Canadian Gold: Remembering the 2007 World Junior Championship

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 2007 world juniors were held in Mora and Leksand, Sweden. Canada traveled overseas in search of its third consecutive gold medal, and the tournament favorite delivered by going 6-0-0 and claiming its first championship on European soil in a decade.

The IIHF made some modifications to the structure of the tournament in 2007, as teams received three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, and one point for an overtime loss. Other changes included four-on-four sudden-death overtime during the round robin, as well as shootouts - which played a big role for Canada - in medal games if overtime didn't produce a winner.

The roster

Player	Position	Age
Kenndal McArdle	F	19
Dan Bertram*	F	19
Darren Helm	F	19
Tom Pyatt*	F	19
Marc-Andre Cliche	F	19
Steve Downie*	F	19
Ryan O'Marra*	F	19
Andrew Cogliano*	F	19
James Neal	F	19
Bryan Little	F	19
Jonathan Toews*	F	18
Brad Marchand	F	18
Sam Gagner	F	17
Marc Staal*	D	19
Luc Bourdon*	D	19
Ryan Parent*	D	19
Kris Letang*	D	19
Kris Russell*	D	19
Cody Franson	D	19
Karl Alzner	D	18
Carey Price	G	19
Leland Irving	G	18

*Denotes returning player
All ages are as of the start of the tournament

The tournament

Canada used its experience to its advantage in 2007, bringing back 11 players from the previous year's gold-medal-winning outfit. Five of the club's seven defenders were returnees, and it paid dividends, as Canada's offensive firepower was lacking relative to some of its previous championship teams.

The first game on Canada's schedule was a stiff test versus host Sweden, but the defending champs pulled out a 2-0 victory. Next up was another high-stakes clash with the United States, which resulted in a 6-3 win. The Canadians closed out the round robin with 3-1 and 3-0 decisions over Germany and Slovakia, respectively.

Canada earned a bye to the semifinals, in which it met the U.S. for a second time. The tilt was one of the most memorable in tournament history, as Canada squeaked out a 2-1 shootout win. The Canadians took on Russia - their oldest rival - in the final and won 4-2 to seal yet another flawless run to gold.

The stars Dave Sandford / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Goaltending was the primary difference-maker for Canada in 2007, as Price put forth arguably the most dominant effort in tournament history. Two years after being drafted fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens, Price stood on his head for his country, posting a .961 save percentage and 1.14 goals-against average across six wins. He was named tournament MVP and kicked off an international career that remains unblemished 13 years later.

Toews led the team in scoring with seven points and played a gigantic role in the shootout victory over the U.S. He and Letang - who captained the squad - both earned spots on the media All-Star team for their performances.

The key moment

Part of the aforementioned tweaks to the overtime rules included implementing a three-player shootout to mirror the NHL's rather than the five-shooter rule generally employed by the IIHF. However, there was one significant twist: once the first three shooters were used, teams were allowed to send out whoever they wanted, including repeats. Enter Toews.

In the nail-biting semifinal versus the U.S., the future Chicago Blackhawks captain scored three times in a seven-round shootout. It remains one of the tournament's indelible moments, and his heroics came after an overtime period in which the Americans registered 12 shots to Canada's two. Toews' coming-out party paved the way for Canada to carry its momentum to another gold medal.

The fallout Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Several of Canada's 2007 champions turned out to be role players at the NHL level, but a small group went on to have dominant professional careers. Price won Olympic gold with Canada in 2014 and a World Cup of Hockey title in 2016. He's also won a Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy.

Toews carried his clutch gene with him to the pros, winning three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, a Selke, and two Olympic golds after making a name for himself in Leksand.

Letang and Marchand - who won gold again with Canada in 2008 - also went on to become NHL All-Stars and Stanley Cup champions.

Canada won gold again in 2008 and 2009 to run its streak to five in a row.

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