Gold Medal - Beer League Heroes

On the evening of January 6th, 2010, Team Canada and Team USA went head-to-head in an epic battle for World Junior supremecy. The Canadians had won five gold medals on the trot and the last team to beat them in the finals of the tournament was the Americans. They were looking to become the first team in World Juniors history to win six golds in a row… At home… In Saskatchewan.

Playing for the home team, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Colton Teubert would go on to become Edmonton Oilers later on in their careers.

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!Two OT goals have broken my heart since I started watching hockey, David Volek’s against the Penguins in ’93 to prevent Pittsburgh from winning their third Stanley Cup in a row and the one John Carlson scored for Team USA to give the US the gold medal.

This game is so facking good. Just to put it into perspective, the end result was 6-5, we all know this (or at least I hope we all do), but at the end of the first it was 2-2, at the end of the second it was 3-3, and with three minutes left the game was 5-3 for the US… You’ve not seen a barn go up like the one in Saskatoon did when Eberle scored with under two minutes to go to tie this game up.

That said, you’ve probably never heard a more quiet arena in Canada than when John Carlson beat Martin Jones in OT… Utter shock from the fans in the stands.

I hope you enjoy BLH’s Game of the Night!

The following write-up on the game is courtesy of TSN

Canada fell short of capturing their record-setting sixth-straight gold medal at the World Juniors when Team USA defeated them 6-5 in overtime in the Championship game, forcing them to settle for silver.

Despite more late game heroics from Jordan Eberle – the forward scored two goals in the final three minutes to send the game to overtime – USA’s John Carlson put home a wrist shot less than five minutes into the extra frame to give Team USA the win. The victory would give USA their second gold medal at the World Juniors and would end Team Canada’s bid to make history on home ice.

Eberle, who tied for the tournament lead with eight goals, became Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer at the World Juniors with 14. Eberle was also named a First Team All-Star, the tournament’s best forward, and tournament MVP.

The accolades didn’t come as much consolation for Eberle who was disappointed he and his teammates failed to make history by winning a sixth-straight gold.

“It’s not easy sitting on that blue-line and not hearing your anthem,” said Eberle. “It’s a tournament you watch growing up and it’s sad to have it end like this, but I can go out with my head up high.”

Joining Eberle as an all-star was Canada’s Alex Pietrangelo, who was also named the tournament’s top defenceman.

Americans Carlson and Derek Stepan, who led the tournament with 14 points, were also named all-stars.

If you’re enjoying the series, check out this week’s previous games below!

The Punch-up in Piestany
16yr old Wayne Gretzky Destroys Czechs in ’78
The 2005 Canadian Juggernaut That Took Out the Russians for Gold
McDavid and Nurse Bring Home Gold at 2015 World Juniors (Jan.5, 2015)

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There’s nothing better than a Canada/Russia match-up at any hockey competition and for BLH’s Hockey Game of the Night, we’ve got for you a proper classic. The 2005 World Juniors Gold Medal Final between Sidney Crosby’s Team Canada and Alexander Ovechkin’s Team Russia.

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

To set up this game I found this blurb from Sports Illustrated by Ken Campbell,

The night is always darkest just before the dawn, and Canada’s greatest anguish on the World Junior Championship stage came one year before its greatest triumph.

Flash back to Helsinki, Finland, 2004. Canada desperately wanted to be crowned hockey’s best under-20 nation after six long years in the cold. Since a five-year run of golds that ended in 1997, the Canadians had finished eighth, second, third, third, second and second, with each heartbreak worse than the last. They blew a 2-1 lead to Russia on Canadian ice to lose the 2003 final. Then, in Helsinki, the nightmare continued. Canada led upstart U.S. 3-1 entering the third period of the gold medal game. The U.S. stormed back to tie it and, with less than five minutes remaining in a 3-3 contest, Canada goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s clearing attempt bounced off teammate Braydon Coburn and into his own net. The Americans won their first world juniors ever. Canada’s drought reached seven years.

Whoa…

Here’s the boxscore if you want to check it out!

If you can, please check out our Youtube channel, BEER LEAGUE HEROES.

I hope you enjoy the game!

What I found really interesting is that Sidney Crosby and Corey Perry were lighting up their respective Junior leagues and Patrice Bergeron had already spent a year in the NHL, yet coach Brent Sutter chose to put the trio together and deploy them as Canada’s shutdown line. Very much like Wayne Gretzky back in 1978, Perry only made the club due to the injury of another player. What luck!

As this is mostly an Oilers blog, I feel compelled to mention that this game featured five players who would go on to play for the Edmonton Oilers later in their careers. Those individuals being Shawn Belle (CAN), Colin Fraser (CAN), Cam Barker (CAN), Danny Syvret (CAN), and the great Anton Belov (RUS).

If you’re enjoying the series, check out this week’s previous games below!

Monday: The Punch-up in Piestany
Tuesday: 16yr old Wayne Gretzky Destroys Czechs in ’78

Give us a follow on the socials!

Beer League Heroes

Tag Archives: Gold Medal

Watch BLH’s Hockey Game of the Night: Eberle’s Heroics and OT Heartbreak in 2010 (Jan.6, 2010)

Watch BLH’s Hockey Game of the Night: Ovechkin and Team Russia Get Obliterated by Canadian Juggernaut at 2005 World Juniors

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