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.
Fresh off its first world junior gold medal in eight years after the 2005 dream team's triumph, Canada was looking to repeat on home soil in British Columbia. However, going back-to-back wouldn't be easy, as there was just one returning player from Canada's loaded 2005 squad on the 2006 team.
The 2005 roster contained just two players under the age of 19. The 2006 squad, meanwhile, featured 11.
The roster
| Player | Position | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Bertram | F | 19 |
| Michael Blunden | F | 19 |
| Dave Bolland | F | 19 |
| Dustin Boyd | F | 19 |
| Kyle Chipchura | F | 19 |
| Andrew Cogliano | F | 18 |
| Blake Comeau | F | 19 |
| Steve Downie | F | 18 |
| Guillaume Latendresse | F | 18 |
| Ryan O'Marra | F | 18 |
| Benoit Pouliot | F | 19 |
| Tom Pyatt | F | 18 |
| Jonathan Toews | F | 17 |
| Cam Barker* | D | 19 |
| Luc Bourdon | D | 18 |
| Kris Letang | D | 18 |
| Marc Staal | D | 18 |
| Ryan Parent | D | 18 |
| Sasha Pokulok | D | 19 |
| Kris Russell | D | 18 |
| Devan Dubnyk | G | 19 |
| Justin Pogge | G | 19 |
*Denotes returning player
All ages are as of the start of the tournament
The tournament
Despite lacking the star power of the 2005 squad (eight players who suited up for Canada at the 2010 or 2014 Olympics anchored that team), the 2006 edition of Team Canada was nearly just as dominant, even with just one future Olympian in Jonathan Toews - who was still 17 and draft-eligible - on its roster.
Canada went 4-0-0 in the round robin, defeating Finland 5-1, Switzerland 4-3, Norway 4-0, and the United States 3-2 (although Canada's game-winning goal against the USA was an empty-netter because the Americans needed a win to earn first in Group A).
The Canadians played their best as the tournament proceeded, beating Finland 4-0 in the semis before taking down the Evgeni Malkin-led Russians 5-0 in the gold-medal game.
The stars
This tournament is probably best remembered as the Justin Pogge show. The Toronto Maple Leafs' third-rounder posted a 1.00 goals-against average, a tournament-best .952 save percentage, and three shutouts while starting all six games for Canada.
However, partially because the awards are voted on prior to the gold-medal game, Finland's Tuukka Rask was named the tournament's top goaltender. Rask, another Maple Leafs draft pick, was traded six months later because Pogge was deemed Toronto's goalie of the future. It was a terrible, shortsighted decision, but that's how well Pogge played in this tournament.
Other contributors also propelled Canada to the top of the podium. The shutdown pairing of Ryan Parent and Marc Staal was fantastic, with the latter named the event's top defenseman despite recording just one assist.
The rest of Canada's blue line was also exceptional, as returnee Cam Barker and the late Luc Bourdon - who was named to the Media All-Star Team - each tallied six points in seven games. Kris Letang also notched four points.
Canada didn't boast much firepower up front, but Steve Downie provided plenty of heart, grit, and physicality, and he was also named to the Media All-Star Team with six points in as many contests.
Lastly, head coach Brent Sutter should be considered a star. This squad was incredibly well-coached, especially on the defensive end.
The key moment
There wasn't a specific key moment in this tournament, as the New Year's Eve game against the United States lacked drama, and Canada blew out its opponents in the semifinals and finals.
However, Canada's biggest key to victory was somehow shutting down Malkin in the gold-medal game. The 19-year-old was easily the best player in the world outside the NHL. The 2004 second overall pick registered 47 points in 46 games in the Russian Superleague (later known as the KHL) that season, and a year later he won the Calder Trophy with 85 points over 78 NHL games.
Russia entered the gold-medal contest with a 5-0-0 record and a plus-19 goal differential (Canada's differential was only plus-14), and the team was fresh off a 5-1 win over the United States in the semis. Malkin came into the matchup with four goals and six assists in five games, but Canada completely shut him down.
The fallout
The 2006 victory marked the second of five straight world junior gold medals for Canada - the second time the nation has won five straight. A remarkable 11 returning players took to the ice for the 2007 squad that won gold in Sweden.
Several players on the 2006 team have produced long pro careers, including active NHLers Toews, Comeau, Cogliano, Letang, Russell, Staal, and Dubnyk. As for Pogge, he played in just seven NHL games, registering a .844 save percentage and a 4.36 goals-against average.
