The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
John Carlson came through big Tuesday as he beat Team Canada goalie Martin Jones in overtime to win the gold medal for Team USA in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. With less than 12 minutes remaining on the clock, Team Canada was down 5-3 at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre. The Red and White came together to earn two goals to tie the game up with just seconds left. Both goals came from Jordan Eberle Ð the first at 57:11 and the second at 58:25. But it was Team USA that pulled through in overtime to earn the gold medal-winning goal by a score of 6-5. Nearly 16,200 fans watched as the Americans celebrated their victory on Ð and off Ð the ice. Players hugged and cheered while coaches shared embraces and shook hands on the victory. "I've heard the word 'classic' so many times with these games, it was nice to finally be on the right side of the classic," Team USA general manager Jim Johansson told Sports Illustrated. "It was a great game for both teams." It wasn't the first time in this tournament that the two teams had faced off against each other. Team USA "coughed up a two-goal lead to Canada on New Year's Eve on the way to a 5-4 shootout loss," read the Sports Illustrated article. "So after allowing their rivals to erase three leads on Tuesday night, including a 5-3 margin that evaporated on a pair of Jordan Eberle goals in the final three minutes, it wouldn't have been a shock to see the Americans again crumble under the pressure, especially on Canadian ice, where the hockey gods always seem to smile on the home side." Since 1974, Team Canada has participated in the tournament nearly 25 times. Having won the gold medal 15 times, the Red and White were hoping to lay claim to this year's title. With what would have been six titles in a row, Team Canada would have broken not only their previous record, but the World Junior record for consecutive wins. Taking a look at the past winners, it would appear that the Soviet Union had won seven tournaments in a row Ð from 1974 to 1980 Ð but three of those were unofficial tournaments. Szymon Szemberg, of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said in an e-mail that "the 1974, '75 and '76 tournaments were unofficial tournaments, invitations, if you will. The first official, fully IIHF sanctioned, World U20 Championship was in 1977." Starting the count at 1977, the Soviet Union laid claim to four wins in a row. But it was the Americans who took home the gold Tuesday night after their victorious overtime win against Canada. Since 1974, Team Canada has come home with the silver title nine times and the bronze five times. This is Team USA's second time winning the gold medal. Their first win came in 2004 over Canada.
