Hockey and health care bring people together in communities across Canada.

For 11 days, the hockey world comes together to celebrate the game’s brightest under-20 stars at the IIHF World Junior Championship. This year, after a one-year absence, fans will get to experience it live in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.

Part of that experience is not only watching great talent, but also supporting the communities through hospitality and fundraising efforts.

Last year, more than $38 million was raised in 50/50 draws at the World Juniors. This year, the hope is to generate more funds for grassroots hockey and local organizations.

The first draw in Alberta, running from Dec. 17-23, will see funds go towards the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit (CAMH) at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, which provides both urgent in-patient care and follow-up treatment for children and youth aged five to 18 years old.

“For us, we see the relationship between physical activity and health,” says Karina Dixon, executive director of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation (RAHF). “We wanted to partner with an organization like Hockey Canada, who has a big commitment to supporting physical activity, child, and adult mental health. We saw that linkage and we thought it was a great opportunity for us to start a partnership.”

Dixon and the RAHF reached out to Riley Wiwchar, executive director of the 2022 IIHF World Juniors Championship last spring and the planning commenced on this partnership.

“They are such a key hospital in Edmonton and the surrounding areas. A lot of people go through that hospital,” says Wiwchar. “They’ve just had such a nice local connection in terms of where their funding goes. We were looking at trying to expand the reach of where our funds go, outside of hockey. It just seemed like a good fit.”

The CAMH unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital provides compassionate acute care services to patients in central and northern Alberta, stretching into the Northwest Territories as well. The staff provide trauma-informed, family-centred care for children and youth who require emergency care, crisis stabilization, assessment, and short- and long-term treatment.

“We know that mental health affects everyone,” says Dixon. “Kids just need that extra support, and there are so many needs within that program and within that unit that these dollars will have a such a significant impact.”

Over 400 families access the CAMH unit each year and that number is growing. Mental health conditions have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the unit is need of support. The funds raised through the 50/50 draw will go toward improving the program and items the teens and kids can use while at the facility.

“It will go towards fulfilling what they do in their programs and making sure there are no shortages in how they help the kids that need it most,” says Dixon. “We are proud to partner with Hockey Canada through this 50/50 and we are really grateful for all the people who end up purchasing tickets and supporting this program at the Royal Alex.”

There will be nine different 50/50 draws over the course of the tournament, which opens on Boxing Day. All proceeds from the draws will stay in the provinces where tickets are bought, supporting local communities.

“This is just another great opportunity for us to give back,” says Wiwchar. “We encourage people to get their tickets online, as all proceeds go back into the community.”

Tyler Steenbergen can set the scene and tell you exactly how it happened.

Less than two minutes to go in the third period, Canada and Sweden tied 1-1 in the gold medal game at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Conor Timmins carries the puck to centre before flipping it deep into the Swedish zone as Drake Batherson gives chase. Batherson outworks Jacob Moverare behind the net and on the side-boards before finding Timmins at the point.

The defenceman fakes a slap shot before throwing a pass to the side of the Swedish net, where Steenbergen deftly redirects it past goaltender Filip Gustavsson to put the Canadians ahead for good with just 100 seconds to go.

The play-by-play? No problem. But ask Steenbergen anything else about that moment…

“It’s still kind of a blur,” he says. “I’ve watched it a couple times; it’s a surreal moment. Looking back at it, it’ll be the biggest goal of my life, most likely. There wasn’t a bigger stage at the time for me, and I was pretty fortunate to put it in.”

Of the 20 skaters who wore the Maple Leaf in Buffalo, there probably wasn’t a more unlikely candidate to be the hero than Steenbergen, despite his gaudy regular-season stats – the Sylvan Lake, Alta., native came to selection camp having scored 35 goals in 27 games with the Swift Current Broncos.

Steenbergen made the final cut, but quickly found himself at the bottom of the depth chart; as other line combinations clicked in pre-tournament play, Steenbergen was the rarely-used 13th forward.

That role carried into the World Juniors; Steenbergen had only five minutes of ice time in a tournament-opening win over Finland, broke the 10-minute mark just twice, and his 54 total minutes were almost 23 less than the second-least-used forward, Jonah Gadjovich.

In the gold medal game, he had a single 32-second shift in the first period, and only 3:17 through the first 40 minutes before his late-game heroics.

And he didn’t mind it one bit.

“Obviously it was tough at times,” Steenbergen says of dealing with a diminished role, “but at the end of the day you’re representing your country at the World Juniors, in whatever role that may be. You just want to buy into the role and make it yours.

“It was my first time representing Canada, being able to wear the jersey, so you want to do whatever you can to win, and if that meant accepting the role of 13th forward, I was completely fine with it.”

That was music to the ears of head coach Dominique Ducharme, who built a roster he could rely on no matter the situation, and no matter which players were on the ice.

“We wanted to have 13 forwards that could play not within a set system – two offensive lines, one checking line, one energy line – but four lines that could play the right way, producing offence and being reliable defensively, playing with speed and intensity,” he says. “They’re the best players in the country, and they don’t mind changing roles, but they want to be able to have an impact on the team, and that’s what we tried to create.”

While he is hesitant to put the focus on just one performance (which isn’t surprising when you consider the top-to-bottom excellence), Ducharme has glowing reviews of his golden goal scorer.

The on-ice experiences may have been limited, but it was what Steenbergen did off the ice, getting himself ready for his turn in the spotlight, that earned the admiration of the bench boss.

“He’s a great kid, he’s a good teammate, he’s a smart player and he’s a competitor,” Ducharme says. “He never backed down; he kept a good attitude, he prepared himself for any situation, and I think that made the difference.

“Every shift he got early in the [gold medal] game, he was skating well, he was on the puck, he was playing hard, and I just thought he had good shifts. I gave him a little more, and he made the most of it.”

The boys from Buffalo will go down as one of the deepest forward groups ever iced by Team Canada, and it was fitting that the Steenbergen goal helped the unit make a little bit of Canadian hockey history.

It meant that all 13 forwards found the back of the net during the tournament, the first time Canada’s National Junior Team had ever accomplished that feat at an IIHF World Junior Championship.

The individual successes were there – Batherson came out of nowhere to lead the team with seven goals, while Jordan Kyrou and Sam Steel put up solid numbers to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in tournament scoring – but in the end it was all about the 13 Musketeers.

All for one, and one for all.

“Going into the tournament, we knew we didn’t have that one superstar on our team, so we relied on that depth,” Steenbergen says, “Forwards one through 13, everyone was so even-keeled and it showed in the end. That’s why we won – we were so deep up front that it didn’t matter who we were line-matched against, who we were playing against.”

Hockey Canada is auctioning off items on eBay.ca in support of the Hockey Canada Foundation. All proceeds from the auction - which goes live at 8 a.m. ET and closes on Jan. 7, 2016 - will go back into promoting and fostering accessibility to the game across the country.

“This auction allows Canadians to not only buy a little piece of hockey history, but also help the Hockey Canada Foundation continue its work to keep Canada at the forefront of hockey development at all levels of the game – from recreational to elite players,” said Al Coates, interim director of the Hockey Canada Foundation. “The online auction is a fun way for us to make available to all Canadians exclusive items, while continuing to grow our sport so it can be enjoyed by more and more Canadians every year.”

Canada’s National Junior Team roster for the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship includes returning players Lawson Crouse, Joe Hicketts, Brayden Point, and the Vancouver Canucks’ Jake Virtanen.

Shipment to the winning bidders will commence for paid items the week of Feb. 1, 2016.

For more information on Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit hockeycanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook and Twitter. The hashtags #WorldJuniors, #allheartcanada, and #HereWeGo will be used on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to help fans follow and connect with the team.

00:00 – As Canada’s National Junior Team prepared for puck drop on Jan. 5, 2015, the only team standing between it and its 16th gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship was Russia. The two sides were meeting for gold for the ninth time since 1995, and with each seeking a fifth world championship at the expense of its long-time rival, the gamesmanship began before the game did.

“[Anthony Duclair] and I liked to get the boys going – on and off the ice the boys would get a good laugh, so [we thought] let’s get the crowd into it right away. It set the tempo before the puck even dropped. We battled hard with the two Russians right off the face-off. Obviously, they didn’t like us too much and we didn’t like them too much, so we made that pretty clear.”

00:23 –Domi followed the puck below the goal line, then sent it out front to Duclair, who one-timed it top shelf to give Canada an incredibly early lead.

“To break the ice like that in a game that big, when there’s all that pressure, it’s definitely relieving. It really set the tone for the rest of the game.”

02:32 – Jake Virtanen sent a cross-ice pass to Brayden Point along the boards. Nick Paul tipped in Point’s centering pass on the fly, chasing Russian goalie Igor Shestyorkin after only six shots.

“There are a lot of emotions going through your body – it’s the biggest game we’ve played our entire lives, so to be up by two goals against a rival like Russia was huge. At the same time we looked at one another and said stay focused, it’s still a long game. Our coach [Benoit Groulx] did a great job of reeling us in and not [letting us] look too far ahead.”

25:08 – Dmitri Yudin got one back for Russia at the nine-minute mark to temper the atmosphere inside Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. Then Josh Morrissey sprang Connor McDavid on a breakaway.

“We knew they were going to score goals and we knew we were going to score goals. When they scored we knew we had to come back and score another one. McDavid did a great job at taking over and that was a hell of a goal.”

27:22 –Domi’s wrist shot from the face-off circle draws an even louder roar.

“It’s a pretty big blur. I don’t even know how I got the puck – I came off the rush and just shot it. I didn’t even aim and it went in. It was a lucky one but it definitely felt good to get.”

32:30 – Sam Reinhart deflects Domi’s shot to give Canada a four-goal lead and 19,000 people reason to rise up and chant, “This is our house.”

“[Reinhart’s] probably one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with. He drove to the net like he usually does and I tried to throw it at the net for him to get a rebound. He beat their defender and tipped it in. You learn at a young age to stay calm and not get too far ahead of yourself. Hockey is a crazy sport and when you’re in a game like that anything can happen.”

37:37 – Ivan Barbashev, Sergei Tolchinski and Nikolai Goldobin score in a span of 3:16 and suddenly Canada’s lead is down to one.

“Your blood starts to boil a little bit – geez, boys, let’s get back to what we were doing. [Groulx] called a timeout and said, ‘hey, boys, I got something to say’ and he said this little phrase that we always made fun of him for. He said, ‘tic, tac, tao’ and we loved it and just went from there.”

42:00 – After regrouping during the second intermission, the team killed off Reinhart’s hooking penalty to start the third period.

“I think a couple of jokes were thrown around and the boys got the smiles back on their faces. When you’re having fun you’re more focused, so we made sure we were having fun and not getting too worried, or too high or too low. I think our penalty kill was outstanding the whole tournament. Every guy chimed in and made sure that was the strongest part of our game. It had to be at that point. We did a great job of buckling down. Good teams play with leads and we were able to sustain that.”

52:30 – Two minutes after Ilya Sorokin stopped a pair of scoring chances by the Domi-Reinhart-Duclair line, Nick Ritchie and Lawson Crouse get turned aside on a two-on-one.

“You look at it in a sense that we’re still in control of the game and we wanted to stay that way. The good thing was we were getting the chances and we weren’t falling off at all. That third period we looked to our seventh man – the crowd – and just fed off of them.”

59:56 – In a span of 1:28, Russia pulls its goaltender, Duclair’s shot at the empty net is blocked, Domi shoots wide right the length of the ice, Duclair shoots wide left and Canada must contend with three defensive zone face-offs.

“Hockey is a game of bounces and sometimes they go in and sometimes they don’t. That’s all that happened there. You don’t look at the ones that didn’t [go your way]; you look at the ones that did and embrace that.”

60:00 – Canada wins 5-4 and a country that spent the past 20 minutes holding its collective breath finally exhales.

“It was the best feeling of my life by far. To enjoy it with all my teammates – after battling through the adversity of not winning gold for [a few] years we knew from the point when that team was named that we were the group to do it – it was extremely satisfying. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we made sure we embraced every second of it.”

The temperature hovered around freezing but with a newly refurbished rink that needed breaking in, no one seemed to notice.

Saturday saw the opening of an updated rink and field house at Regent Park Athletic Grounds, a revitalization project in Toronto, Ont., that’s given 3,000 inner-city youth a safer place to skate. The facility is part of a larger social revitalization project that will eventually include an adjacent basketball court and soccer pitch.

The project is a partnership between the Hockey Canada Foundation and MLSE Foundation, as well as Toronto Community Housing, the City of Toronto and The Daniels Corporation.

The Hockey Canada Foundation donated $300,000 toward the rink and field house refurbishment, money raised in 2012 when Toronto hosted the foundation’s largest annual fundraiser, the Celebrity Classic,

“The refurbishment certainly fits the mandate of the Hockey Canada Foundation to create greater accessibility to the game and give these kids a chance to play somewhere,” says Chris Bright, executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation.

The foundation’s golf and gala event is held in different city each year, with its legacy funds being reinvested in the community.  The Hockey Canada Foundation works with the NHL teams in its host city to identify areas where they can make the most impact.

“We recognize that investing back in the lives of youth through sport is something meaningful that we can be a part of to leave more than just a sporting legacy, but a lasting community legacy in the city of Toronto,” says Michael Bartlett, the executive director of the MLSE Foundation.

Rabbi Muttalib and his friends spend up to five days a week at the Regent Park rink.

“The ice was good but it had some slants on the outer side of the rink, so it was kind of dangerous – people trip and fall,” he says. “The fences had holes in them so pucks would usually (leave) the rink after a shot.”

There’s now fresh ice, and new lighting, boards and fencing. The old field house, an uninviting-looking brick building, has been opened up with glass around three of the four sides. It was also outfitted with a new roof, a renovated warming and change area and two accessible washrooms.

With a safer and more inviting atmosphere, Muttalib and his friends may end up upping their ice time.

“We’re most fortunate to have this rink here – just (go) out the door and see the rink right there,” he says. “You can stay out as long as you want.”

Two people who know how important having a place to skate can be as kids are Nathan LaFayette and Marty Murray. Memories of childhood winter days spent living on local ice spurred the alumni of Canada’s National Junior Team to lace up their skates and lend their names to the opening.

“We all grew up in communities where being involved in (grassroots hockey) was a huge deal for us,” says Murray, who won World Juniors gold in 1994 and 1995. “There’s no question that some of the success we had is just growing up in places like this and being able to skate in community rinks.”

Lafayatte, a gold medallist in 1993, was born, raised and still resides in Toronto. The now father-of-two is a big proponent of unstructured play.

“There are a lot of distractions for youth, and my preference as a parent is to let kids get outside,” he says. “Of all the things kids can get into, I think physical activity outside is the best thing for them.”

On this crisp winter day many residents talked of the rink being a New Year’s present to their neighbourhood. The official celebrations for the rink’s opening may have ended early in the afternoon, but its presence will keep on giving for years to come.

Ask Dean McAmmond what he remembers most about winning a gold medal at the 1993 IIHF World Junior Championship and the first thing that springs to mind has nothing to do with what happened on the ice.

“I (felt like) Santa Claus on Christmas Day because it was the first time I was away from home,” he says. “Our team doctor dressed up.”

The hockey part was pretty memorable, too.

“(We were) a bunch of young-faced hockey players who were just in the beginning parts of their budding careers,” he says. McAmmond himself would go on to play 18 seasons in the NHL, reaching the Stanley Cup Final with the Ottawa Senators in 2007.

As the medal round for the 2015 World Juniors plays out in Toronto, Ont., over the next few days, members of the 1993 and 1994 teams have been reunited in recognition of their golden achievements.

“I think everyone at Hockey Canada and the Hockey Canada Foundation recognizes the importance of celebrating the game and the successes we’ve had,” says Chris Bright, executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation. “It’s part of the mandate for the foundation to celebrate Canada’s hockey heritage.”

Some of the alumni hadn’t seen each other in 20 years.

“We’re talking about minor hockey and about our kids and grandkids and how they’re playing,” says Jos Canale, who was an assistant coach in 1993 and the head coach in 1994. “It’s nice to be part of a winning tradition. When you win you become a very close family.”

Brent Tully was also a member of both teams. In 1993 he was named to the tournament all-star team; the following year he served as Canada’s captain.

After winning in 1994 Tully proudly called his team “a bunch of no-name hockey players” in a televised interview. The team was an underdog, he says now, and wanted to prove they were better than people pegged them to be.

The team went undefeated but it wasn’t until the dying minutes of the last game against Sweden – medals were awarded after an eight-team round-robin – that the gold was iced.

“Aaron Gavey made a play with his stick that was unbelievable – a blind pass that would’ve been an empty net goal for them,” he says. Shortly after, Rick Girard scored an empty-netter and made it 6-4 Canada.

That was the first of three World Juniors gold medals for Jason Botterill. The groundwork for the team’s success, he says, was laid in Switzerland in the lead up the event.

“I think the support that guys felt on the bench, whether they played a lot or not, really started at that training camp,” he says.

Now in his role as associate general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Botterill watches and evaluates his team’s prospects from all the countries.

He wants to see future Penguins succeed, just not necessarily their teams.

“You’re always a fan at heart,” he says. “You’re certainly cheering for the maple leaf.”

The 1993 team didn’t wait as long to clinch its medal: it was secured with two games still to play.

“We luckily had a lot of time to enjoy our championship because we still had over half a week left of hockey,” says Adrian Aucoin. “It was probably a lot more fun than it should have been.”

The alumni have been kept busy in Toronto. In addition to the celebratory brunch on Friday, the players were recognized during Canada’s quarter-final game against Denmark, and they’ll make appearances at the McDonald’s Fan Zone and help launch a new public rink that was built with funds raised by the Hockey Canada Foundation.

But their weekend kicked off Thursday night when they meet and mingled with Canada’s current National Junior Team. The alumni talked to them about facing adversity and staying confident in the team. Mostly, though, the players simply shared their love of hockey.

Current defenceman Josh Morrissey told Aucoin about watching him play with the Flames when he was growing up in Calgary, Alta. And McAmmond and Morrissey talked about playing their junior hockey with the Prince Albert Raiders.

The players may have been meeting for the first time, but in the small world of hockey they quickly learned there’s far fewer than six degrees of separation.

“I’ve been on the ice with (Curtis) Lazar’s little brother,” says McAmmond, who coaches minor hockey in Lazar’s hometown of Vernon, B.C. “He’s a Peewee, same age as my son, so we connected on that level.”

The popularity and visibility of the World Juniors has grown considerably in the past two decades. But what hasn’t doesn’t change is the pride one feels in playing for his country.

“Twenty-some years later to be brought back – it makes you feel like you’re still part of it,” says McAmmond. “I’ve been retired for four years now; my playing career’s done but you always feel like you’re wearing the leaf on your chest.”

Former Hockey Canada president Murray Costello has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, in recognition of his contributions to the development of hockey across the country, particularly to Canada's National Junior Team and Canada's National Women's Team.

The prestigious appointment was announced Sat., June 29 by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the centrepiece of the country's honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country. The Order of Canada’s motto is DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (They desire a better country).

The Officer of the Order of Canada award recognizes a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.

A former professional hockey player with the NHL's Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, Costello went back to school and became a lawyer following his on-ice career. He served as president of the Canadian Hockey Association from 1979 through 1998, and was a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Board of Directors in Toronto for 17 years. He was himself inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006. The South Porcupine, Ont., native went on to serve in a variety of roles with the IIHF, including auditor for eight years, as well as member of the disciplinary committee for another eight years, member of the statutes committee for four years, and chairman of both the medical and junior committees.

by Lucas Aykroyd – iihf.com

Steve McCarthy’s career is loaded with connections and parallels to the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in Russia.

That might initially seem like a surprising assertion about a 31-year-old Canadian defenceman who currently plays for the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat.

However, McCarthy’s second straight World Junior appearance in 2001 was in Russia – although it was in Moscow, rather than this year’s site, Ufa. That was also the last time Russia hosted the tournament.

Chosen 23rd overall in the 1999 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, McCarthy was named the 2001 team captain by coach Stan Butler. The Trail, B.C., native was expected to help Canada improve on its bronze medal-winning performance the year before (although ultimately the Canadians came third again).

That’s exactly the same position Team Canada’s in this year, having finished third behind Sweden and Russia on home ice in Calgary in 2012. And like Canada in 2000, the 2013 team is also expected to take gold after missing out on top spot for three straight years.

"With the team going there this year, they’ll have a great team like Canada always does," McCarthy told IIHF.com in a phone interview. "The ultimate is to win the gold medal, which hopefully they can do. But in terms of advice I’d give, the biggest thing is to just relax. You put enough pressure on yourself. Sometimes when you’re in the moment, you forget to enjoy it."

At times, the Canadians were a little bit intimidated by their surroundings in Russia, which McCarthy described as "completely different from what we’re used to". They didn’t venture far from their team hotel and the language barrier was challenging, just as it is for Russians in North America.

One of the toughest moments for McCarthy and his teammates was losing a 3-1 round-robin tilt to the host Russians. Their frustration was compounded by a 17-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk’s decision to pump his fist demonstratively before potting the final empty-net goal.

Does that memory still infuriate the Heat assistant captain today?

"No, not anymore," McCarthy said. "I remember when I went to the Atlanta Thrashers, I talked to Kovy about that. He was a young kid at the time. He was just pretty excited playing in Russia. Personally, it’s obviously something you don’t want to see, but after getting to know Kovy a bit, that’s just how he is. He’s a good person and a good teammate. I learned to let that go. But it was a tough pill to swallow in the heat of the moment, for sure."

It wasn’t as if McCarthy was surrounded by sub-par teammates at that 2001 tournament. For example, Dany Heatley, a 2010 Olympic gold medallist who’s now Canada’s all-time leading scorer internationally, and Jay Bouwmeester, possibly the NHL’s best skater and a two-time world champion (2003, 2004), were part of the mix. To name a few others, Brad Boyes, Mike Cammalleri, Nick Schultz and Dan Hamhuis were also destined for NHL success and IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship stardom.

But the Canadians just couldn’t solve a physical Finnish squad that featured tournament all-stars in goalie Ari Ahonen, defenceman Tuukka Mäntylä and winger Jani Rita. The Finns tied them 2-2 in the round-robin and prevailed 5-2 in the semifinals. 

"I remember after we lost and were unable to compete for the gold medal," McCarthy said. "Our coaches came in and said: ‘Look, you’re playing for the bronze medal. I know it seems detrimental now, but when you look back later, if you can win a bronze medal, you’ll be proud of it.’ They were exactly right."

Raffi Torres scored on Sweden’s Henrik Lundvqist in overtime to lift Canada to a 2-1 win in the 2001 bronze medal game.

The experience also gave McCarthy some perspective on the value that players under 18 can bring. In 2001, both Bouwmeester and future Ottawa Senators star Jason Spezza were participating in their second tournament at age 17.

What McCarthy witnessed made him optimistic that this year, Halifax Mooseheads teammates Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin – both 17 – can get the job done against players a year or two older.

"With the older players Canada’s using this year, like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, they’ll make sure [MacKinnon and Drouin] are integrated into the team," McCarthy said. "You’ll never know that they’re 17-year-olds. That’s the great thing about Team Canada – all the team-building exercises and how fast you come together. Those kids might be a little bit nervous, but after a day or so, they’re going to realize that they’re welcome with open arms."

After his World Junior days ended, McCarthy racked up 302 NHL games with the Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks and Atlanta Thrashers. Yet while he loved appearing in his first NHL game against San Jose, and scoring his first NHL goal in front of family and friends in Vancouver, playing in the World Juniors still remained a career highlight. "It’s something I’ll always remember and be proud of," McCarthy said. He still hangs out with U20 teammate and fellow British Columbia native Barret Jackman in the summer to this day.

And McCarthy’s involvement with Russia wasn’t over. After coming off a tough third season with Atlanta, the veteran signed with the KHL’s Salavat Yulayev Ufa for 2008-09. What did he think of this year’s World Junior host city?

"I went, I gave it a shot, and I had a good experience," McCarthy said. "Unfortunately I got hurt and it was cut short. But for the young players going to this year’s World Juniors, it’s a nice little place. The people are very nice and you’re going to get treated well. The Ufa Arena is a great building. It’s a hockey town and the rink will be full. I have nothing but great things to say about the Russian people and the way I was treated in Ufa. The players made me feel welcome too."

Two well-known ex-NHLers helped McCarthy adjust to the overseas lifestyle during his 18-game stint.

"I had a chance to live with Alexander Radulov in a two-bedroom apartment," said McCarthy. "He’d been in Nashville, so he spoke English and he took care of me. Then you had an older guy in Oleg Tverdovsky, who played a lot of years in the NHL, and I could lean on him over there. They’d help me with going to restaurants and stores, stuff like that."

McCarthy, who subsequently spent a season with the Finnish SM-liiga’s TPS Turku (2010-11) and won a championship with the Swiss NLA’s ZSC Lions (2011-12), has an interesting perspective on the styles of top European leagues.

"I think the fastest league would probably be the Swiss league," he said. "Especially on the big ice, all three leagues are fast, but I’d say Switzerland was the fastest. In Russia, it’s similar, but there are a few older players, guys who have played in the NHL and have more experience. There may be more control to the game. In Finland, it’s very similar to North America. Maybe a little faster than the AHL, but pretty close. The Finns have a physical league – maybe even more physical than over here at times."

With just two seconds left, McCarthy scored the winning goal in Game 7 of the Swiss finals last year against SC Bern. It was an amazing triumph under his erstwhile Atlanta coach, Bob Hartley. But today, this World Junior veteran isn’t necessarily looking to grab the spotlight with the Heat, who look like bona fide contenders for the AHL’s Calder Cup.

"I enjoy being in Abbotsford," McCarthy said. "We have a great team with a lot of young players. If I can help them out a bit or answer their questions or set an example of how you should prepare yourself as a pro, I’d like to pass that along. I’m a little bit older than most of our players. I’d like to help them reach their dreams. That’s how I see my role."

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. CZECHIA (DEC. 23)

With two pre-tournament wins under its belt, Canada’s National Junior Team faces Czechia on Monday night for one final tune-up at the Canadian Tire Centre ahead of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Last Game

A strong third period powered Canada to a 4-2 win over Sweden on Saturday night. Luca Pinelli opened the scoring for Canada to the delight of Ottawa 67s fans in attendance. Sweden responded to take a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes, but Oliver Bonk, Calum Ritchie and Easton Cowan scored in the final 10:45 of the third period to erase the deficit and give Canada its second pre-tournament win. Canada racked up 40 shots on goal, while Jack Ivankovic and Carson Bjarnason combined for 22 saves.

Czechia was in action Friday night in Brockville, earning a 5-1 win over Latvia. Matej Mastalrisky got the Czechs on the board in the first, Petr Sikora scored twice and Adam Jecho added one of his own for a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes. Patrik Volas recorded the final goal in the third period and Jan Kavan made 21 saves for the Czechs.

Last Meeting

It was a quarterfinal heartbreaker last year in Gothenburg, with Canada falling 3-2 to the Czechs. After Czechia took a 2-0 lead after the first period, Matthew Wood and Jake Furlong got Canada even in the middle frame. With overtime looming, Jakub Stanci’s goal with 11 seconds remaining in regulation was the difference, with Czechia moving on to eventually claim the bronze medal.

What to Watch

Ritchie had a strong showing Saturday, with the Colorado Avalanche prospect recording a goal and two assists against the Swedes. The Oakville, Ontario, native began his season with the Avs, scoring a goal in seven games before rejoining the Oshawa Generals. Selected as an alternate captain for Canada at this tournament, Ritchie’s leadership and experience will have an impact on Canada—he won gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and led the tournament in scoring with four goals and six assists in five games.

Czechia has made it to the medal round of the World Juniors for the past three tournaments, and have eight returning players coming to Ottawa. The St. Louis Blues have four prospects on the Czechs’ pre-tournament roster: defenceman Adam Jiricek (16th overall in 2024) and forwards Adam Jecho (95th overall in 2024), Ondrej Kos (81st overall in 2024) and Jakub Stancl (106th overall in 2023). Jiricek has not played with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs since Nov. 6 due to injury and had another injury-shortened season last year with HC Plzen. Forward Miroslav Holinka made a splash at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ development camp this summer. The 19-year-old was drafted 151th overall in 2024 and has 10 goals and 21 points with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings this season.

A Look Back

Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Canada and Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) have faced each other 24 times at the World Juniors, with the Canadians claiming victory in 21 of those meetings.

The two teams have frequently met in decisive games in recent years. In addition to last year’s quarterfinal, they also met in the 2023 gold medal game in Halifax (a 3-2 overtime win for Canada), the 2022 semifinals in Edmonton (a 5-2 Canada win) and quarterfinals of the 2021 World Juniors in the bubble in Edmonton (a 3-0 Canada win).

All-time record: Canada leads 21-3-2 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 120
Czechia goals: 48