Where does Brayden Point (pictured here in 2016) rank in our top-10 list of former Canadian World Junior captains who went on to Olympic, World Championship, and NHL success?
photo: Andre Ringuette / IIHF
Heading into Canada’s quarter-final showdown with Slovakia, Shane Wright is enjoying a strong tournament with three goals and three assists. But what will become of the World Junior captain as he pursues his NHL dreams with the Seattle Kraken and vies to represent Canada at future Olympics and IIHF World Championships? That chapter is yet to be written.
Looking back at World Junior history, it’s fascinating to see which Canadians who wore the “C” went on to the greatest success in terms of Olympic and IIHF World Championship gold medals, Stanley Cups, NHL scoring titles, and other achievements in their post-U20 careers.
These leaders didn’t always get the gold medals they wanted at the World Juniors, but they’ve left their mark on hockey history in different ways nonetheless. Interestingly, no Canadian World Junior captain has won more than one Olympic gold medal.
Here’s our top-10 list. The year in which each player served as captain appears in parentheses. See if you agree or disagree with our rankings!
1. Eric Lindros (1992)
“The Big E” unfortunately had his full potential curtailed due to concussions. And when the ultimate Canadian power forward of the 1990’s wore the “C” at the 1992 World Juniors in Fussen, Germany, his squad never gelled, finishing sixth.
That said, Eric Lindros already had two World Junior gold medals under his belt. He would add Olympic gold (2002) and silver (1992), a Canada Cup (1991), a World Championship scoring title (1993), and a Hart Trophy (1995) before he was done. The 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee’s 1.138 points-per-game remains 18th best in NHL history. It’s no wonder he tops this list.
2. Theoren Fleury (1988)
Although the abuse he suffered in junior hockey from his coach led to a difficult path marred by drugs and alcohol, there is no denying the talent and drive Theoren Fleury showed on the ice. The team he led to gold in Moscow – including a classic 3-2 win over the Soviets with Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny – remains one of the most storied Canadian U20 squads of all time, featuring the likes of Joe Sakic, Mark Recchi, and Adam Graves.
Fleury won the Stanley Cup with Calgary (1989), a Canada Cup and World Championship silver medal (1991), and Olympic gold (2002). Despite his diminutive size and chippy style, he totalled 1,088 points in 1,084 career NHL games.
3. Brayden Point (2016)
There’s no recency bias when you talk about Brayden Point. The Tampa Bay centre has accumulated a world-class resume at age 25. He went from being Canada’s 13th forward with the 2015 World Junior team to captaining the 2016 squad whose dreams host Finland ended in the quarter-finals. And Point was one shootout goal away from capturing the 2017 IIHF World Championship in Cologne, which instead went to Lightning teammate Victor Hedman and his Swedish cohorts.
But ever since then, delight has outweighed disappointment. For Point to score 14 goals in each of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup runs (2020, 2021) has him breathing rarified air that only superstars like Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Mario Lemieux have inhaled more deeply. He’s still got time to beef up his IIHF medal collection.
4. Mike Richards (2005)
Mike Richards’ hockey career had a candle-in-the-wind quality to it. To rebound from the disappointment of losing World Junior gold to the U.S. in Finland (2004) by captaining the greatest World Junior team ever to the title (2005) with Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, and Corey Perry was a monumental achievement.
Richards played a huge role in Canada’s 2010 Olympic gold medal run. His line with Jonathan Toews and Rick Nash shut down Alexander Ovechkin and Yevgeni Malkin in the apocalyptic 7-3 quarter-final win over Russia. He also helped to set up Toews’ opening goal in the 3-2 gold medal win over the Americans. Yet after two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings (2012, 2014), his body began to give out, and he retired surprisingly early after a playoff run with Washington at age 31 in 2016.
5. Kris Letang (2007)
Kris Letang’s last IIHF hurrah was earning a tournament all-star berth after captaining Canada to its third of five consecutive World Junior titles. That triumph in Leksand, Sweden was Letang’s second WJC gold. Yet the savvy defenceman didn’t crack the golden 2010 Olympic team and missed the 2014 Sochi run after suffering his first of two strokes.
Nonetheless, Letang has secured his legacy as a cornerstone player – along with Sidney Crosby and Yevgeni Malkin – in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ three Stanley Cup victories (2009, 2016, 2017).
6. Eric Desjardins (1989)
The all-around defenceman from Rouyn, Quebec wasn’t able to replicate his golden 1988 World Junior run of 1988 when he was named captain the following year. Canada finished an underwhelming fourth in Anchorage, Alaska after losing 7-2 to the USSR. But here’s a fun fact: no Canadian World Junior captain has ever gone on to play more NHL playoff games than Eric Desjardins (168).
When the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1993, Desjardins became the lone blueliner ever to score a hat trick in the final. Other achievements for this 1,141-game NHLer include winning a Canada Cup (1991) and cracking Canada’s 1996 World Cup of Hockey and 1998 Olympic rosters.
7. Martin Lapointe (1993)
A rare three-time Canadian World Junior team member who won gold twice (1991, 1993) and wore the “C” the second time, Martin Lapointe wouldn’t replicate his QMJHL scoring success at the NHL level. Even playing with linemates like Igor Larionov or Brendan Shanahan in Detroit, Lapointe peaked with 27 goals and 57 points in 2000-01.
However, in the playoffs, the hard-nosed right winger stepped up with 12 points in 1997 and 15 points in 1998 as the Wings captured back-to-back Cups under captain Steve Yzerman. And those achievements secure Lapointe’s spot on our list.
8. Ryan Walter (1978)
Wearing the “C” on the only World Junior team to feature Wayne Gretzky was a pretty nice feather in Ryan Walter’s cap, even though Canada settled for bronze on home ice in Montreal.
The big centre – a noted faceoff specialist – enjoyed some of his best NHL offensive seasons as the captain of the Washington Capitals. Walter played for three World Championship squads in the early 80’s, capturing bronze again with Gretzky at the 1982 tournament in Finland. Although limited by injury to five games in the 1986 playoffs, he earned a Stanley Cup ring with the Canadiens. Walter would squeak into the 1,000-game club with the Vancouver Canucks in 1992-93, totalling 1,003 games altogether.
9. James Patrick (1983)
If you’ve ever wondered which Canadian World Junior captain played the most NHL regular season games, wonder no longer. It’s James Patrick (1,280). He was a fixture in a Canadian uniform, especially in the 1980’s.
The smart, mobile blueliner followed up his 1982 World Junior gold medal with a bronze as the captain in 1983 in Leningrad – quite an honour on a team with future icons such as Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Dave Andreychuk. Patrick, a 1984 Olympian, played at five Worlds between 1983 and 2002, capturing a silver medal (1989). He also suited up for the fabled, victorious “Gretzky to Lemieux” Canada Cup team (1987). Today, Patrick is the head coach of the Winnipeg Ice and was named the WHL’s coach of the year in 2021-22.
10. Russ Courtnall (1984)
One of the fastest and most fun-to-watch Canadian skaters of the 1980’s and 1990’s, Russ Courtnall had personal success with a team-leading 13 points at the 1984 World Juniors. However, he only captained Canada to fourth place.
Still, this 1984 Olympian would fare well in his future international outings, both in 1991, when he won World Championship silver and the Canada Cup. Courtnall played 1,029 NHL games with seven clubs, retiring in 1999.
Looking back at World Junior history, it’s fascinating to see which Canadians who wore the “C” went on to the greatest success in terms of Olympic and IIHF World Championship gold medals, Stanley Cups, NHL scoring titles, and other achievements in their post-U20 careers.
These leaders didn’t always get the gold medals they wanted at the World Juniors, but they’ve left their mark on hockey history in different ways nonetheless. Interestingly, no Canadian World Junior captain has won more than one Olympic gold medal.
Here’s our top-10 list. The year in which each player served as captain appears in parentheses. See if you agree or disagree with our rankings!
1. Eric Lindros (1992)
“The Big E” unfortunately had his full potential curtailed due to concussions. And when the ultimate Canadian power forward of the 1990’s wore the “C” at the 1992 World Juniors in Fussen, Germany, his squad never gelled, finishing sixth.
That said, Eric Lindros already had two World Junior gold medals under his belt. He would add Olympic gold (2002) and silver (1992), a Canada Cup (1991), a World Championship scoring title (1993), and a Hart Trophy (1995) before he was done. The 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee’s 1.138 points-per-game remains 18th best in NHL history. It’s no wonder he tops this list.
2. Theoren Fleury (1988)
Although the abuse he suffered in junior hockey from his coach led to a difficult path marred by drugs and alcohol, there is no denying the talent and drive Theoren Fleury showed on the ice. The team he led to gold in Moscow – including a classic 3-2 win over the Soviets with Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny – remains one of the most storied Canadian U20 squads of all time, featuring the likes of Joe Sakic, Mark Recchi, and Adam Graves.
Fleury won the Stanley Cup with Calgary (1989), a Canada Cup and World Championship silver medal (1991), and Olympic gold (2002). Despite his diminutive size and chippy style, he totalled 1,088 points in 1,084 career NHL games.
3. Brayden Point (2016)
There’s no recency bias when you talk about Brayden Point. The Tampa Bay centre has accumulated a world-class resume at age 25. He went from being Canada’s 13th forward with the 2015 World Junior team to captaining the 2016 squad whose dreams host Finland ended in the quarter-finals. And Point was one shootout goal away from capturing the 2017 IIHF World Championship in Cologne, which instead went to Lightning teammate Victor Hedman and his Swedish cohorts.
But ever since then, delight has outweighed disappointment. For Point to score 14 goals in each of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup runs (2020, 2021) has him breathing rarified air that only superstars like Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Mario Lemieux have inhaled more deeply. He’s still got time to beef up his IIHF medal collection.
4. Mike Richards (2005)
Mike Richards’ hockey career had a candle-in-the-wind quality to it. To rebound from the disappointment of losing World Junior gold to the U.S. in Finland (2004) by captaining the greatest World Junior team ever to the title (2005) with Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, and Corey Perry was a monumental achievement.
Richards played a huge role in Canada’s 2010 Olympic gold medal run. His line with Jonathan Toews and Rick Nash shut down Alexander Ovechkin and Yevgeni Malkin in the apocalyptic 7-3 quarter-final win over Russia. He also helped to set up Toews’ opening goal in the 3-2 gold medal win over the Americans. Yet after two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings (2012, 2014), his body began to give out, and he retired surprisingly early after a playoff run with Washington at age 31 in 2016.
5. Kris Letang (2007)
Kris Letang’s last IIHF hurrah was earning a tournament all-star berth after captaining Canada to its third of five consecutive World Junior titles. That triumph in Leksand, Sweden was Letang’s second WJC gold. Yet the savvy defenceman didn’t crack the golden 2010 Olympic team and missed the 2014 Sochi run after suffering his first of two strokes.
Nonetheless, Letang has secured his legacy as a cornerstone player – along with Sidney Crosby and Yevgeni Malkin – in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ three Stanley Cup victories (2009, 2016, 2017).
6. Eric Desjardins (1989)
The all-around defenceman from Rouyn, Quebec wasn’t able to replicate his golden 1988 World Junior run of 1988 when he was named captain the following year. Canada finished an underwhelming fourth in Anchorage, Alaska after losing 7-2 to the USSR. But here’s a fun fact: no Canadian World Junior captain has ever gone on to play more NHL playoff games than Eric Desjardins (168).
When the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1993, Desjardins became the lone blueliner ever to score a hat trick in the final. Other achievements for this 1,141-game NHLer include winning a Canada Cup (1991) and cracking Canada’s 1996 World Cup of Hockey and 1998 Olympic rosters.
7. Martin Lapointe (1993)
A rare three-time Canadian World Junior team member who won gold twice (1991, 1993) and wore the “C” the second time, Martin Lapointe wouldn’t replicate his QMJHL scoring success at the NHL level. Even playing with linemates like Igor Larionov or Brendan Shanahan in Detroit, Lapointe peaked with 27 goals and 57 points in 2000-01.
However, in the playoffs, the hard-nosed right winger stepped up with 12 points in 1997 and 15 points in 1998 as the Wings captured back-to-back Cups under captain Steve Yzerman. And those achievements secure Lapointe’s spot on our list.
8. Ryan Walter (1978)
Wearing the “C” on the only World Junior team to feature Wayne Gretzky was a pretty nice feather in Ryan Walter’s cap, even though Canada settled for bronze on home ice in Montreal.
The big centre – a noted faceoff specialist – enjoyed some of his best NHL offensive seasons as the captain of the Washington Capitals. Walter played for three World Championship squads in the early 80’s, capturing bronze again with Gretzky at the 1982 tournament in Finland. Although limited by injury to five games in the 1986 playoffs, he earned a Stanley Cup ring with the Canadiens. Walter would squeak into the 1,000-game club with the Vancouver Canucks in 1992-93, totalling 1,003 games altogether.
9. James Patrick (1983)
If you’ve ever wondered which Canadian World Junior captain played the most NHL regular season games, wonder no longer. It’s James Patrick (1,280). He was a fixture in a Canadian uniform, especially in the 1980’s.
The smart, mobile blueliner followed up his 1982 World Junior gold medal with a bronze as the captain in 1983 in Leningrad – quite an honour on a team with future icons such as Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Dave Andreychuk. Patrick, a 1984 Olympian, played at five Worlds between 1983 and 2002, capturing a silver medal (1989). He also suited up for the fabled, victorious “Gretzky to Lemieux” Canada Cup team (1987). Today, Patrick is the head coach of the Winnipeg Ice and was named the WHL’s coach of the year in 2021-22.
10. Russ Courtnall (1984)
One of the fastest and most fun-to-watch Canadian skaters of the 1980’s and 1990’s, Russ Courtnall had personal success with a team-leading 13 points at the 1984 World Juniors. However, he only captained Canada to fourth place.
Still, this 1984 Olympian would fare well in his future international outings, both in 1991, when he won World Championship silver and the Canada Cup. Courtnall played 1,029 NHL games with seven clubs, retiring in 1999.