WJC #11—1987, hosted by Czechoslovakia (Piešťany, Nitra, Trenčín a Topoľčany)
Finland won its first ever gold medal in IIHF history, but the victory had a large and ugly asterisk beside it. Entering the final day of play, the Finns, hosts Czechoslovaks, Swedes, and Canadians were favourites to win medals…but who would be on the outside? For the first time in World Juniors history, the Soviets were out of contention, their 2-1-3 record not good enough. So the Canada-Soviet game on the last day had significant implications for the Canadians and none, really, for the Soviets. Midway through the game, Canada with a solid 4-2 lead, Soviet forward Pavel Kostichkin slashed Theo Fleury and mayhem ensued. All the players on the ice started to fight, and soon both players’ benches emptied. Officials were unsuccessful in containing the brawl, but in the end the game was halted and both teams suspended from the tournament. Finland, thanks to its 5-3 win over the Czechoslovaks on the final day, finished in first, ahead of the Czechoslovaks, and Sweden took the bronze after an 8-0 pounding of the Americans. It was a dark day for the game, but a momentous gold for Suomi.
WJC #12—1988, hosted by Soviet Union (Moscow)
Revenge was on the minds of Team Canada players for the medal they didn’t take home the previous year because of the brawl in Piestany, and in the heart of Moscow, that is exactly what they got. The two teams played on New Year’s Day, the hosts with a 4-0 record and Canada 3-1-0. Canada jumped into a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Soviets got one back early in the second. Marc Laniel made it 3-1 and Valeri Zelepukhin made it 3-2 in the second, and Canada fought the rest of the way to preserve the victory en route to gold. On the final day, the Finns defeated the Czechoslovaks 2-1 to win bronze. In a tight fight at the bottom of the standings, three teams finished tied with one win and two points each—the United States, West Germany, and Poland. A mini-standings between the teams was created, and teams finished in this order, meaning Poland was relegated for 1989.
WJC #13—1989, hosted by USA (Eagle River, Anchorage)
The World Juniors moved to Alaska for 1989, and there was plenty of intrigue on ice to go with the exotic location for the tournament. The Soviets took gold, but only thanks to their 3-2 win over Sweden midway through the round robin. Both teams finished with 6-0-1 records, but that head-to-head score was the deciding factor. Temas were tied 2-2 after 40 minutes, but a Sergei Fedorov goal midway through the third provided the margin for victory. Similarly, the Czechoslovaks took bronze over Canada even though both teams had nine points in the standings. Teams played to a 2-2 tie during the round robin, but the Czechoslovaks had a goal differential of +17 to Canada’s +8. Canada might have been in the gold-medal conversation, but they lost in heart-breaking fashion to the Swedes, 5-4. They were ahead 4-3 late in the game but two goals from Markus Akerblom turned defeat into victory for the Swedes. The Americans finished a disappointing fifth, but many players on this team went on to have fine NHL careers, notably Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Tony Amonte, and John LeClair. Norway played for just the third time in U20 history, and their 4-2 win over West Germany on the final day demoted the Germans and gave the Norwegians a ticket back to A Pool for 1990.
WJC #14—1990, hosted by Finland (Turku, Helsinki, Kerava, Kauniainen)
This was, hands down, the wildest and craziest finish in World Junior Championship history under the round-robin format. Canada had defeated the Soviets, 6-4, on New Year’s Day to put themselves in position to win gold, but they lost that advantage on the second-last day when Sweden beat them, 5-4. Canada was up 4-2 midway through the third, but the Swedes scored three goals in 96 seconds and held on for a stunning 5-4 win. On the final day, the undefeated Soviets had the inside track for gold while Sweden also had a chance for the top of the podium. Canada played the Czechoslovaks on the final day and were ahead 2-1, but they were watching the scoreboard for progress of the Soviet-Sweden game. The Soviets were ahead 5-3, so it looked like the medals would go to the Soviets, Canada, and Czechoslovaks, in that order. But then Mats Sundin scored at 16:08 of the third to make it a 5-4 game, and, incredibly, Patric Englund tied the game with one second remaining! Ecstatic, Canada held on for their own 2-1 win and claimed gold, while the Soviets—one second away from that gold—had to settle for a silver. The Americans, still several years away from being a medal threat, needed a goal at 19:00 of the third from Tony Amonte against Poland to avoid relegation.
WJC #15—1991, hosted by Canada (Saskatoon, Rosetown, Prince Albert, Regina, Moose Jaw, Kindersley, North Battleford, Yorkton, Humboldt)
Canada became only the second host nation to win gold (after the Soviets in 1983—Leningrad) and, just as in 1990, they did so with more good fortune in a game other than their own. This time they had Finland to thank. On the second-to-last day, Suomi played the Soviets. A Soviet win would eliminate Canada from possibly winning gold, and it looked like that’s how it would play out. The Soviets led, 5-4, with time winding down, but then at 17:57 they took a penalty for too many players. Jarkko Varvio tied the game with only 15 seconds left in the game, setting up more drama for the final day. The Canada-Soviet Union finale was simple. Canada needed a win for gold and a tie for silver. A loss would drop them to fourth. The Canadians took a 2-0 lead in the first, but by early in the third the Soviets had clawed their way back to make it 2-2. And then John Slaney fired a quick shot from just inside the blue line that beat Sergei Sviagin, and Canada held on for a 3-2 win to claim gold. Eric Lindros, the 17-year-old playing in his second World Juniors, was second in tournament scoring with 17 points in seven games behind American Doug Weight (19) and ahead of Russian Pavel Bure (15).
Previous articles from the Countdown to 50 series: