Canadian Gold: Remembering the 1997 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.
The 1997 tournament marked one of the rare times when Canada wasn't considered a heavy favorite. The team was still entering the event in Switzerland looking to secure its record fifth consecutive gold medal.
Despite the consistent success in recent years, this group didn't boast much star power and was far from one of Canada's most dominant teams. But the squad managed to sit atop the podium again with young head coach Mike Babcock at the helm.
The roster
| Player | Position | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Briere | F | 19 |
| Boyd Devereaux | F | 18 |
| Christian Dube* | F | 19 |
| Dwayne Hay | F | 19 |
| Brad Isbister | F | 19 |
| Brad Larsen* | F | 19 |
| Trevor Letowski | F | 19 |
| Cameron Mann | F | 19 |
| Alyn McCauley* | F | 19 |
| Peter Schaefer | F | 19 |
| Joe Thornton | F | 17 |
| Trent Whitfield | F | 19 |
| Shane Willis | F | 19 |
| Jason Doig | D | 19 |
| Hugh Hamilton | D | 19 |
| Richard Jackman | D | 18 |
| Chris Phillips* | D | 18 |
| Cory Sarich | D | 18 |
| Jesse Wallin | D | 18 |
| Jeff Ware | D | 19 |
| Marc Denis | G | 19 |
| Martin Biron | G | 19 |
*Denotes returning player
All ages are as of the start of the tournament
The tournament
Canada kicked off the qualifying round with a 4-1 win over Germany and then faced the Americans. A victory would have been key for Canada to win its group, but the team managed only a 4-4 tie.
In the third game, Canada took care of the Swiss easily with another 4-1 triumph, before tying 3-3 against the Czech Republic in the fourth and final preliminary-round contest. With a 2-0-2 record, Canada finished second in its group and needed to face Slovakia in the first game of the medals round.
The Slovaks were no match for the Canadians, losing 7-2. Canada then faced an undefeated Russian squad in the semifinals, the team's toughest challenge yet. The Canucks played much of the game from behind, but Devereaux's two heroic third-period goals led to a dramatic victory, ensuring a goal-medal game clash against the United States.
Goaltender Marc Denis showed up for the decisive match, shutting out Mike York and the Americans in a 2-0 win.
The stars
There wasn't a standout star for Canada at the conclusion of the tournament. Christian Dube, Brad Isbister, and Cameron Mann were all tied for the team lead in points with seven apiece in seven games.
Goals were spread evenly throughout the squad, but Dube, Isbister, and Devereaux led the way with four each.
The key moment
Canada needed to figure out how to stop star Russian player Alexei Morozov in that semifinal game. The sniper scored on his first shift, but the trio of Devereaux, Alyn McCauley, and Brad Larsen shut him down the rest of the way.
Down 2-1 in the second period, Canada got into trouble and had to kill a five-minute major slashing penalty late in the frame. The team was successful, and then Deveraux netted his two goals in the third to seal the win.
The fallout
Without its usual high-end talents, Canada predictably didn't produce as many superstars as usual. Daniel Briere and Chris Phillips, who played vital roles on the team, went on to enjoy NHL success. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Joe Thornton - who was Canada's youngest player and an oft-used forward - is still in the midst of a Hall of Fame worthy career.
Christian Dube, the team's leading scorer, played in just 33 NHL games, scoring just one goal and adding one assist. He played in Switzerland from 1999 until 2014.
Denis, the tournament's top goaltender, would go on to play eight NHL seasons, recording a 112-179-31 record with a .902 save percentage.
Canada was on a seemingly unstoppable tear after five straight gold medals. However, a long drought started in 1998, when Canada recorded its worst-ever result (eighth). It was the only tournament between 1993 and 2012 in which the country didn't medal. Canada didn't return to the top of the podium until 2005, when it would kick-start another run of five straight golds.