Canada Wins World Junior Hockey Championship With Overtime Golden Goal

Forward Kent Johnson scored the winning goal on an unbelievable assist from centre Logan Stankoven

In 2022 the International Ice Hockey Federation (I.I.H.F) World Junior Championship was cancelled after four days of play in December 2021 due to players contracting COVID-19. Therefore, Canada lost the opportunity to reach its destiny for a short time.

Fast forward months later, I.I.H.F and Hockey Canada’s efforts to bring the tournament back to Canada paid off. With the vast majority of Canadians vaccinated against COVID-19, World Junior Hockey was back, but this time in the middle of Summer.

Last night Team Canada needed a herculean effort from every member wearing the red and white to defeat an all-star team Finland, filled with future National Hockey League (N.H.L) draftees.

It was only fitting that the gold medal game went into overtime after millions of Canadians watched team Canada steamroll their opponents in the early rounds.

Goalie Dylan Garand stood on his head, stopping an onslaught of Finnish Snipers, but it was team captain Mason McTavish, an Anaheim Ducks prospect, that made the biggest save of the game when he batted the puck out the air as it was about to break the goal line, which would have given the Finns the gold medal.

That was the spark needed by Team Canada, which caught Team Finland in a line change, and forward Kent Johnson heard the voice of destiny and scored on the rebound shot after receiving a 180 behind-the-back assist from centre Logan Stankoven.

Last night destiny prevailed. Team Canada was the favourite to win the tournament, and they did not disappoint. And although many nations have made tremendous strides in ice hockey, this is Canada’s game.

The 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships are just months away and are being played in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Moncton and New Brunswick. Since it is again in Canada, the home team will look to defend its gold medal on home soil.