum poked it in 5:31 into the third.

The mostly pro-Slovakia crowd announced at 18,042 cheered as video review upheld Panik's goal at 11:38 after he blew past Cole and put a shot off the post that went in off a body in front.

McCollum was pulled with about 2:30 left in the game, but a turnover at centre ice gave Tatar his second of the game and fourth of the tournament.

Van Riemsdyk swept in a goal while sliding in the slot with 1:18 left to play.

UkrainianGuy

03-01-2009, 10:29 PM

UkrainianGuy

03-01-2009, 10:33 PM

CANADA-U.S. MATCHUP MOST WATCHED PRELIMINARY-ROUND GAME EVER ON TSN

TORONTO - Canada's world junior hockey victory over the Americans on New Year's Eve was the most watched preliminary-round game ever on TSN.

The 7-4 win attracted an average of 1.67 million viewers, surpassing the previous high of 1.41 million for another Canada-U.S. matchup at the 2006 tournament.

Wednesday's game was also the most-watched program on Canadian television that night.

Audience levels peaked at two million viewers from 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

The highest-rated world junior game ever on TSN was the 2003 gold-medal final between Canada and Russia. It drew 3.45 million viewers, the biggest audience in network history.

UkrainianGuy

03-01-2009, 10:35 PM

SWEDEN SOLVES JANUS, BEATS SLOVAKIA TO ADVANCE TO WJHC FINAL

OTTAWA - The Swedes were in no mood to let themselves become plucky Slovakia's second upset victim in a row.

Mikael Backlund scored two goals as Sweden found an answer to Slovak goaltender Jaroslav Janus and scored four times in the final period of a 5-3 victory in the semifinals of the world junior championship on Saturday afternoon.

David Ullstrom, Simon Hjalmarsson and Oscar Moller also scored for Sweden, which advanced to the final for the second straight year.

"We knew what we were doing - we knew Slovakia is a good team," said Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman. "They were up 2-1 before the last period, but we knew we were a stronger team than them and they had a tough game (Friday). It wasn't necessary to be nervous."

Marek Mertel scored in the first period and assisted on two goals by Tomas Tatar for Slovakia, which was coming off a shock 5-3 quarter-final win over the United States on Friday in which Janus made 44 saves. This time, he made 47 as Sweden outshot the Slovaks 51-30.

"I played in the final last year, but this is incredible with the fans here," Backlund said of the announced crowd of 18,112 at Scotiabank Place.

In the final on Monday, Sweden will meet the winner of a game later Saturday between Canada and Russia. The Swedes were beaten by Canada in last year's final in the Czech Republic.

Also Saturday, Teemu Hartikainen scored twice and added three assists as Finland shelled Kazakhstan 7-1 in a relegation round matchup. Finland (2-0) plays Germany (1-1) and Latvia faces Kazakhstan (0-2) on Sunday.

Slovakia, whose only medal ever at the world juniors was a bronze in 1999, advances to the bronze medal game Monday against the Canada-Russia loser.

"We could have won this game, but in the third period, we stopped playing for five minutes and they scored four goals," said Janus, the Erie Otters goalie who went unpicked in last June's NHL draft. "It's pretty sad, but we have another game and hopefully we'll get a bronze medal.

"We played well, but when you lose, it's still a bad feeling."

The Slovaks nearly pulled off another upset as they went into the final period leading 2-1 despite being outshot by a wide margin and being outplayed by the Swedes.

And even as Sweden rattled off three straight goals in the third, the Slovaks pulled Janus with 4:30 left to play and Tatar got his second of the game at 15:58 to make it a one-goal game before Moller scored his first of the tournament into an empty net with 1:17 left to play.

"We were patient and worked hard the whole game," said Backlund. "We saw them play the American team and we knew if they got the first goal they would be hard to beat and they were hard to beat.

"I thought `I don't want to go home now. I want to play in the final.' I was a little bit scared, so it feels good that we won the game."

It wasn't easy for Sweden, now 5-0 in the tournament, but Hedman said it was a good test after two days of rest going into the final.

"It's better to have a tough game than to win 5-0," he said. "We had to fight for every puck and every goal, so it was nice."

The first period went just as Slovakia liked it.

They checked. Janus made the saves. They killed off a high-sticking double minor to Juraj Valach and a delay of game penalty to Janus, then struck on their first power play of the game as Mertel's floating shot from the left point found its way through traffic to the top corner with only four seconds left in the period.

The Swedes came roaring out in the second, but Janus made a string of superb saves until Backlund finally tied the game at 10:19 as he broke in off the off-wing and put a wrist shot in off Valach's leg.

But the Slovak power play struck again as Tatar walked off the right boards and roofed a shot inside the near post past Jacob Markstrom at 15:47 of the second frame.

The Swedes thought they had a buzzer-beater as Nichlas Torp's point blast went in at the end of the period, but video review showed time had expired.

Backlund struck on a power play 7:04 into the third and Ullstrom broke through the crease, fell over Janus and poked the puck in while lying on the ice at 11:42.

Hjalmarsson added another before Tatar's goal, but Moller sealed it with his empty-net effort.

UkrainianGuy

03-01-2009, 10:38 PM

CANADA EDGES RUSSIA IN A SEMIFINAL SHOOTOUT

:flagC:flagC

The Drive For Five is alive and well.

Jordan Eberle scored two goals and the shootout winner to end another classic showdown as Canada edged Russia 6-5 in their semifinal game at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

With the win, Canada advances to Monday's gold medal final and faces Sweden for the second year in a row (TSN, TSN HD and TSN.ca on Monday at 7pm et/4pm pt).

Canada got things going first when Brett Sonne scored his first goal of the tournament just two minutes in.

The Russians then got on the board when Maxim Goncharov replied just three minutes later to even the score at a goal apiece.

The Canadian squad then re-gained the lead on a goal by Patrice Cormier, but Russia bounced back again when Dmitry Klopov scored as Cormier's goal was being announced.

Canada's blueline corps took a big hit in the second period when Tyler Myers was forced to leave the game after taking a point shot off his knee on a penalty kill.

After going 18-30 in their first four games, Canada's power play struggled early on going goalless in their first five chances. But with a two-man advantage in the second, they finally capitalized when Eberle beat a sprawling Vadim Zhelobnyuk under the pads to give Canada its third lead of the game.

The Russians responded in kind, with Evgeny Grachev beating Dustin Tokarski through the five-hole just 51 seconds into the third. Things didn't get easier with Canada on the penalty kill just four minutes later, but Angelo Esposito's shorthanded breakaway goal gave the four-time defending gold medallists their fourth lead of the game. With the Russians still on the power play, PK Subban took a tripping penalty that allowed them to even things up again on a goal by Sergei Andronov. Klopov then gave Russia the lead with his second goal of the game, but Eberle added his second of the night with just 5.4 seconds left to force the 10-minute, four-on-four overtime.

With Sonne and Cormier earning their first goals of the World Juniors, 16 different Canadian players have now scored a goal in the tournament.

The semifinal showdown marks the eighth time in the last decade that Canada and Russia have met in a medal-round game at the world junior tournament. While Russia is 4-3 over that span, Canada has won three in a row over Russia - including a 4-2 victory in the gold medal game in their last encounter in 2007.

Russia's last win over Canada was in 2003 - a 3-2 victory in the gold medal game in Halifax.

:flagC:flagC

UkrainianGuy

04-01-2009, 08:37 PM

UkrainianGuy

05-01-2009, 07:26 PM

SWEDEN SOLVES JANUS, BEATS SLOVAKIA TO ADVANCE TO WJHC FINAL

OTTAWA - The Swedes were in no mood to let themselves become plucky Slovakia's second upset victim in a row.

Mikael Backlund scored two goals as Sweden found an answer to Slovak goaltender Jaroslav Janus and scored four times in the final period of a 5-3 victory in the semifinals of the world junior championship on Saturday afternoon.

David Ullstrom, Simon Hjalmarsson and Oscar Moller also scored for Sweden, which advanced to the final for the second straight year.
"We knew what we were doing - we knew Slovakia is a good team," said Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman. "They were up 2-1 before the last period, but we knew we were a stronger team than them and they had a tough game (Friday). It wasn't necessary to be nervous."

Marek Mertel scored in the first period and assisted on two goals by Tomas Tatar for Slovakia, which was coming off a shock 5-3 quarter-final win over the United States on Friday in which Janus made 44 saves. This time, he made 47 as Sweden outshot the Slovaks 51-30.

"I played in the final last year, but this is incredible with the fans here," Backlund said of the announced crowd of 18,112 at Scotiabank Place.
In the final on Monday, Sweden will meet Canada, who beat Russia 6-5 in the other semifinal Saturday night. The Swedes were beaten by Canada in last year's final in the Czech Republic.

Also Saturday, Teemu Hartikainen scored twice and added three assists as Finland shelled Kazakhstan 7-1 in a relegation round matchup. Finland (2-0) plays Germany (1-1) and Latvia faces Kazakhstan (0-2) on Sunday.
Slovakia, whose only medal ever at the world juniors was a bronze in 1999, advances to the bronze medal game Monday against the Canada-Russia loser.

"We could have won this game, but in the third period, we stopped playing for five minutes and they scored four goals," said Janus, the Erie Otters goalie who went unpicked in last June's NHL draft. "It's pretty sad, but we have another game and hopefully we'll get a bronze medal.

"We played well, but when you lose, it's still a bad feeling."

The Slovaks nearly pulled off another upset as they went into the final period leading 2-1 despite being outshot by a wide margin and being outplayed by the Swedes.

And even as Sweden rattled off three straight goals in the third, the Slovaks pulled Janus with 4:30 left to play and Tatar got his second of the game at 15:58 to make it a one-goal game before Moller scored his first of the tournament into an empty net with 1:17 left to play.

"We were patient and worked hard the whole game," said Backlund. "We saw them play the American team and we knew if they got the first goal they would be hard to beat and they were hard to beat.

"I thought `I don't want to go home now. I want to play in the final.' I was a little bit scared, so it feels good that we won the game."

It wasn't easy for Sweden, now 5-0 in the tournament, but Hedman said it was a good test after two days of rest going into the final.

"It's better to have a tough game than to win 5-0," he said. "We had to fight for every puck and every goal, so it was nice."
The first period went just as Slovakia liked it.

They checked. Janus made the saves. They killed off a high-sticking double minor to Juraj Valach and a delay of game penalty to Janus, then struck on their first power play of the game as Mertel's floating shot from the left point found its way through traffic to the top corner with only four seconds left in the period.

The Swedes came roaring out in the second, but Janus made a string of superb saves until Backlund finally tied the game at 10:19 as he broke in off the off-wing and put a wrist shot in off Valach's leg.

But the Slovak power play struck again as Tatar walked off the right boards and roofed a shot inside the near post past Jacob Markstrom at 15:47 of the second frame.

The Swedes thought they had a buzzer-beater as Nichlas Torp's point blast went in at the end of the period, but video review showed time had expired.

Backlund struck on a power play 7:04 into the third and Ullstrom broke through the crease, fell over Janus and poked the puck in while lying on the ice at 11:42.

Hjalmarsson added another before Tatar's goal, but Moller sealed it with his empty-net effort.

UkrainianGuy

05-01-2009, 07:29 PM

CANADA FACES FAMILIAR FOE SWEDEN IN GOLD MEDAL GAME

Team Canada will be looking for a fifth straight gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championship on Monday, but they'll need to get past Sweden, a familiar foe.

See the action from the gold medal game, tonight at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN, TSN HD and TSN.ca.

Canada and Sweden met in last year's championship game and Canada pulled out a 3-2 overtime win to capture the gold. The rivals took to the ice again in mid-December for a pre-tournament exhibition game with Canada coming out on top 4-2.

The Swedes were considered the pre-tournament favourite by many and, despite falling to Canada in that exhibition game, they remain confident heading into Monday's matchup. Team Sweden's Magnus Svensson Paajarvi has drawn some attention for comments he made about Team Canada. The forward told a Swedish newspaper that Canada would be in trouble if Sweden scored two quick goals.

While Paajarvi explained the comments do not mean the same thing in English as they do in Swedish, he stood by his remarks when asked to elaborate, and then he took them a bit further.

"It is not impossible to beat them," Paajarvi explained. "If we face them in the final again, we will beat them."

Team Canada defenceman Colten Teubert said he was not too concerned by the Swede's statements, and that his team would use them as motivation.

"You try not to take those things personally. That's their opinion. I mean, going into the game, we want to win," said Teubert. "I'm pretty sure every one of the guys in our dressing room has no doubt we are going to win [Monday] but that's [Sweden's] strategy and if that's how they want to play it, it's just going to give us a little fire in the belly."

While trash talk is nothing new, TSN's Bob McKenzie says he does not see anything wrong with Paajarvi's comments.

"[Paajarvi] didn't say anything incendiary, he actually gave a pretty thorough analysis of the way this tournament shakes down and how, if you can get Canada back on its heels by scoring a few goals early, they'll be in trouble," said McKenzie.

"By the same token, if Sweden gets behind early with 20,000 screaming Canadians, well then they would be in trouble," added McKenzie. "[Paajarvi] gave a balanced account of it - a fair and accurate assessment, and he didn't say anything disrespectful to anybody."

When looking at the numbers, recent history does not favour Sweden. Canada has won seven of the last eight meetings between the two sides, and their only loss over that span came in the Preliminary Round of the 2008 tournament when Sweden defeated them 4-3.

Canada has beaten Sweden in the last two gold medal games they have played at the World Junior Championship (1996, 2008) and the Swedes have never won a major international tournament on Canadian soil.
In spite of that history, the current edition of Team Sweden presents a serious challenge to Canada's gold medal streak. They are quick and very skilled, led by defencemen Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman.

Karlsson was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 1st round (15th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and has been quite impressive, leading Sweden in scoring with two goals and seven assists in the tournament.
There was also plenty of talk at the start of the tournament about the head-to-head battle of potential top picks in the 2009 NHL Draft: Hedman and Canada's John Tavares. The Canadian forward has had a very strong tournament, leading all scorers with 14 points (eight goals and six assists).

Heading into the final game, Tavares dismissed the relevance of any individual rivalry with Hedman.

"I know everyone looks at it but I can't really say I think about it because of the importance of this game, not for myself but for the 22 guys and the staff and the whole country," said Tavares. "Your mindset is on doing whatever it takes to win [Monday] and to be a World Champion."
Canada will start Dustin Tokarski in goal and he will face Swedish counterpart Jacob Markstrom.

Tokarski has looked shaky at times but Canada's high-powered offence has carried the team through much of the tournament. McKenzie gives Sweden the egde in goal but does have words of praise for Tokarski.
"He's a guy that just sticks around, he's got a lot of fight in him, he's got a lot of battle in him and he's got an innate sense of - when the game is on the line - that he needs to make a save," explained McKenzie.

UkrainianGuy

05-01-2009, 08:53 PM

:flagC:flagC

UkrainianGuy

05-01-2009, 08:58 PM

:friday

UkrainianGuy

05-01-2009, 10:30 PM

CANADA DEFEATS SWEDEN TO WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT WJHC GOLD

:flagC:flagC

Canada has captured its fifth straight World Junior Hockey championship gold with a 5-1 victory over Team Sweden.

Joakim Andersson finally found a way past Dustin Tokarski to score Sweden's first goal of the game in the third, cutting Canada's lead to 3-1 but that was as close as things got in the gold medal game.

Tokarski saved his best game of the tournament for the final turning aside 39 shots in the win. While he was shaky at times during the tournament, the Canadian goaltender was very sharp against Team Sweden. He was honoured as player of the game.

Tokarski's play coupled with steady pressure from Canada on Sweden's goaltender Jacob Markstrom were the difference. Markstrom looked rattled during the game and there were several run-ins with Canadian players.

The action started early in the first as Team Sweden's Mikael Backlund took a penalty for roughing and on the ensuing power-play P.K. Subban beat Markstrom to give Canada the early advantage just 38 seconds in.

Subban took several cracks at the puck during a scrum in front of the Sweden net and final put it past Markstrom.

Canada struck again in the second. Angelo Esposito came up with a slick move to get out of the corner and in front of the net before flipping the puck over Markstrom to put Canada up 2-0 just over four minutes into the period.

The goal came minutes after Esposito made slight contact with Markstrom while going for the puck in Sweden's zone. The netminder went down and Victor Hedman grabbed Esposito in a headlock. No penalties were called.

Tempers began to flare again after Stefan Della Rovere hit Markstrom while the goalie was skating to his bench to give Sweden an extra attacker later in the period. Following the scrum after the hit, Della Rovere and Patrice Cormier were assessed interference penalties and Markstrom was called for roughing. The Cormier penalty occurred prior to the contact between Della Rovere and Markstrom.

The penalties continued for Canada as Keith Aulie was given a penalty for a cross-check moments later and just before the end of the Sweden power-play, Canada was hit with another penalty as Subban was sent off for hooking.

Tokarski was up the challenge.

Over the game, Canada's penalty killers kept Team Sweden's power-play in check.

The two goaltenders, Tokarski and Markstrom, had been a study in contrasts through the tournament. Tokarski struggled at times while Markstrom shined but in the final the roles became reversed. Markstrom jawed repeatedly with Canadian forwards during the game.

Canada's third goal came when Cody Hodgson snapped a shot past Markstrom early in the final period.

Sweden responded to make it 3-1 but goals from Jordan Eberle and Cody Hodgson put the game away.

:flagC:flagC

UkrainianGuy

05-01-2009, 10:33 PM

http://watch.tsn.ca/international-hockey/clip126822#clip126822

let it play... 4 awesome vids.. enjoy!

UkrainianGuy

05-01-2009, 10:36 PM

Top 10 Canada vs Sweden Rivalry Moments

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UkrainianGuy

05-01-2009, 11:09 PM

......

UkrainianGuy

06-01-2009, 02:11 PM

UkrainianGuy

06-01-2009, 02:58 PM

OTTAWA - All eyes were on top prospects John Tavares and Victor Hedman going into the world junior hockey championship and Tavares came out on top.

Not only did the slick forward from Oakville, Ont. get a gold medal, he was named MVP of the tournament.

"It's an honour, but it's a better feeling being world champion," said Tavares, who is expected to be chosen first overall in the NHL draft in June, perhaps just ahead of Swedish defenceman Hedman.

Tavares led the tournament in scoring until the final game, when teammate Cody Hodgson had two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win over Sweden to take the scoring title with 16 points - five goals and 11 assists. Tavares was right behind with eight goals and seven assists.

But it was Tavares that went into the tournament carrying the pressure of being Canada's latest phenom. He had a strong tournament, even if he was the goat on Sweden's only goal as he gave up the puck at the blue-line and then fell while chasing goal-scorer Joakim Andersson.

"It makes it easier when the guys make you feel like you're just part of the group," said Tavares, one of four Canadians to win a second gold medal in as many years. "For me, it was just playing my game.

"I knew I'd get my opportunities. I knew I was counted on, but I never felt pressure to score a lot of goals or put up great numbers. It was just playing my game. I can say I gave it my all. I left it all out there."

The six-foot-six Hedman proved to be a smooth skater for a big man who is not afraid to jump into the rush and go hard to the net.

"He's a good player, you can see that with his size and his speed and the way he reads the play," Tavares said of his rival. "I just wanted to play my game in the team system. It was never about me. It was about playing for Canada."

Hedman was too upset about suffering a lopsided loss in a game Sweden was supposed to win to think too much about the draft.

"I played well, but it's hard to say - we were here to win gold and it doesn't matter if I played good or bad," said Hedman. "We wanted the gold medal. I tried to play my best in every game."

Tavares said he will return to his junior club, the Oshawa Generals, on Tuesday to share his gold medal with his teammates. But there are rumours that Tavares has already been traded to another OHL club, likely the London Knights.

"I have no idea about that," he said. "Oshawa's been great about just letting me play and to worry about this after.

"The staffs been great here at keeping my mind focused. When I get back, we'll see what happens. Hopefully, things will work out and I can stay, but if not, we'll see what happens."

UkrainianGuy

06-01-2009, 03:00 PM

OTTAWA - Angelo Esposito was more than willing to take a punch in the head from a blue-chip prospect to help Canada win gold.

At 3:31 of the second period, Esposito collided with Swedish goalie Jacob Markstrom and knocked him to the ice. Six-foot-six defenceman Victor Hedman jumped Esposito, got him in a headlock and threw some punches, but the Montreal Junior forward didn't react.

Remarkably, no penalty was called to any player on the play.

"In international hockey, you can't fight," Esposito said after Canada's 5-1 win on Monday. "You don't want to get a stupid penalty and get kicked out of the game.

"He got me in the headlock and he was punching me. I'm surprised he didn't get a penalty because I wasn't reacting. You can't take stupid penalties in a crucial game like this."

Markstrom was bowled over twice by Canadian players when he wandered far out of his crease to play pucks. Hedman was incensed that there were no calls, except one later in that period when Markstrom was fingered for diving.

"It was frustrating," said Hedman, projected to be among the top picks at the NHL draft in June. "They ran over our goalie two times.

"I don't know what rules the referees had but they were not the rules that were there before the tournament. They said you can't touch the goalie, that it's two minutes right away. It's like they changed the rules for this game."

Only 35 seconds after the collision with Markstrom, Esposito won a battle for the puck in the corner, cut toward the net and beat Markstrom with a clever backhand shot to the top corner.

"Deeds (Chris Di Domenico) and Johnny (Tavares) were fighting for puck and I got it and just went to the net," said Esposito. "At the time, you just want to win the game, but now that I have that goal, it feels good."
The crowd of 20,380 at Scotiabank Place booed Hedman each time he touched the puck after the tangle with Esposito, and then did the same to Markstrom after his diving call.

Neither player minded.

"I'm not here to make friends, so it didn't bother me at all," said Markstrom. "It doesn't matter. It was fun to play with this crowd, but we wanted to win the game."

Esposito said his encounter with Markstom was incidental. Canadian centre Cody Hodgson had no apologies either.

"We knew we had to go to the net," said Hodgson. "He got in the way a couple of times, but we couldn't help that."

The Swedes, who lost in overtime to Canada in last year's final in the Czech Republic, breezed through five games to open this tournament and some favoured them to beat Canada.

But they failed to capitalize on four straight power play opportnites in the second period and a 4-on-3 advantage in the third.

"We should have scored some goals, but sometimes you have bounces," said Hedman. "This was that kind of day."

It was a big night for Esposito.

Three years in a row, he had been invited to camp and had been cut each time from teams that went on to win gold. This time, he finally made the team. And he made the most of it, scoring key goals in both a 6-5 semifinal win over Russia and the final against Sweden.

"I came into this camp and I just wanted to be on this team, no matter what role it was," said the Montreal native. "I kept moving up as the days went on.

"I just tried to be the best player I could be. Tonight, it was unbelievable."

UkrainianGuy

06-01-2009, 03:03 PM

CANADIAN JUNIORS RETURN HOME TO CHEERING FANS

TORONTO - Members of Canada's junior hockey team arriving at Toronto's Pearson International Airport today were greeted by cheers from supporters.

The team won its fifth straight gold medal at the world junior hockey championship Monday night with a 5-1 win over Sweden. Some of the players wore their medals around their necks and signed autographs for fans.

Team MVP John Tavares says the triumph shows the team has great character and a never-say-die attitude.

Cody Hodgson, who led the tournament with 16 points, says the team got better with each game it played.

Defenceman Alex Pietrangelo says the team's performance shows there are a lot of talented players in Canada - and he's hoping the team makes it six in a row next year.

UkrainianGuy

06-01-2009, 03:35 PM

World Junior Records

Most consecutive gold medal victories
5 - CANADA 1993-1997
5 - CANADA 2003-2008
4 - USSR 1977-1980

Most goals scored by a team in a game
21 - Czechoslovakia beat Austria 21 - 4, 1981 in West Germany
20 - Sweden beat Japan 20 - 1, 1993 in Sweden
19 - Finland beat Switzerland 19-1, 1980 in Helsinki, Finland
19 - USSR beat Austria 19-1, 1981 in West Germany
19 - USA beat Norway 19 - 1, 1991 in Canada

Most goals scored by a player in one tournament
13 - Markus Naslund, SWE. 1993 in Sweden
12 - Vladimir Ruzicka, CZE, 1983 in Leningrad
12 - Pavel Bure, USSR, 1991 in Canada

Most games played
26 - Jochen Hecht, GER
26 - Bjorn Christen, SWI
25 - Robert Sterflinger, GER
25 - Michel Riesen, SWI
24 - Reijo Ruotsalainen, FIN

Most assists by a player in one tournament
24 - Peter Forsberg, SWE, 1993 in Sweden
14 - Esa Kesinen, FIN, 1985 in Finland
14 - Doug Weight, USA, 1991 in Canada
13 - Raimo Helminen, FIN, 1984 in Sweden
13 - Jaromir Jagr, CZE, 1990 in Finland

Most points by a player in one tournament
31 - Peter Forsberg, SWE (7 + 24), 1993 in Sweden
24 - Raimo Helminen, FIN (11 + 13), 1984 in Sweden
24 - Markus Naslund, SWE (13 + 11), 1993 in Sweden
21 - Robert Reichel, CZE (11 + 10), 1990 in Finland
20 - Vladimir Ruzicka, CZE (12 + 8), 1983 in Leningrad

Most points by a defenceman in one tournament
14 - Peter Andersson, SWE(4 + 10), 1985 in Finland
10 - Jan Vopat, CZE (6 + 4), 1993 in Sweden

Most points by a line in one tournament
69 - Markus Naslund-Peter Forsberg-Niklas Sundstrom, SWE (30+39), 1993 in Sweden
52 - Esa Keskinen-Mikko Makela-Esa Tikkanen, FIN (24+28), 1985 in Finland
50 - Robert Reichel-Jaromir Jagr-Robert Holik, CZE (22+28), 1990 in Finland
47 - Esa Keskinen-Raimo Helminen-Esa Tikkanen, FIN (23+24), 1984 in Sweden
46 - Raimo Summanen-Petri Skriko-Risto Jalo, FIN (22+24), 1982 in USA
41 - Mike Modano-Jeremy Roenick-John Leclair, USA (20+21), 1989 in Anchorage

Most shutouts by a goaltender in one tournament
3 - Justin Pogge, CAN, 2006 in Canada
2 - Ken Wregget, CAN, 1984 in Sweden
2 - Sam Lindstahl, SWE, 1987 in Czechoslovakia
2 - Johan Borg, SWE, 1987 in Czechoslovakia
2 - Brian Boucher, USA, 1997 in Switzerland
2 - Mathieu Garon, CAN, 1998 in Finland
2 - Roberto Luongo, CAN, 1999 in Winnipeg

Most minutes played by a Goaltender
1,000 - Pelle Lindbergh, SWE
967 - Alan Perry, USA
948 - Yevgeni Belosheikin, USSR
923 - Marek Schwarz, CZE
805 - Jan Hrabak, SWE

All-time goal leaders
27 - Pavel Bure, USSR, 1989-91
25 - Vladimir Ruzicka, CZE, 1981-83
21 - Markus Naslund, SWE, 1992-93
18 - Petr Rosol, CZE, 1982-84
18 - Robert Reichel, CZE, 1988-90

All-time assist leaders
32 - Peter Forsberg, SWE, 1992-93
22 - Esa Keskinen, FIN, 1984-85
22 - Robert Reichel, CZE, 1988-90
19 - Eric Lindros CAN, 1990-92
18 - Raimo Helminen, FIN, 1982-83
18 - Esa Tikkanen, FIN, 1983-85

All-time point leaders
42 - Peter Forsberg, SWE (10 + 32), 1992-93
40 - Robert Reichel, CZE (18 + 22), 1988-90
39 - Pavel Bure, USSR (27 + 12), 1989-91
35 - Vladimir Ruzicka, CZE (25 + 10), 1981-83
35 - Esa Tikkanen, FIN (17 + 18), 1983-85
34 - Markus Naslund, SWE (21 + 13), 1992-93
32 - Esa Keskinen, FIN (10 + 22), 1984-85
31 - Eric Lindros, CAN (12 + 19), 1990-92
30 - Petr Rosol, CZE (18 + 12) 1982-84
30 - Alexander Mogilny USSR (16 + 14), 1988-89

Most Penalty Minutes
109 - Alexander Svitov, RUS
74 - Teemu Laakso, FIN

Most points by a Canadian player in one tournament
18 - Dale McCourt (10 goals, 8 assists), 1977
17 - Eric Lindros (6 - 11), 1991; Wayne Gretzky (8 - 9), 1978
16 - John Anderson (11 - 5), 1977; Cody Hodgson Canada (5 - 11) 2008
15 - Marty Murray (6 - 9), 1995; Jason Allison (3 - 12), 1995; John Tavares (8 - 7),2008
14 - Brian Bradley (9 - 5), 1985; Shayne Corson (7 - 7), 1986; Mike Moller (5 - 9), 1982; Joe Murphy (4 - 10), 1986

All-time Canadian scoring leaders
31 - Eric Lindros (12 goals, 19 assists), 1990-92
24 - Jason Allison (6 - 18), 1994-95
19 - Shayne Corson (9 - 10), 1985-86; Marty Murray (7 - 12), 1994-95

All-time Canadian coaching records
Brent Sutter, 12 - 0 - 0 (W-T-L), 2005-06
Terry Simpson, 10 - 4 - 0, 1985-86
Dave King, 10 - 2 - 2, 1982-1983
Stan Butler, 9 - 4 - 1, 2001-02
Don Hay, 7 - 0 - 0, 1995
Dave Chambers, 6 - 1 - 0, 1988
Joe Canale, 6 - 1 - 0, 1994
Perry Pearn, 6 - 0 - 1, 1993
Marcel Comeau, 6 - 0 - 0, 1996
Mario Durocher, 5 - 1 - 0, 2004
Marc Habscheid, 5 - 0 - 1, 2003
Mike Babcock, 5 - 0 - 2, 1997
Guy Charron, 5 - 1 - 1, 1990
Dick Todd, 5 - 1 - 1, 1991
Brian Kilrea, 4 - 1 - 2, 1984
Tom Webster, 4 - 1 - 2, 1989
Bert Templeton, 4 - 1 - 1, 1987*
Tom Renney 4 - 2 - 1, 1999
Claude Julien, 4 - 3 - 0, 2000
Rick Cornacchia, 2 - 2 - 3, 1992
Real Paiement, 2 - 0 - 4, 1998
*Canada DQ from final standings

Most goals by a Canadian player in one game
4 - Mario Lemieux (vs. NOR, 1983)
4 - Simon Gagne (vs. KAZ, 1999)

Fastest goal by a Canadian in one game
11 seconds - Jim Sandlak (vs. SUI, 1986)
17 seconds - Scott Arniel (vs. GER, 1982)
18 seconds - Scott Pellerin (vs. POL, 1990)
34 seconds - Mike Craig (vs. SWE, 1991)
36 seconds - Scott Mellanby (vs. SUI, 1986); Lyndon Byers (vs. GER, 1984)

Fastest goal by a Canadian in one period
1st: 11 seconds - Jim Sandlak (vs. SUI, 1986)
2nd: 12 seconds - Theo Fleury (vs. USA, 1987)
3rd: 8 seconds - Eric Daze (vs. SWE, 1995)

Fastest two goals in a game
9 seconds - Dave Gagner at 18:29 and 18:38 of 2nd period vs. Switzerland, 1984

World Junior Awards

Best Goaltender
2008 - Jacob Markstrom - Sweden
2007 - Carey Price - Canada
2006 - Tuukka Rask - Finland
2005 - Marek Schwarz - Czech Republic
2004 - Al Montoya - United States
2003 - Marc-Andre Fleury - Canada
2002 - Kari Lehtonen - Finland
2001 - Tomas Duba - Czech Republic
2000 - Rick DiPietro - United States
1999 - Roberto Luongo - Canada
1998 - David Aebischer - Switzerland
1997 - Marc Denis - Canada
1996 - Jose Theodore - Canada
1995 - Yevgeny Tarasoc - Russia
1994 - Jamie Storr - Canada
1993 - Manny Legace - Canada
1992 - Mike Dunham - United States
1991 - Pauli Jacks - Switzerland
1990 - Stephane Fiset - Canada
1989 - Aleksey Ivashkin - USSR
1988 - Jimmy Waite - Canada
1987 - Markus Ketterer - Finland
1986 - Evgeny Belosheikin - USSR
1985 - Craig Billington - Canada
1984 - Allan Perry - United States
1983 - Dominik Hasek - Czechoslovakia
1982 - Mike Moffat - Canada
1981 - Laris Eriksson - Sweden
1980 - Jari Paavola - Finland
1979 - Pelle Lindbergh - Sweden
1978 - Alexander Tyzhnyk - USSR
1977 - Jan Hrabak - Czechoslovakia

Best Defenceman
2008 - Victor Hedman - Sweden
2007 - Erik Johnson - United States
2006 - Marc Staal - Canada
2005 - Dion Phaneuf - Canada
2004 - Sami Lepisto - Finland
2003 - Joni Pitkanen - Finland
2002 - Igor Knyazev - Russia
2001 - Rostislav Klesla - Czech Republic
2000 - Alexei Riazantsev - Russia
1999 - Vitali Vishnevsky - Russia
1998 - Pavel Skrbek - Czech Republic
1997 - Joseph Corvo - United States
1996 - Mattias Ohlund - Sweden
1995 - Bryan McCabe - Canada
1994 - Kenny Jonsson - Sweden
1993 - Janne Gronvall - Finland
1992 - Darius Kasparaitis - CIS
1991 - Jiri Sleger - Czechoslovakia
1990 - Alexander Godynyuk - USSR
1989 - Ricard Persson - Sweden
1988 - Teppo Numminen - Finland
1987 - Calle Johannson - Sweden
1986 - Mikhail Tatarinov - USSR
1985 - Vesa Salo - Finland
1984 - Alexei GUnited Statesrov - USSR
1983 - Ilija Bjakin - USSR
1982 - Gord Kluzak - Canada
1981 - Miloslav Jorava - Czechoslovakia
1980 - Reijo Ruotsalainen - Finland
1979 - Alexei Kasatonov - USSR
1978 - Vyacheslav Fetisov - USSR
1977 - Vyacheslav Fetisov - USSR

Best Forward
2008 - John Tavares - Canada
2007 - Alexei Cherepanov - Russia
2006 - Evgeni Malkin - Russia
2005 - Alexander Ovechkin - Russia
2004 - Zach Parise - United States
2003 - Igor Grigorenko - Russia
2002 - Mike Cammalleri - Canada
2001 - Pavel Brendl - Czech Republic
2000 - Milan Kraft - Czech Republic
1999 - Maxim Afinogenov - Russia
1998 - Olli Jokinen - Finland
1997 - Alexei Morozov - Russia
1996 - Jarome Iginla - Canada
1995 - Marty Murray - Canada
1994 - Niklas Sundstrom - Sweden
1993 - Peter Forsberg - Sweden
1992 - Michael Nylander - Sweden
1991 - Eric Lindros - Canada
1990 - Robert Reichel - Czechoslovakia
1989 - Pavel Bure - USSR
1988 - Alexandr Mogilny - USSR
1987 - Robert Kron - Czechoslovakia
1986 - Jim Sandlak - Canada
1985 - Michal Pivonka - Czechoslovakia
1984 - Raimo Helminen - Finland
1983 - Tomas Sandstrom - Sweden
1982 - Petri Skriko - Finland
1981 - Patrik Sundstrom - Sweden
1980 - Vladimir Krutov - USSR
1979 - Vladimir Krutov - USSR
1978 - Wayne Gretzky - Canada
1977 - Dale McCourt - Canada

All-Time Medal Standings

Canada (Gold-14, Silver-6, Bronze-4)
Russia (Gold-12, Silver-9, Bronze-6)
Czech Replublic (Gold-2, Silver-5, Bronze-7)
Finland (Gold-2, Silver-4, Bronze-6)
Sweden (Gold-1, Silver-7, Bronze-4)
USA (Gold-1, Silver-1, Bronze-3)
Switzerland (Gold-0, Silver-0, Bronze-1)
Slovakia (Gold-0, Silver-0, Bronze-1)