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 1990 world junior championship returned to Helsinki, where Canada captured gold the last time Finland hosted the event in 1985.
With only two returning players, the Canadian squad was a group of fresh faces looking to make their marks on the international stage.
The roster
| Player | Position | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Chyzowski | F | 18 |
| Mike Needham | F | 19 |
| Stu Barnes | F | 19 |
| Dwayne Norris | F | 19 |
| Wes Walz | F | 19 |
| Eric Lindros | F | 16 |
| Mike Ricci* | F | 18 |
| Mike Craig | F | 18 |
| Kent Manderville | F | 18 |
| Scott Pellerin | F | 19 |
| Steven Rice | F | 18 |
| Kris Draper | F | 18 |
| Patrice Brisebois | D | 18 |
| Kevin Haller | D | 19 |
| Dan Ratushny | D | 19 |
| Jason Herter | D | 19 |
| Stewart Malgunas | D | 19 |
| Adrien Plavsic | D | 19 |
| Stephane Fiset* | G | 19 |
| Trevor Kidd | G | 17 |
*Denotes returning player
All ages are as of the start of the tournament
The tournament
Every world junior tournament before 1996 featured only a round robin, and it took Canada all seven games in Helsinki to finally clinch the gold medal on the final day of play.
The Canadians started strong, knocking off the U.S., Poland, Norway, and the Soviet Union while tying Finland. But after a tough 5-4 loss to Sweden in its penultimate contest, Canada no longer controlled its own fate and needed some help to claim top spot on the podium.
With one game remaining, the Canadians needed two things to happen to claim gold: They had to handle their own business against Jaromir Jagr and Czechoslovakia, and Sweden needed to tie or beat a juggernaut Soviet Union side headlined by Pavel Bure and Vyacheslav Kozlov.
In a thrilling final day of competition, Canada narrowly edged Czechoslovakia 2-1 while Sweden tied the Soviet Union 5-5. The Canadians and Soviets both finished with 5-1-1 records, but Canada won gold thanks to its earlier victory over the Soviet Union.
The stars
Chyzowski was easily Canada's top forward. The 6-foot-1 winger led the team in both goals (nine) and points (13) en route to a spot on the tournament All-Star team. Needham finished second among the Canadians with seven points, while a 16-year-old Lindros chipped in four goals.
Brisebois was the team's backbone on the blue line, playing tough minutes while also contributing four points. The third time proved to be the charm for the rearguard after some tough luck in previous years; despite being just the second player in Canadian world junior history to be invited to selection camp as a 16-year-old in 1988, Brisebois failed to make the team, and a knee injury sidelined him for the 1989 tournament.
Fiset was sensational in goal and was a major reason the Canadians managed to secure a close victory over Czechoslovakia. The native of Montreal was named the best goaltender of the tournament after finishing with a 5-1-1 record and a 2.57 goals-against average.
The key moment
Ironically, the key moment in Canada's gold-medal run came in a game the team wasn't even involved in. As mentioned above, the Canadians got the help they needed when Sweden tied the Soviet Union, but the fashion in which their fate was decided was as dramatic as it gets.
The Soviets led 5-3 in the third period against Sweden and appeared to be cruising toward their second straight gold medal. With Canada up 2-1 against Czechoslovakia, it got the miracle it needed.
The Tre Kronor potted two late goals, and Mats Sundin's tying marker - which technically served as Canada's golden goal - came with just one second left in the game. The Canadian players got word of Sweden's miraculous comeback and held on to secure a win over Czechoslovakia and the gold medal.
The fallout
The tournament returned to Canada the following year as the nation claimed its second consecutive gold medal and first on home soil. Seven players - Draper, Craig, Lindros, Manderville, Rice, Brisebois, and Kidd - returned to help the team repeat.
Though Chyzowski was selected second overall by the New York Islanders in 1989 and dominated at the world juniors, his NHL career didn't amount to much. He played just 126 games before finishing his playing days in Europe.
Still, more than a handful of players from this Canadian squad did ultimately carve out successful careers in the NHL, including Barnes, Brisebois, Draper, Ricci, Pellerin, and Lindros - who was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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