2017 World Junior Tournament Update

The 2017 World Junior Championship Quarterfinals will be held today in Montreal at the Bell Centre. The tournament began back on Boxing Day, December 26th.

The United States opened with a 6-1 win in Group B over Latvia while Canada delighted the home fans in Toronto with a 5-3 victory over Russia. All Group B games were held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the Maple Leafs.

Russia rebounded with a 9-1 hammering of Latvia on the 27th and Canada took over the top spot in Group B with a 5-0 shutout over Slovakia in their first game. The lone game on the 28th saw the United States equal the Canadians with a 5-2 win over the Slovaks.

The marquee game on the 29th saw the Americans defeat the Russians 3-2 to move to 3 wins while Canada kept pace with a dominant 10-2 win over the winless Latvians.

In a key game to determine who would survive for the 2018 edition and who would drop into the Relegation playoff, Latvia scored first, but Slovakia scored the next four goals until Latvia added a power play goal late in the third period for a final score of 4-2 for Slovakia.

The loss left Latvia at 0-4 and in last place, forcing them to compete against the last place team in Group A to determine who would be relegated to Division I Group A for 2018.

The final placings came down to two games on December 31st, with the United States claiming the top spot in Group B with a 3-1 victory over Canada, ending a lengthy loosing streak to their Northern neighbors on their nearly annual New Year's Eve meetings. Russia then claimed third place in the group with a 2-0 shutout over Slovakia.

The final placings in Group B were the United States 4-0 with 12 points, Canada 3-1 with 9, Russia 2-2 good for 6 points, Slovakia 1-3 for 3 points and Latvia at 0-4 in a very straightforward table with no games going to overtime and seeing the three points split or any ties in the placings.

Group A on the other hand...

With all games being played at the Bell Centre in Montreal, home of the Canadiens, action got underway on December 26th and gave little indication as to what was to follow when Sweden pounded relegation favorites Denmark 6-1. Eyebrows were raised when the lightly regarded Czech Republic, behind a third period goal from Michael Spacek held up as the winner in a 2-1 victory over last year's gold medalist Finland.

The Finns did not have the NHL ready talent they boasted last year, Jesse Puljujarvi (5 goals, 12 assists and 17 points), Sebastian Aho (5G 9A, 14 Pts) and Patrik Laine (7G 6A, 13 Pts), finished 1-2-3 in tournament scoring in the tournament held in Helsinki in front of the partisan home fans to boot. But still, the loss to the Czechs was seen as an upset.

Play on December 27th saw Switzerland open play with a 4-3 win over the Czech Republic thanks to an overtime just 23 seconds into the extra 3-on-3 on a goal my Nico Hischier.

Eyebrows were raised when Denmark got out to a 3-0 lead over Finland after 36 minutes. While the Finns came back with two goals in the third period, Denmark held strong for the last four and a half minutes to earn what many called the biggest upset in World Junior history.

Sweden won the only game on December 28th with a 4-2 win over Switzerland. On the 29th, the Danes again made headlines when they not only earned a point by getting to overtime against the Czechs, but won the game 47 seconds into the extra period on a beautiful goal by Mathias From.

Desperately needing a win, Finland fell for the third time when Sweden remained undefeated with a 3-1 victory thanks to two third period goals by Alexander Nylander.

That result left Finland hoping for a win by Denmark in their next game over Switzerland, which would still afford the Finns an escape route from relegation with a regulation win over the Swiss in their final game. The Swiss had other intentions though, and in their game on December 30th, Switzerland prevailed in a 5-4 shootout win over the Danes. The loss doomed Finland to a last place finish and a spot in the relegation playoffs against Latvia.

On the final day of group play, Sweden finished their schedule undefeated and first place in Group A with 12 points after a 5-2 win over the Czechs. Finland, meanwhile, preserved some dignity with a 2-0 shutout win over Switzerland in a meaningless game.

The loss by the Czechs allowed Denmark to finish second in Group A with a win, an overtime win, a shootout win and a loss, good for 6 points the hard way. The Czech Republic finished third with 5 points and Switzerland was fourth at 4 points while a stunned Finland was last with 3 points.

After the traditional day off on New Year's Day, the Quarterfinals were held on January 2nd. The format called for the first place team in each group to play the fourth place finisher from the opposite group, while the second place teams were paired with the other group's third place finisher.

The Danes reward for second place was Russia, who put a quick and decisive end to Demark's dreams of a medal with a 4-0 shutout in Toronto. In Montreal, Sweden had an easy time of it with an 8-3 win over Slovakia. The second game in Toronto saw the United States prevail in a close battle. Hischier tied the game at 2-2 with a goal for Switzerland, but Jordan Greenway restored the Americans lead 18 seconds later as the US held on for a 3-2 win and a place in the Semifinals. In the final game of the day, held in Montreal, Canada outlasted the Czech Republic 5-3.

Meanwhile, in the Relegation Round, Finland won the first game on January 2nd by a narrow 2-1 score. They then ensured their continued participation at the top level with a 4-1 win in the second game in the best-of-three series 4-1 to send Latvia down to Division I Group A for 2018.

Today's semifinals will both be held in Montreal, with the first game at 1 PM Eastern seeing the United States facing Russia for a second time after the US won their first meeting 3-2 on December 29th. The second game at 5:30 PM sees a heavyweight battle between Sweden and Canada that will surely have the Canadian fans creating a fantastic atmosphere with a spot in the gold medal game tomorrow on the line.

The 2017 IIHF World Junior Tournament

Today is Boxing Day in Canada, which signals the beginning of the 11 day national holiday known as the IIHF World Junior Championships.

This year's tournament is the 41st edition and will take place in Toronto, Ontario at the 19,746 seat Air Canada Centre and the 21,287 capacity Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec with Montreal hosting two of the four Quarterfinals and both the Semifinals and Bronze and Gold Medal games. Ten nations will participate in this years competition, divided into the customary two groups. Group A consists of the Czech Republic, Denmark, the defending champions Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. All games in Group A will take place at the Bell Centre.

Meanwhile in Toronto, Group B features the hosts Canada, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia and the United States.

Montreal's Bell Centre will host the Gold Medal Final

The tournament kicks off at 1 PM local time with the Sweden facing Denmark in Group A play. Two and a half hours later, the United States and Latvia begin play in Group B. The Czech Republic will attempt to defeat the defending champion Finland at 5 PM Eastern and the day ends with a heavyweight bout between Canada and Russia at 8 PM Eastern.

Other highlights on the schedule arrive on Thursday the 29th with Russia vs. the USA and Nordic rivals Finland battling Sweden. So, what did the organizers save for the final day of the Preliminary Round on New Year's Eve? The Swedes will face the Czechs and the seemingly annual New Year's Eve game between the United States and Canada happens at 3:30 PM. The final games to set the playoff seedings are between Finland and Switzerland at 5:30 PM and Russia and Slovakia at 8 PM.

The tournament takes it's traditional break on New Year's Day before the Quarterfinals on Monday,  January 2nd followed by the Semifinals on Wednesday, January 4th with the bronze and gold medal games on Thursday, January 5th.

Finland celebrating last year's championship

The Relegation battle will almost certainly come down to Denmark vs. Latvia to be decided in a best-of-three series on January 2nd, 3rd and 5th. Key games will be Denmark vs. Switzerland in Group A and Latvia vs. Slovakia in Group B with both games taking place on December 30th.

Sweden is favored in Group A, while the experts are divided between the United States and Canada in Group B. Canada brings great depth as always and has an experienced roster of returning players including ten first round NHL draft picks on its roster, highlighted by captain Dylan Strome (Arizona Coyotes) and alternates Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders) and  Thomas Chabot (Ottawa Senators). Their goaltending also looks strong with CHL Goaltender of the Year Carter Hart and Connor Ingram, which should improve on the issues they had in goal last year when they were a very un-Canadian 9th out of 10 in save percentage and 5th in goals against.

Dylan Strome

The United States, coached by St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko, lacks the highlight player they had last year in Auston Matthews, but has great depth and plenty of speed. First round draft pick by the Minnesota Wild Luke Kunin is the team captain of a squad that features plenty of talent from Boston, as the Boston University Terriers have no less than six players on the roster plus two more from Boston College. Other first round NHL picks on the American roster include Clayton Keller and Charlie McAvoy, both of BU, and Colin White of BC.

Luke Kunin

Russia is not to be overlooked and has a recent history of big games when it matters most. Ilya Samsonov returns in goal and is among four first round draft picks on the roster along with defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and forwards German Rubtsov and Denis Gurianov.

In Group A, Sweden is led by first round NHL draft picks Joel Eriksson Ek and OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year Alexander Nylander at forward. Defensemen Gabriel Carlsson and Jacob Larsson are among 18 Swedish NHL draft picks that include 8 second and third rounders among a very strong squad that has gold medal aspirations.

Joel Eriksson Ek

Finland's hopes to repeat rest on forward Eeli Tolvanen to lead a young group that includes NHL draft picks Kristian Vesalainen and Henrik Borgstrom.

Viewers in the United States can watch 16 Preliminary Round games on the NHL Network, including all the Group B games which includes all the United States, Canada and Russia preliminary round games, as well as all 8 Playoff Round contests.

In Canada, coverage has already begun on TSN with the airing of all three of Canada's exhibition games and will continue with all of the Preliminary Round games as well as all 8 of the Playoff Round games.

Today's featured jersey is a 2015 Canada National Team Connor McDavid jersey as worn the last time this year's host Canada would go on to win the gold medal.

Canada introduced new jerseys with a throwback feel for 2015 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their governing body, Hockey Canada. The jerseys are loosely based on those worn by Team Canada at the lesser known 1974 Summit Series of 42 years ago, where the stars of the WHA took on the Soviet Union following the success of the 1972 Summit Series.

Legends Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull during the 1974 Summit Series

Perhaps the nicest part of the package was the attractive 100th Anniversary logo patch, which featured a large maple leaf similar to the one worn back in 1924 as well as the enduring red and black Hockey Canada logo surrounded by the dates 1914 and 2014.

The Canadian appetite for hockey sees the Canadians introducing new jerseys more frequently than most countries and special one off jerseys on occasion, many of which are auctioned off, as is the case with this jersey from anticipated NHL star Connor McDavid, which sold for $19,600 Canadian dollars.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 2005 Canada National Team Sidney Crosby jersey as worn during the 2005 World Junior Championships. His actual game worn jersey was stolen following the tournament by an Air Canada baggage handler in Montreal. It was later recovered in a mailbox in Quebec.

Canada's win in 2005 was their first since a run of five consecutive gold medals from 1993 to 1997 and began another five year run of dominance that saw them take gold from 2005 to 2009.

Since that run of Canadian domination, the United States (twice 2010 and 2013), Russia (2011), Sweden (2012), Finland (2014 and 2016) and Canada (2015) have all won championships, five different nations in seven years. The Czech Republic faces long odds to to become the sixth, but hold the best chance of the remaining five nations.

Today's video segment begins with highlights of the 2015 gold medal game between Canada and Russia.

Next are highlights of last years gold medal game between Finland and Russia.

Finally, here are highlights of last year's entire tournament.

The Punch-up in Piestany - The 1987 World Junior Championships

In anticipation of today's 2016 World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game, we take a look back at perhaps the most famous, and notorious, moment in World Juniors history - "The Punch-up in Piestany".

The scene was the final game of the 1987 World Junior Tournament in Piestany, Czechoslovakia. At the time the tournament used a simple round-robin format, with the final standings determining the medalists, unlike today's knockout playoff system.

Canada brought a 4-1-1 record into the final game, while their arch-rivals the Soviet Union were out of medal contention at 2-3-1 and could only hope to spoil Canada's chance at the title.

To capture the gold over Finland, the Canadians needed to beat the Soviets by five goals to equal Finland's record of 5-1-1 and surpass them on the goal differential first tie-breaker. Had Canada won by less than five, silver would have been theirs and even a loss would have seen them still take home bronze.

Going into the game, the Canadians were worried about the choice of the inexperienced Hans Ronning as the referee, and sought to have the assignment changed due to an earlier incident in the tournament which involved a pre-game fight between the Canadians and Americans, in which Canadian team captain Steve Chaisson was ejected by Ronning, despite Ronning not even present on the ice at the time. Thanks to his ejection, Chaisson was not only disqualified from the game versus the United States, but their following game against Sweden as well.

The opening faceoff of the game between Canada and the Soviets was met with elbows and a retaliatory cross-check, neither of which were penalized and set the tone for the escalation of hostilities that were to follow.

Five minutes into the game, Theo Fleury scored for Canada and celebrated by sliding across center ice on his knees, using his stick as a machine gun, "firing" at the Soviet bench. The first period would conclude with Canada ahead 3-1, with slashes going uncalled and tempers on both sides getting short.

By the halfway point of the second period each team had another goal, making the score 4-2 in favor of Canada. With two players in the penalty box for each team following a scuffle, Canadian Everett Sanipass and Sergei Shesterikov of the Soviet Union collided after a faceoff, and a fight broke out between the two of them. Things got worse when Pavel Kostichkin hit Fleury with a two-handed slash, which lead to a second fight breaking out. The situation then escalated to the point that all the players on the ice were brawling before the situation spiraled completely out of control when Evgeny Davydov left the Soviet bench to come to the aid of a teammate.

This opened the floodgates, as nearly all the players from both benches spilled onto the ice, and a dozen separate fights broke out. Greg Hagwood's nose was broken by a head-butt and Stephane Roy was beaten by two Soviet players. This was in part due to two Canadians, Jimmy Waite and Pierre Turgeon remaining on the bench, resulting in a numbers advantage for the Soviets on the ice.

Overmatched and unable to control the situation, Ronning and his linesmen then shockingly left the ice and tournament officials famously turned off the arena lights in a desperate attempt to end the brawl!

Eventually the combatants tired themselves out and the fighting ceased, but by that time the IIHF ordered the game suspended and then held an emergency meeting, with the nine delegates voting 8-1 to expel both teams from the tournament, costing Canada a medal of any sort.

With the expulsion of Canada and the Soviet Union, Finland took home the gold, with Czechoslovakia and Sweden being awarded the silver and bronze.

The Canadians were extended an invitation to join the tournament banquet and medal ceremony, but stated they were not interested. Officials responded by ordering Canada out of the arena within a half-hour and they were subsequently escorted out of Czechoslovakia by armed soldiers!

Charges flew in the aftermath, as Alan Eagleson claimed the voting would have been different if the Soviets were in line for a medal as well, while Don Cherry suggested the brawl was a deliberate Soviet conspiracy to get Canada disqualified.

The event spawned our all-time favorite hockey quote ever:

"You don't like to see 20 kids punching 20 other kids.

It's not a disgrace. It's hockey." - Michael Farber

The events of that day have been chronicled in the book, When the Lights Went Out: How One Brawl Ended Hockey's Cold War and Changed the Game.

Today's featured jersey is a 1990-91 Soviet Red Army Pavel Kostichkin jersey from his days in the Soviet Hockey League. Kostichkin was eventually drafted in the tenth round by the Winnipeg Jets in 1988, but spent his career in Europe outside of a season with the Moncton Hawks of the AHL. He would eventually play in leagues in Russia, Denmark, Finland and Belarus before retiring in 2005.

With it's bright colors, hammer and sickle logos and name on the back in Cyrillic, it's a prime example of what a hockey jersey should look like and represents the most powerful club in hockey outside of North America.

Bonus Jersey: Todays bonus jersey is a 1996 Canada National Team Theo Fleury jersey as worn during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Fleury played internationally for Canada on eight occasions, the first being the notorious 1987 World Juniors. He skated in a second World Juniors in 1988, winning a  gold medal. He made his World Championship debut in 1990 and took home a silver on his second try in 1991, the same year he won a gold medal at the 1991 Canada Cup later in the year.

He was a member of the inaugural Canadian World Cup of Hockey roster in 1996 and then made his Olympic debut in 1998, the first year the NHL took a mid-season break to allow it's players the chance to participate. He concluded his international career on a high note, winning a gold medal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Extra bonus jersey: Today's extra bonus jersey is a 1987 Canada National Team World Juniors jersey of the same style worn by Canada during the "Punch-up in Piestany". The junior teams wore the  "three maple leaf and hockey stick" crest during this era rather than the "leaf within a leaf" crest worn by the senior team. There was no player assigned #28 for the 1987 World Juniors, so this jersey was either worn by an unknown player during exhibition games or simply an extra jersey on hand in case of a later roster addition or other need for an emergency spare.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Our video selection today features footage of the brawl between Canada and the Soviet Union, followed by Cherry's postgame comments and then the debate between Cherry and Farber which spawned our favorite quote.

The 2016 IIHF World Junior Tournament

Today is Boxing Day in Canada, which signals the beginning of the 11 day national holiday known as the IIHF World Junior Championships.

This years tournament will take place in Helsinki, Finland at the 8,200 seat Helsinki Ice Hall and the 13,349 capacity Hartwall Arena. Ten nations will participate in this years competition, divided into the customary two groups. Group A consists of the defending champions from Canada, Sweden, the United States, Switzerland and Denmark. All games in Group A will take place at the Helsinki Ice Hall.

Meanwhile, over at the Hartwall Arena, Group B features Russia, hosts Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Belarus.

The tournament kicks off at 2 PM local time, 7 AM Eastern, 6 AM Central with the Czech Republic facing Russia. Two hours later Switzerland and Sweden battle in Group A. Host Finland will be a heavy favorite against Belarus at 11 AM Eastern and the day ends with a heavyweight bout between Canada and the United States at 1 PM Eastern and Noon Central, a game normally scheduled to finish group play on New Year's Eve.

Other highlights on the schedule arrive on Monday the 28th with Sweden vs. the USA and the vital game for the home Finns when they take on Russia. So, what did the organizers save for the final day of the Preliminary Round on New Year's Eve? The Finns will face the Czechs and Canada will take on Sweden in the final games to set the playoff seedings. Not exactly the US vs. Canada we've come to expect to be honest.

The tournament takes it's traditional break on New Year's Day before the Quarterfinals on Saturday,  January 2nd followed by the Semifinals on Monday, January 4th and the bronze and gold medal games on Tuesday, January 5th.

While Canada is the odds on favorite to repeat this year, Sweden returns a number of players from last year and has strong goaltending and will be in the running while the United States can certainly repeat their first ever World Junior gold medal won in Helsinki in 2004. Russia, also regarded as having some of the best goaltending available, and Finland are also favored by some and all five have won gold in the last five years.

Canada brings great depth as always but has a young roster short on returning players and suffers from having such a talent level that, as always, a number of eligible players won't be in Finland because they are currently employed in the NHL. Watch for returnees Brayden Point, Lawson Crouse and defenseman Joe Hicketts to lead the Canadian effort to repeat.

The United States, coached by former NHL head coach Ron Wilson, features Auston Matthews, considered by many as the top prospect in the entire tournament and a probable first overall pick in the next NHL Draft, winger Matthew Tkachuk and defenseman Zach Werenski all are worth following.

All eyes in Finland will be on Jesse Puljujarvi and Patrik Laine, two highly regarded, draft eligible forwards.

Viewers in the United States can watch 17 games on the NHL Network, including all the Group A games, covering all the United States and Canada preliminary round games, as well as all 8 Playoff Round contests.

In Canada, coverage has already begun on TSN with the airing of all three of Canada's exhibition games and will continue with all of the Preliminary Round games as well as all 8 of the Playoff Round games.

Today's featured jersey is a 2015 Canada National Team Connor McDavid jersey as worn in last year's World Juniors as Canada would go on to win the gold medal.


Canada introduced new jerseys with a throwback feel for 2015 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their governing body, Hockey Canada. The jerseys are loosely based on those worn by Team Canada at the lesser known 1974 Summit Series of 40 years ago, where the stars of the WHA took on the Soviet Union following the success of the 1972 Summit Series.

Legends Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull during the 1974 Summit Series

Perhaps the nicest part of the package is the attractive 100th Anniversary logo patch, which features a large maple leaf similar to the one worn back in 1924 as well as the enduring red and black Hockey Canada logo surrounded by the dates 1914 and 2014.

The Canadian appetite for hockey sees the Canadians introducing new jerseys more frequently than most countries and special one off jerseys on occasion, many of which are auctioned off, as is the case with this jersey from anticipated NHL star Connor McDavid, which sold for $19,600 Canadian dollars.

Today's video segment begins with highlights of last year's gold medal game between Canada and Russia.

Next, here are highlights of last year's entire tournament.

Finally, an introduction to this year's tournament in Helsinki.

The Punch-up in Piestany - The 1987 World Junior Championships

In anticipation of tonight's 2015 World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game between host Canada and Russia, the 8th Gold Medal Final between the two nations since the adaptation of the playoff format in 1996, we take a look back at perhaps the most famous, and notorious, moment in World Juniors history, for on this date in 1987, "The Punch-up in Piestany" took place.

The scene was the final game of the 1987 World Junior Tournament in Piestany, Czechoslovakia. At the time the tournament used a simple round-robin format, with the final standings determining the medalists, unlike today's knockout playoff system.

Canada brought a 4-1-1 record into the final game, while their arch-rivals the Soviet Union were out of medal contention at 2-3-1 and could only hope to spoil Canada's chance at the title.

To capture the gold over Finland, the Canadians needed to beat the Soviets by five goals to equal Finland's record of 5-1-1 and surpass them on the goal differential first tie-breaker. Had Canada won by less than five, silver would have been theirs and even a loss would have seen them still take home bronze.

Going into the game, the Canadians were worried about the choice of the inexperienced Hans Ronning as the referee, and sought to have the assignment changed due to an earlier incident in the tournament which involved a pre-game fight between the Canadians and Americans, in which Canadian team captain Steve Chaisson was ejected by Ronning, despite Ronning not even present on the ice at the time. Thanks to his ejection, Chaisson was not only disqualified from the game versus the United States, but their following game against Sweden as well.

The opening faceoff of the game between Canada and the Soviets was met with elbows and a retaliatory cross-check, neither of which were penalized and set the tone for the escalation of hostilities that were to follow.

Five minutes into the game, Theo Fleury scored for Canada and celebrated by sliding across center ice on his knees, using his stick as a machine gun, "firing" at the Soviet bench. The first period would conclude with Canada ahead 3-1, with slashes going uncalled and tempers on both sides getting short.

By the halfway point of the second period each team had another goal, making the score 4-2 in favor of Canada. With two players in the penalty box for each team following a scuffle, Canadian Everett Sanipass and Sergei Shesterikov of the Soviet Union collided after a faceoff, and a fight broke out between the two of them. Things got worse when Pavel Kostichkin hit Fleury with a two-handed slash, which lead to a second fight breaking out. The situation then escalated to the point that all the players on the ice were brawling before the situation spiraled completely out of control when Evgeny Davydov left the Soviet bench to come to the aid of a teammate.

This opened the floodgates, as nearly all the players from both benches spilled onto the ice, and a dozen separate fights broke out. Greg Hagwood's nose was broken by a head-butt and Stephane Roy was beaten by two Soviet players. This was in part due to two Canadians, Jimmy Waite and Pierre Turgeon remaining on the bench, resulting in a numbers advantage for the Soviets on the ice.

Overmatched and unable to control the situation, Ronning and his linesmen then shockingly left the ice and tournament officials famously turned off the arena lights in a desperate attempt to end the brawl!

Eventually the combatants tired themselves out and the fighting ceased, but by that time the IIHF ordered the game suspended and then held an emergency meeting, with the nine delegates voting 8-1 to expel both teams from the tournament, costing Canada a medal of any sort.

With the expulsion of Canada and the Soviet Union, Finland took home the gold, with Czechoslovakia and Sweden being awarded the silver and bronze.

The Canadians were extended an invitation to join the tournament banquet and medal ceremony, but stated they were not interested. Officials responded by ordering Canada out of the arena within a half-hour and they were subsequently escorted out of Czechoslovakia by armed soldiers!

Charges flew in the aftermath, as Alan Eagleson claimed the voting would have been different if the Soviets were in line for a medal as well, while Don Cherry suggested the brawl was a deliberate Soviet conspiracy to get Canada disqualified.

The event spawned our all-time favorite hockey quote ever:

"You don't like to see 20 kids punching 20 other kids.

It's not a disgrace. It's hockey." - Michael Farber

The events of that day have been chronicled in the book, When the Lights Went Out: How One Brawl Ended Hockey's Cold War and Changed the Game.

Today's featured jersey is a 1990-91 Soviet Red Army Pavel Kostichkin jersey from his days in the Soviet Hockey League. Kostichkin was eventually drafted in the tenth round by the Winnipeg Jets in 1988, but spent his career in Europe outside of a season with the Moncton Hawks of the AHL. He would eventually play in leagues in Russia, Denmark, Finland and Belarus before retiring in 2005.

With it's bright colors, hammer and sickle logos and name on the back in Cyrillic, it's a prime example of what a hockey jersey should look like and represents the most powerful club in hockey outside of North America.

Bonus Jersey: Todays bonus jersey is a 1996 Canada National Team Theo Fleury jersey as worn during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Fleury played internationally for Canada on eight occasions, the first being the notorious 1987 World Juniors. He skated in a second World Juniors in 1988, winning a  gold medal. He made his World Championship debut in 1990 and took home a silver on his second try in 1991, the same year he won a gold medal at the 1991 Canada Cup later in the year.

He was a member of the inaugural Canadian World Cup of Hockey roster in 1996 and then made his Olympic debut in 1998, the first year the NHL took a mid-season break to allow it's players the chance to participate. He concluded his international career on a high note, winning a gold medal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Extra bonus jersey: Today's extra bonus jersey is a 1987 Canada National Team World Juniors jersey of the same style worn by Canada during the "Punch-up in Piestany". The junior teams wore the  "three maple leaf and hockey stick" crest during this era rather than the "leaf within a leaf" crest worn by the senior team. There was no player assigned #28 for the 1987 World Juniors, so this jersey was either worn by an unknown player during exhibition games or simply an extra jersey on hand in case of a later roster addition or other need for an emergency spare.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Our video selection today features footage of the brawl between Canada and the Soviet Union, followed by Cherry's postgame comments and then the debate between Cherry and Farber which spawned our favorite quote.

2015 World Juniors Update

Preliminary Round play at the 2015 World Junior Championships concluded on Wednesday, and with some dramatic results.

Group A, played at the Bell Centre in Montreal saw Canada win the group with a perfect 4-0 record as they cruised through their schedule undefeated. They shellacked Slovakia 8-0 on opening day before shutting out Germany 4-0. They finally gave up a goal at 18:26 of the second period of their 4-1 win over Finland prior to their toughest challenge, a New Year's Eve matchup with the United States, where they prevailed 5-3 thanks to two late, empty net goals.

Canada took first place in Group A over the US

Second in Group A were the Americans, who needed a shootout to overcome the defending champions from Finland. They set up their winner-take-all meeting with the Canadians by taking their turn to shut out both Germany (6-0) and Slovakia (3-0) before dropping their game against Canada, their sixth consecutive New Year's Eve loss to the Canadians.

While many expected the Finns to challenge the two North American squads, it was Slovakia who came through in third place in the group despite their opening night thrashing by Canada 8-0. The key to their Preliminary Round was a 2-1 regulation win for the full three points over Finland. Following their 3-0 loss to the US, they took care of business and secured their spot in the Quarterfinals with a 5-2  win over Germany on December 30, taking the pressure off while the final day's games played out, knowing their spot was secure with only their opponent to be determined.

Perhaps the best dressed game of the tournament, Slovakia faced

the USA, who wore their 1960 throwbacks

Germany simply didn't have the offense to compete this year, scoring only two goals while giving up 17. Due to Finland's struggles against the US, Canada and Slovakia, Germany had a chance on paper to advance on the final day, but Finland did what they needed with a 2-0 win to send the Germans to the Relegation Round.

Over in Group B at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Sweden powered their way to first place in the group with a strong 5-2 win over the Czech Republic, maintained focus with a 5-1 win over Denmark, came from behind in the third period to take the full three points with a regulation win over Russia and put a lock on first place with a 5-1 defeat of Switzerland.

Sweden was the class of Group B

While Sweden took the shortest route through the group, the Czech Republic made their trip an arduous ordeal. After getting no points in the standings thanks to their 5-2 loss to Sweden, they then suffered another 5-2 loss, this time at the hands of Switzerland. While everyone expected them to get healthy against Denmark, the Danes gave them all they could handle and then more, as regulation ended tied at 3-3. The Czechs did prevail in overtime, but at the loss of yet another point in the standings, leaving them with just 2 from a possible 9 after three games and sitting dead last going into the final day, where they faced a must-win situation against no less than Russia.

Playing the game they desperately needed to have, the Czechs dominated the Russians, and not only crafted a sublime 4-1 win, they amazingly vaulted over three teams to take second place in the group when the Relegation Round looked like a very real possibility!

The Big Red Machine turned out to be the Czechs on New Year's Eve

Russia needed overtime to defeat Denmark 3-2 on opening day, but looked to regain their form with a 7-0 pasting of Switzerland in a game many thought would be closer. They dropped a 3-2 decision to Sweden, but sill had sights on second in the group until failing to answer the bell in their 4-1 loss to the desperate Czechs. Their two outright losses, plus dropping a point to Denmark, left the Russians with a mere 5 points, which dropped them to third in the final Group B standings.

The final two places - a spot in the Quarterfinals and another in the Relegation Round came down to Switzerland and Denmark. The Danes opened with a surprising, if not shocking effort, taking the Russians to overtime before losing in a shootout. Still, it was an unexpected and welcome point in the standings. Their next game saw them crash back to reality with a 5-1 loss to Sweden, but the feisty Danes took another point off the Czech Republic in a 4-3 overtime defeat. Their final game saw then matched with the Swiss, and may have been the most entertaining game of the Preliminary Round, saw the Swiss take a 2-0 lead only to have Denmark come back to tie the game at 2-2. The Swiss scored again to regain the lead, but the Danes answered before the second period ended. The third period and overtime passed scoreless before Denmark won the game in a shootout to win their first ever game at the top level of the World Juniors and add two more vital points to their total, which now stood at 4.

Denmark was thrilled to hear their anthem following

their historic first win at the World Juniors

Switzerland got a fantastic result in the form of their 5-2 win over the Czech Republic to open their tournament, but were then throttled by the Russians 7-0. The painful loss to Denmark followed, but the point in the standings helped ease the pain, as they were tied with Denmark at 4, ahead of the decidedly off-form Czechs with 2. Any point from their game against Sweden to close out their Preliminary Round schedule would have ensured their safety, but an on-form Sweden was having none of that, taking an easy 5-1 win. Still, there was hope as the Czechs were facing Russia in a must-win game and they held the head-to-head tie breaker even if the Czechs should win in overtime. That was not to be however, as the Czechs won easily, leaping over not only Switzerland and Denmark, but also the Russians.

Switzerland's first outing in their new red jerseys

did not go as well as they hoped

This left Switzerland and Denmark tied at 4 points each, but Denmark took the final playoff spot in Group B thanks to their shootout win over the Swiss, who must now hope to defeat Germany in the best-of-three Relegation Round games, which begin today in Toronto. Game 2 is Saturday and, if necessary, the deciding Game 3 will be on Monday, with the winner remaining in the Top Division for 2016 and the loser dropping down to Division 1 Group A next year.

The four Quarterfinal matches will all be played today beginning at 1 PM Eastern time when second place in Group A, the United States draws a difficult challenge in Russia, third place in Group B, in the opening game in Montreal. Two hours later, action in Toronto kicks off with nordic rivals Sweden drawing Finland, who will be looking to hit the reset button after their disappointing Preliminary Round, and nothing would give them greater satisfaction by knocking out Group B winners Sweden.

The second game in Montreal is another rivalry matchup, this one neighbors the Czech Republic squaring off with Slovakia at 5 PM. Host Canada makes their first appearance in Toronto as they draw the decided underdogs Denmark. Can the Danes possibly hope to repeat their effort against Russia on Canadian ice vs. the home team? It could be a long game for the Danes, but no one expected them to get this far in the first place.

The winners of today's game will meet in the Semifinals on Sunday, with the Bronze Medal and Gold Medal Games following on Monday, with all four of those taking place in Toronto.

While all eyes were on Connor McDavid heading into the tournament, Canada's  Sam Reinhart leads all scorers with 8 points in 4 games, with the United States Dylan Larkin next at 7 while leading all goal scorers with 5. Max Domi (Canada), Oskar Lindblom and William Nylander (both Sweden), David Pastrnak (Czech Republic) and Canadian Nic Petan are all also equal with Larkin at 7 points.

Today's featured jersey is a 2015 Canada National Team Sam Reinhart jersey. Canada introduced new jerseys with a throwback feel for 2015 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their governing body, Hockey Canada. The jerseys are loosely based on those worn by Team Canada at the lesser known 1974 Summit Series of 40 years ago, where the stars of the WHA took on the Soviet Union following the success of the 1972 Summit Series.

Legends Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull during the 1974 Summit Series

Perhaps the nicest part of the package is the attractive 100th Anniversary logo patch, which features a large maple leaf similar to the one worn back in 1924 as well as the enduring red and black Hockey Canada logo surrounded by the dates 1914 and 2014.

The Canadian appetite for hockey sees the Canadians introducing new jerseys more frequently than most countries and special one off jerseys on occasion, many of which are auctioned off, as is the case with this jersey.

The 2015 World Junior Championships

Today is Boxing Day, which signals the beginning of the annual festival of hockey known as the World Junior Championship held for players under the age of 20. The tournament is followed with varying degrees of interest in the participating countries, but in Canada, it's practically a 12 day holiday. The success the Canadians have had hosting the tournament has resulted in Canada hosting the tournament nearly 50% of the time since 2003. Such is the passion for the World Juniors, in 2010 Switzerland was chosen as the original host, but when they withdrew, three separate Canadian bids were submitted to have the honor of hosting the event.

Even when the United States has been chosen to  host the World Juniors, proximity to the Canadian border has been a major factor in choosing a host site, as evidenced by Grand Forks, North Dakota (2 1/2 hours from Winnipeg) and Buffalo, New York, on the border with Canada, were chosen.

This year's tournament will be held in Montreal at the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens and in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Montreal will host Group A (Canada, Finland, Germany, Slovakia and the United States) and two Quarterfinal playoff games, while Toronto will host Group B (Denmark, the Czech Republic, Russia, Switzerland and Sweden), the Relegation Round, the other two Quarterfinals, both Semifinals and the Bronze and Gold Medal Games. Toronto has not hosted any games since two were held there in 1986 when Hamilton was the host city and Montreal has not seen the World Juniors since way back in 1978.

The 2016 edition will be held in Helsinki, Finland before the 2017 World Juniors return to Montreal and Toronto, with Montreal taking center stage with the Gold Medal Game and the majority of the playoffs.

The World Juniors returns to the United States in 2018, with the host sites to be determined, but one can wager it will be no farther from the Canadian border than Boston, Massachusetts or St. Paul, Minnesota, if not closer. The tournament again returns to Canada in 2019 before a return to Europe for the first time in four years in 2020 to the Czech Republic before heading right back to Canada in 2021, which will be the seventh time the Canadians will have hosted the event in the 13 events from 2009 and 2021.

The response of the Canadian fans to the World Juniors

has altered the tournament forever

After dominating the tournament with five consecutive gold medals from 2005 to 2009, Canada has not won gold since. They were defeated at home in the 2010 Gold Medal Final by the United States, took home a second consecutive sliver in 2011 and finished third for bronze at home in 2012. The last two years have seen Canada fall to Russia in the bronze medal game, the first time they have not won a medal since 1998 and the first time they have gone two consecutive years without a medal since 1980 and 1981!

Today's schedule kicks off with Denmark facing Russia in Toronto at 1 PM followed by Finland taking on the United States at 3 PM in Montreal. At 5 PM Sweden faces off against the Czech Republic in Toronto before Canada gets the Bell Centre rocking against Slovakia at 8 PM (all times Eastern).

The Preliminary Round continues with four games on Saturday the 27th, two on the 28th, four on the 29th featuring Sweden vs. Russia and Finland against Canada, two on the 30th and four games to wrap up the Preliminary Round Wednesday, December 31st, highlighted by Canada vs. the United States at 4 PM and Russia vs. the Czech Republic at 5 PM.

The tournament traditionally takes New Year's Day off before the Quarterfinals kick things into a high gear with four knockout elimination games on Friday, January 2nd. The Semifinals are on Sunday, January 4th followed by the Bronze Medal and Gold Medal Games on Monday, January 5th.

The best-of-three Relegation Round also starts on the 2nd and 3rd, with the third and deciding game if necessary on Monday the 5th, should anyone outside of Germany or Denmark care.

Two players to keep an eye on during this year's tournament are draft eligible players Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters and Canada and Jack Eichel of Boston University and the United States, who are expected to be the top two picks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Connor McDavid, who is expected to go #1

in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft

McDavid played in last year's World Juniors, scoring a goal and 4 points in 7 games, while Eichel had a busy year, playing in both the World U18 and World Juniors last year.

Jack Eichel of the USA will also go high in the 2015 draft

Other players to pay attention to are Noah Hanifin of the USA and Boston College, Pavel Zacha of the Czech Republic and the Sarnia Sting, Lawson Crouse of Canada and the Kingston Frontenacs and Zach Werenski of the USA and the University of Michigan, all projected to be Top Ten picks in the up coming draft.

Teams favored this year include the host Canadians, the United States, Sweden, who have made three straight Gold Medal Games, the always tough Russia and the defending champions from Finland. The Czech Republic will be looking to improve upon their recent performances, while Switzerland and Slovakia hope to rise up and win an unexpected medal. Meanwhile, newly promoted Germany and Denmark will simply be hoping to avoid the Relegation Round for a successful tournament.

In the United States, the NHL Network will have their most extensive coverage ever, with live and delayed broadcasts of 28 games - 15 Preliminary Round and all eight playoff games - not just games involving the United States as it once was, as 11 of the 28 do not involve the US and 8 of those do not even feature Canada.

In Canada, TSN will broadcast 28 games on TSN, TSN2 or on one of its regional TSN3, TSN4 or TSN5 channels, as can be found here.

For jersey fans, here is the full lineup of jersey for the 2015 World Juniors, which has four brand new designs for this tournament. Canada is debuting two new home and road jerseys with a throwback feel in honor of the 100th anniversary of Hockey Canada. The Czechs have a new red road jersey, replacing the full bleed Czech flag style worn at the 2014 Olympics and World Championships.

Switzerland's white jersey carries over from 2014, but the red jerseys have undergone a change, with white bands on the arms to mirror the red ones on the home jersey. Additionally, the white cross changes from being a small logo on the upper left chest, as on the white jerseys, to a large central cross on the red road jerseys.

Today's featured jersey is a 2014 United States National Team Jack Eichel jersey as worn during the 2014 World Junior Championship. One unusual aspect of this jersey is the sponsorship on the shoulders, as sponsor patches in recent history have been exclusive to the senior level, with only rare and sporadic appearances at the junior level.

This jersey is an alternate jersey for the Americans, done in the style of those worn when the US won gold at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. This jersey made it's first appearance as a throwback jersey for the 2008 World Championships when each country wore a retro jersey in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the IIHF. The jersey proved to be so popular that it was brought back for the 2010 Olympics and has been a part of the American lineup since.

In today's video section, first up are highlights of last year's Gold Medal Game, when Finland won their first World Juniors since 1998.

Next, a promo video of the 2015 World Juniors to get you excited for today's games.