Can Canada Pull Off a World Junior Three-Peat?

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2006

By Lucas Aykroyd

Going for a third consecutive championship in hockey is never easy. Just ask the 1986 Edmonton Oilers or the 1993 Pittsburgh Penguins, who failed in their quests for triple Stanley Cup glory. However, the challenge can be even greater at the IIHF World Junior Championships, because for one thing, there’s never any guarantee of coming back with the same core players as the year before.

At the 2007 tournament, the graduation bug will affect Team Canada, with major contributors like Blake Comeau and Cam Barker not returning. But hopes of a three-peat remain high after two dominating gold medal runs in 2005 and 2006. Can Craig Hartsburg’s crew pick up where Brent Sutter’s boys left off?

Learning from what happened to Canada’s previous three-peat contenders will be essential. Canada has been in this position twice before, in 1992 in Fussen, Germany, and in 1995 in Red Deer, Alberta. (Technically, you could say 1998 represented a bid for a second straight three-peat. That year, Canada finished a disappointing eighth instead of claiming its sixth gold in a row.)

In 1992, Canada tried to ride two returnees: superstar centre Eric Lindros and goalie Trevor Kidd. Lindros had led the ’91 tourney in scoring and dominated physically, while Kidd had earned a 2.25 GAA as the starter. There was plenty of other talent too, including Scott Niedermayer and Darryl Sydor on defense, and Martin Lapointe and a 16-year-old Paul Kariya up front.

But things can easily go wrong in a short round-robin format. Head coach Rick Cornacchia (Oshawa Generals) was criticized after lackluster wins over Germany and Switzerland, although many Canadian players had the flu. “People don’t understand what goes on with the chemistry of the team and who’s sick and injured,” Cornacchia said. “They just expect performances.”

Outshot 63-22 versus Sweden, Canada nearly prevailed, but settled for a 2-2 tie after Kidd fumbled the puck behind his net and Mikael Renberg scored the equalizer with seven seconds left. “That was the most disappointing moment,” said Cornacchia. The team never recovered, tying the Finns and then losing three straight en route to a sixth-place finish.

The biggest lesson that emerged from Fussen was to avoid “parachuting in” players (such as Lindros and Kidd) who hadn’t gone through the full selection and training camp cycle. Future Canadian WJC entries would have better team spirit as a result.

In 1995, WHL coaching legend Don Hay guided Canada to a perfect 7-0 record with a stacked roster. Due to the first NHL lockout, stars like Bryan McCabe, Eric Daze, and Ryan Smyth were unexpectedly available. This was perhaps the best Canadian team ever until the ’05 edition featuring Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, and Dion Phaneuf.

“We were really excited that year, as we were the hosts in Red Deer,” said Hay. “We just wanted to keep the streak going. We didn’t want to be the team that let Canada down.”

Hay’s keys to three-peating? “You have to make sure you keep the players away from the distractions at the World Juniors and give them directions on how to execute the game plan. If Craig Hartsburg called me for advice, I’d say: ‘Trust your instincts. Do what you think is right, and stick with it.'”