• Powered by Roundtable
    Ken Campbell
    Dec 22, 2025, 23:06
    Updated at: Dec 22, 2025, 23:36

    Connor McDavid's Canadians beating Jack Eichel's Americans for gold is part of the 41st-to-50th top moments in World Junior Championship history as it turns 50. Watch Ken Campbell's video columns this week for the full reveal.

    As someone who has covered a dozen World Junior Championships and watched almost all the others on television, I can agree that the event has provided hockey fans with innumerable memories over the years.

    Here are my top 50, in recognition that the 2026 tournament in Minnesota will be the 50th of this great event.

    Starting today, I'll provide 10 memories per day leading up to the tournament opener on Boxing Day. Watch the video for the full explanation of each moment.

    Here are Nos. 41 through 50. Watch the video for more, and let us know what you think.

    50. 2002: Belarus and France face off in a 17-round shootout in the relegation round

    49. 2010: Nino Niederreiter scores equalizer and overtime-winner against Russia in quarterfinal

    48. 2017: Nico Hischier scores twice to scare Team USA in quarterfinal

    47. 1995: Ukraine shocks Team USA, which starts the momentum for the U.S. NTDP

    46. 1998: Maxim Afinogenov scores overtime-winner in quarterfinal to knock out Canada

    45. 1994: Jamie Storr stands on his head as Canada wins gold over Sweden

    44. 1985: Canada captures gold over Soviets after tying Dominik Hasek's Czechoslovakians

    43. 1990: Canada wins gold after beating the Soviets and Jaromir Jagr's Czechoslovakians

    42. 2015: Connor McDavid wins showdown against Jack Eichel to win gold on home soil

    41. 2008: Matt Halischuk scores in OT to beat Sweden for gold


    Image

    For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.