Canadian Gold: Remembering the 1985 World Junior Championship
In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.
Canada won its second gold medal at the 1985 world juniors, the ninth annual tournament. This tournament - like every WJHC through 1995 - consisted strictly of a round robin.
The roster
| Player | Position | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Bassen | F | 19 |
| Brian Bradley | F | 19 |
| Wendel Clark | F | 18 |
| Shayne Corson | F | 18 |
| Adam Creighton | F | 19 |
| Dan Gratton | F | 18 |
| Dan Hodgson* | F | 19 |
| Jeff Jackson | F | 19 |
| Greg Johnston | F | 19 |
| Claude Lemieux | F | 19 |
| Stephane Richer | F | 18 |
| Jim Sandlak | F | 18 |
| Yves Beaudoin | D | 19 |
| Brad Berry | D | 19 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | D | 19 |
| Bobby Dollas | D | 19 |
| John Miner | D | 19 |
| Selmar Odelein | D | 18 |
| Craig Billington | G | 18 |
| Norm Foster | G | 19 |
*Denotes returning player
All ages are as of the start of the tournament
The tournament
Team Canada - donning its extremely '80s Cooperalls - started red hot, beating Sweden 8-2, Poland 12-1, and West Germany 6-0, all lopsided victories that would be massive for tiebreakers. With no quarterfinals, semifinals, or gold-medal game, goal differential was used as the tiebreaker in the final standings.
The Canadians continued their dominance in a 7-5 win over the United States, and a stunning 5-0 upset of the defending champs from the Soviet Union. Canada then tied Finland, the host nation, pushing its record to 5-0-1 and setting up what was essentially the gold-medal match against 5-0-1 Czechoslovakia. Needing a draw to win it all thanks to a superior goal differential (+30 entering the game, compared to Czechoslovakia's +19), Canada won gold after the 2-2 affair.
The stars
Bradley, who would go on to produce 503 points over 651 career NHL games, led the way offensively for Canada with nine goals and five assists. Right behind him was Creighton with eight goals and four assists. He also enjoyed a stellar 708-game career.
Meanwhile, blue-liner Dollas, who was chosen 14th overall in the 1983 draft, was named to the Media All-Star Team after being a rock for Canada on the back end. Billington recorded a 2.80 goals-against average(remember, this was the high-flying '80s), and he received the IIHF Directorate Award as the tournament's top goaltender.
The key moment
Clark was a key player for Canada, and he stepped up when it mattered most.
Clark was a defenseman in junior, but exclusively a forward after turning pro. In the world juniors, the 1985 first overall pick was used at both positions. He played the first two periods of the tournament-deciding contest against Czechoslovakia as a defenseman, then the final 20 minutes as a winger.
After Czechoslovakia took a 2-1 lead with 7:38 left in the third period, Clark (No. 6 in white) got away with what could've been a slashing penalty before beating future Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek for the game-tying and tournament-winning goal just 1:21 later. Watch the full sequence here.
The fallout
Despite four returning players leading the 1986 team - plus Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, and Luc Robitaille - Canada couldn't defend its title, finishing as a runner-up to the undefeated Soviet Union.
Clark was eligible for the '86 team, but he made the Toronto Maple Leafs instead and scored 34 goals that season, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting.
Canada didn't return to the top of the podium until 1988.