World Junior Championship has become ‘a special tradition’ since 1st tournament 50 years ago
That was the fifth time the U.S. hosted the tournament, with this year being the sixth. Canada has hosted it 17 times, the most of any country.
The impact of the tournament’s growth has been felt outside of Canada as well.
Yes, Canada leads the all-time gold medal list with 20, followed by Russia/Soviet Union/CIS (13), United States (7), Finland (5), Sweden (2) and Czechia (2). But it’s the Americans who have held the hot hand in the past decade, winning three of the past five, including two in a row.
For Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar, who had eight points (all assists) for 2024 gold medal-winning Americans, the fact that the games began being shown live in the U.S. on carriers like NHL Network has helped spiked interest there.
“I think my first memory of it was in 2017 when Troy Terry scored all those shootout goals, three against the Russians, then one against Canada, to win the final game,” Nazar recalled. “That’s something a lot of the U.S. kids will always remember. But for me, the most special one was helping us win in 2024. It’s something you can never go back to do, which makes it even more special.”
Few have seen the event turn into what it is better than Gord Miller, who first started covering the World Juniors in the TSN studios in 1993. Two years later he became part of the network’s on-site team, the start of a run that will see him do play-by-play of the tournament for a 25th year.
“Certainly, the level of knowledge that the teams now have of each other is much greater than it was,” Miller said when asked of how the event has changed on the ice. “I think the U-18 Tournament didn’t start until 1999. So up until then, these players knew nothing about each other for the most part, right? There was very little familiarity.
“Now they’re very familiar with each other. You’ve got more international youth tournaments. You’ve got more Americans and Europeans playing in the Canadian Hockey League. You’ve got Canadians playing in the NCAA. It’s just very different. I mean, these guys know each other very well. And you know, also, with the advent of the internet, they’re much more able to track each other. Even back then the players from different leagues and juniors didn’t know each other very well. Like the Western guys didn’t know Ontario guys, the Quebec guys and vice versa, and now they’re all very aware of each other.
“One of the funniest things people say is ‘Oh, it only matters in Canada.’ Really? There was a three-way bidding war for the TV rites in Sweden. It’s enormous in Finland and Sweden. It’s very big in Czechia. When Russia was playing, it was popular there too. I mean, when the Swedes play, when the Finns play, there is full coverage of every game for them back in their countries.”
Perhaps the greatest legacy of the World Juniors through its first 49 versions is the Iasting impressions it’s made, not only for the fans but for some of the sport’s greatest players who have had the privilege to participate in it.
So says Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in eight games to help Canada win gold in 2015.
“To me, World Junior has always been important,” McDavid said. “I remember my year, with it being in Montreal and Toronto, the hype was huge. And I remember camp, I think they took us out, kind of outside the noise, and kind of set up outside of town and just tried to try to quiet the noise a little bit.
“It can be a lot for these young guys. Now the pressure is on for them. But it’s such a great experience. It’s so much fun.
“It’s a great opportunity for them.”
