Jason La Rose
With the IIHF World Junior Championship back in British Columbia for the first time in 13 years and B.C. Hockey celebrating its 100th anniversary, we asked the question … what are the best performances by B.C. natives in World Juniors history?
NO. 4 – CURTIS LAZAR / NIC PETAN / SAM REINHART Hometown: Vernon, B.C. / Delta, B.C. / West Vancouver, B.C. Minor Hockey Association: Greater Vernon MHA / North Shore Winter Club / Hollyburn MHA
2014 IIHF World Junior Championship Statistics: 7GP 3G 4A 7P / 7GP 4G 1A 5P / 7GP 2G 3A 5P Result: fourth place
2015 IIHF World Junior Championship Statistics: 7GP 5G 4A 9P / 7GP 4G 7A 11P / 7GP 5G 6A 11P Result: gold medal
After seeing its consecutive medal run end at 14 with a fourth-place finish in 2013, Canada went to Malmö, Sweden with its eyes set on starting a new streak. But the Canadians once again finished one step off the podium, marking the first time in the POE that Canada had gone back-to-back World Juniors without a medal.
There was, however, a silver lining of sorts – six of Canada’s top eight scorers were eligible to return in 2015, including the B.C.-born trio of Lazar, Petan and Reinhart, who turned out to be even better when the tournament returned to Canadian ice in Montreal and Toronto.
With Lazar wearing the ‘C’, the three combined for 31 points – including a tournament co-leading 11 each for Reinhart (who had points in every game and was named a media all-star) and Petan (who scored an emotional hat trick in the semifinals) – to lead Canada to its first World Juniors gold since 2009.
How did the disappointment of 2014 motivate you for 2015? CL: “It was definitely something in the back of my mind that I was thinking about. We really wanted to be better in 2015, to get back to the gold medal. I thought we had a really good team in 2014, but things didn’t click and didn’t pan out the way we wanted. I remember losing that bronze medal game to Russia [in 2014], and right then I thought to myself, ‘I want another crack at this.’ Just with that experience as an 18-year-old, I wanted to be back as a 19-year-old, and I was very happy that I was granted that opportunity.”
What was the atmosphere like for the gold medal game in Toronto? NP: “It was pretty crazy. I had some family and friends in town watching that game, which was awesome as well. It was a pretty surreal experience all around. I just remember the building being so loud and the whole crowd being red with Canadian fans. That felt pretty incredible. You grow up watching the tournament every Christmas, wanting to be part of it. And then that day comes, and you make Team Canada and to be part of that experience was something I’ll never forget.”
What did it mean to be captain in 2015? CL: “Any time you get to wear the Hockey Canada jersey, it’s an honour and a thrill. To have the ‘C’ as well, to have that responsibility and to be leaned on meant so much. The thing is that we were doing so well that if anything I had to play the bad-cop in the dressing room trying to keep guys focused and to not take teams too lightly because in the short-term competitions if you slip once it can cost you the entire tournament.”