WJC #36—2012, hosted by Canada (Calgary, Edmonton)

Mika Zibanejad added his name to the history books in 2012 by scoring the only goal of the gold-medal game at 10:09 of overtime, his sensational golden goal giving Sweden a 1-0 win over Russia in Calgary. It was only the second time U20 gold was decided by a 1-0 score (Czech Republic, 2000, in a shootout), and it was Sweden’s first U20 gold since 1981. It capped an amazing run by the nation. They played six games to win gold, and four of those went past regulation. They won two in overtime in the round robin, and also won in a shootout in the semi-finals, defeating Finland, 3-2, on a Max Friberg winner. Russia advanced to the golden game after defeating Canada, 6-5, in one of the wildest World Junior games ever played. The Russians built a formidable 6-1 lead early in the third period, and then Canada fought and fought to catch up. After making it 6-5, they hit the post late in the game, ending what would have been the greatest comeback in IIHF history.

WJC #37—2013, hosted by Russia (Ufa)

Rocco Grimaldi was the hero in Russia for the Americans, or, perhaps it was Phil Housley? Housley was coaching his one and only World Juniors for the Americans, and he brought a solid, but not spectacular, team to Ufa. In the round robin, the U.S. was 2-2, losing two, 2-1, games to Canada and Russia. In the other group, the Swiss edged out Finland for the final playoff spot, sending a shocked Suomi to the relegation round. But in the elimination round, the Americans got stronger and stronger, swamping the Swiss, 7-0, and then taking out Canada with an emphatic 5-1 victory, the largest margin of victory against their rivals since 1980. In the gold-medal game against Sweden, it was the Swedes who scored first, early in the middle period, only to see Grimaldi score two quick goals midway through the second, sending the U.S. to a 3-1 win and a gold medal for Housley and Co. The top three scorers for the team were Johnny Gaudreau (who also led the tournament with seven goals), Jacob Trouba, and J.T. Miller, all with nine points. The overall leader was Canada’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with 15.

WJC #38—2014, hosted by Sweden (Malmo)

Sweden beat Finland, 4-2, in the round-robin portion of the tournament before a sold-out crowd at Malmo Arena. A week later, in the gold-medal game, the Finns turned the table, beating the hosts, 3-2, in overtime to win their first WM20 gold since 1998. Rasmus Ristolainen was the hero, scoring the golden goal of the four-on-four OT midway through the fourth period. And for the second straight year Canada lost the semis 5-1 (this time to the Finns) and then lost the bronze-medal game to the Russians, 2-1. This year saw the top four teams in each group advance to a four-game quarter-finals, while Norway and Germany, the two teams that finished last, battled to avoid relegation. Germany proved successful, and the Norwegians, playing up for only the third time in more than 30 years, were sent down to Division I-A. Interestingly, the Swedes beat Russia twice in the tournament. Teuvo Teravainen led all players in assists (13) and points (15). 

WJC #39—2015, hosted by Canada (Montreal, Toronto)
Hosted by the two biggest, hockey-mad cities in Canada, the 2015 World Juniors gave fans in Toronto and Montreal what they wanted most—a Canadian gold medal, at the expense of Russia. But what fans also got was a thrilling tournament from an unexpected source—Slovakia’s goalie Denis Godla, who stole the show when it mattered most and earned his country a stunning bronze medal after a win over Sweden. Canada and Sweden led the round robin with 4-0 records, and in Canada’s case that was augmented by a wild, 5-3, win over the U.S. on New Year’s Eve. Sweden’s only real test was a 3-2 win over Russia. In the playoffs, Canada advanced to the final game with two easy wins while the Russians had two tougher games. Midway through the gold-medal game, Canada built a wild 5-1 lead to the delight of more than 19,000 fans at Air Canada Centre. But Russia made it 5,2, 5-3, and 5-4 before the second period ended, and Canada had to do everything in its power to hold on through a goalless third. Earlier in the day, Godla was terrific in leading Slovakia to a 4-2 win over Sweden. He was named tournament MVP, the first and only Slovak so honoured in World Junior history.

WJC #40—2016, hosted by Finland (Helsinki)

The Finns defeated Sweden in Sweden to win gold in 2014, and they did it again, on home ice, en route to another gold at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki two years later. This time, it was a 2-1 nailbiter in the semi-finals, followed by a 4-3 overtime win over Russia for gold. Kasperi Kapanen was the golden hero, but only because the Russians had tied the game with only six seconds remaining in regulation. The United States, coached by Ron Wilson, crushed Sweden, 8-3, for bronze, on the strength of four, unanswered goals in the second period. Russia had eliminated the U.S. 2-1, in the semis, the only time in WM20 history both semis were 2-1 scores. Switzerland beat Belarus in two games straight to avoid relegation, the first Belarus appearance in the top level in a decade.

Previous articles from the Countdown to 50 series:

• Countdown to 50: Introduction - How the World Juniors Came To Be

• Countdown to 50: Part 1 – Establishing a New World Juniors Tournament

• Countdown to 50: Part 2 - Canada Wins First Gold at World Juniors

• Countdown to 50: Part 3 - Shock, Then the Dawn of a New Era of World Juniors

• Countdown to 50: Part 4 - Canadian Dominance at World Juniors

• Countdown to 50: Part 5 - Czechs Master the Form at World Juniors

• Countdown to 50: Part 6 - Canada Thrives, U.S. Makes History at World Juniors

• Countdown to 50: Part 7 - Canada Wins 5 in a Row at World Juniors