Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Team Canada took home a bronze medal from the world junior hockey championship on Monday, and New Brunswick’s Gardiner MacDougall says being on the inside of that experience as an assistant coach was “a special moment.”
The team lost its chance at a gold medal after a nail-biter loss to the Czech Republic, but won a bronze medal thanks to a 6-3 victory over Finland.
“It was one of those, get the lead, give it up, they get the lead,” MacDougall told CBC radio’s Shift. “But we came back, and we had really good resilience.”
He said the standard for Team Canada is to aim for gold, but this bronze medal is still something to be proud of, with the team winning six of seven games.
“I said this medal will be significant more so after the game and even in the future,” MacDougall said of the win Monday in Minneapolis. “These guys sometime will be dads and will be able to tell their sons and daughters about winning a bronze for Canada.”
Team Canada won the bronze medal at the World Juniors, after a defeat against Czech Republic in the semifinals eliminated Canada’s chance for gold. (Images on Ice / Tim Austen)
Mike Eagles knows that pride. He helped Canada win a bronze medal at the world juniors in 1983. He said taking part in the event once again as a consultant was an experience to remember.
“It was an amazing experience working with the coaching staff there, with so much expertise, and being in that environment for a month basically was really an incredible experience for me,” said Eagles.
He said winning a bronze medal at the world juniors is no small feat, especially after such a tough loss in the semifinals.
“I’m proud of the way the guys rebounded, proud of the way they were a very coachable group, good to work with,” Eagles said.
Dale Hunter, left, was the head coach for Team Canada at the world juniors in 2026. Mike Eagles was the team’s consultant. (Hockey Canada Images)
A former UNB Reds hockey player and now the coach of the Moncton Wildcats, MacDougall credited much of Canada’s success to the management team, pointing to Mark Hunter and Allan Millar, who selected each player.
“We had lots of depth,” MacDougall said. “Caleb Desnoyers is our top player in Moncton and he was probably on our checking line per se and shut down the top line of another team, which was a significant new role for Caleb to play.”
MacDougall also noted the team’s offensive manpower, boasting Gavin McKenna and Michael Hage.
And Zayne Parekh, he said, who set a world juniors record for most points by a defenceman in the tournament.
Eagles said he was impressed by how the team was able to work so well together, despite having come from all different parts of the country.
“It’s not easy to get everyone onto the same system in such a short period of time … being in roles they aren’t normally in,” he said. “We had a lot of skill, we had a good work ethic, the players were very coachable and the coaches were outstanding.”
