Category Archives: World Junior Championship

🇫🇮 🇷🇺 IHLC Classics: Hagman’s Helsinki Heroics

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From time to time, TheIHLC.com will feature detailed recaps and boxscores of some of the most legendary games in international hockey history, considered to be “IHLC Classics.” Today, in honour of Finnish Independence Day (itsenäisyyspäivä), we look back at the Leijonat’s thrilling home ice Gold Medal victory at the 1998 World Junior Championships, with Niklas Hagman’s overtime snipe securing the title in Helsinki.


🇫🇮 Finland 2-1 Russia 🇷🇺 (OT)
World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game
Hartwall Areena, Helsinki 🇫🇮
Saturday, 03 January 1998

Finland achieved its first World Junior Championship Gold in 1987, but at that time the rankings were decided by playing in series.

The playoffs only entered the World Junior Championship program for the 1995-96 Games, and what would be more comfortable than to settle World Cup Gold at home in extra time of the final?
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🇱🇻 Kaspars Daugaviņš Announces Surprise Retirement From Hockey

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Latvian forward Kaspars Daugaviņš, who captained his country to their historic first ever World Championship medal in 2023, today announced his sudden retirement from the sport at age 36, ending a 20+ year pro career spanning teams across seven countries, citing family issues as the reason for the sudden, mid-season announcement.
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🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇷🇺 Hockey Hall Of Fame Inducts Class Of 2024

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The Hockey Hall Of Fame tonight inducted their 2024 Class, inducting five legendary players to their ranks with a number of tremendous international achievements.
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🇸🇪 Anton Strålman Confirms Retirement From Hockey, Shift To Football

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After a one-season return to the Swedish league, following a sixteen year NHL career, journeyman defender Anton Strålman today confirmed his retirement from hockey at age 38, surprisingly announcing a shift to coaching women’s football, following a two-decade plus career across twelve clubs in Canada, the United States and his native Sweden.
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🇸🇪 Alexander Edler Signs One-Day Contract To Retire As Canuck

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Inactive for the past season, Swedish defender Alexander Edler today signed a one-day contract with the Vancouver Canucks in order to retire with the franchise, wrapping a nearly two-decade NHL career, marked with over 1,000 games played, and a trio of international medals won with his native Sweden.
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🇸🇪 Oscar Möller Confirms Retirement Following Long-Term Injury

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Swedish winger Oscar Möller, whose long tenure with both the league’s top tier and national team was cut short due to injury, confirmed his retirement today at age 35, following Skellefteå capturing their fourth Le Mat Trophy to end last season, minus Möller on the active roster.
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🇨🇦 Tyler Ennis Confirms Retirement From Hockey At 34

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After injuries hampered his NHL prospects, sending him to two seasons in Europe, Canadian journeyman winger Tyler Ennis today confirmed his retirement from hockey at age 34, following a 15 year pro career with seven different teams, along with a pair of Gold medals won with Team Canada.
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🇨🇦 2025 World Junior Championship Schedule Released

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The schedule for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship has been released, with the tournament set to be held in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, Ontario, with the tournament returning to the city for the first time since 2009, and Canada’s twenty-first time hosting overall.
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🇺🇸 Johnny Gaudreau: 1993-2024

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Johnny Gaudreau, the American winger who dazzled NHL fans with his skill and talent despite his small stature, today was tragically announced dead at the age of 31 following a cycling accident involving a drunk driver in his home state of New Jersey, alongside his younger brother Matthew, aged 29.
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🇷🇺 Pavel Datsyuk Officially Announces Retirement Following Hall Induction

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Just a day after being announced as an inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame this November, Russian forward Pavel Datsyuk, who has been prevented by injury from playing since 2021, officially announced his retirement from the game at age 45.
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Hockey Hall Of Fame Announces Class Of 2024

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The Hockey Hall Of Fame today announced the newest members that will join as the Class of 2024 on 11 November, with Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick and Shea Weber representing the male players, while Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell become the first pair of women to be inducted in the same year since 2010, all to join the ranks of the Hall in Toronto.
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🇫🇮 Jarkko Immonen Retires From Hockey At Age 42

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Finnish centre Jarkko Immonen, whose pro career spanned over two decades across eight pro teams in four countries, today announced his retirement from the sport at age 42, following the conclusion of the 2023-24 Finnish Liiga season.
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🇨🇿 Jakub Voráček Confirms Retirement, Shift To Coaching

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Czech winger Jakub Voráček, sidelined by injuries for the last two seasons after a decorated fourteen season career both in the NHL and with the national team, today announced his formal retirement from hockey at age 34, opting instead to join his hometown club Rytíři Kladno in a coaching position. Continue reading →

🇨🇦 Jeff Carter Confirms Retirement Following End Of Penguins Season

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Mainstay NHL centre Jeff Carter announced, following the official elimination of his Pittsburgh Penguins from NHL playoff contention, that he would be retiring from the game at the age of 39, wrapping up a nearly two-decade career highlighted with two Stanley Cups and an Olympic title. Continue reading →

🇨🇦 Wayne Simmonds Announces Retirement From Hockey

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The “Wayne Train” has made its final stop, as Canadian bruiser Wayne Simmonds, whose fifteen season pro career spanned six teams in two countries, along with three stints on Team Canada, drew to a close, with recurring injuries forcing the 35 year old to hang it up after remaining a free agent for the current NHL season, signing a one-day contract to retire as a Philadelphia Flyer.
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IIHF Hall Of Fame Announces 2024 Inductees

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The IIHF has announced the Hall Of Fame Class of 2024, to be inducted at May’s World Championships in Prague, with five different nationalities highlighting the class, including a trio of native Czechoslovak legends heading the class.
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IHLC Results – 🇺🇸 United States 6-2 Sweden 🇸🇪 – 05 Jan 2024

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🇺🇸 United States 6-2 Sweden 🇸🇪
World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game
Scandinavium, Gothenburg 🇸🇪
Friday, 05 January 2024

The United States made the most of their chances and skated to an almost flawless 6-2 victory over Sweden to capture their sixth all-time Gold medal. They won their first in 2004 and most recent one in 2021, and have won those six in a 21-year span.
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IHLC Results – 🇺🇸 United States 3-2 Finland 🇫🇮 – 04 Jan 2024

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🇺🇸 United States 3-2 Finland 🇫🇮
World Junior Championship Semifinal
Scandinavium, Gothenburg 🇸🇪
Thursday, 04 January 2024

Cutter Gauthier’s late power-play goal gave the United States a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Finland to earn the team a spot in the Gold medal game tomorrow night against hosts Sweden.
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