History
First held in 1977 (1974–1976 were not official tournaments) as a relatively obscure tournament, the WJHC has grown in prestige, particularly in Canada, where the tournament ranks as one of the most important events on the sports calendar. Globe and Mail writer Bruce Dowbiggan credis TSN for turing the tournament from an obscure non-event when it accuired the rights in 1991 (and which it remains in most hockey countries) to one of Canada's most beloved annual sports events, and at the same time cementing the link between Canadian nationalism and hockey, and inspiring the NHL's Winter Classic Sportsnet.ca writer Stephen Brunt calls the attention paid to the tournament in Canada "overkill", but says it is understandable given the nationalistic feelings its stirs and its excellent timing and marketing
Canada typically hosted the tournament every three to four years, consistently selling out Team Canada games, offering large profit guarantees to Hockey Canada. Canada is expected to host the tournament every second year starting in 2015 due to the significantly greater following the tournament has in Canada compared to other participating countries. Originally, Switzerland was selected to host the WJHC in 2010, but withdrew. Buffalo, New York, USA hosted the tournament in 2011.
The tournament has been dominated by the teams from Russia/Soviet Union/CIS and Canada, together accounting for 27 of the 33 overall gold medals awarded. The USSR won the first four official tournaments, while the Canadians put together five straight championships between 1993 and 1997, and another five straight from 2005 to 2009. Canada leads the all-time gold medal count with 15, while USSR/Russia lead the all-time overall medal count with 28. Head-to-head matches between these two countries are always much anticipated.
In addition to the domination of gold medals by these two countries, Canada, Russia (and its predecessors) are joined by the Czech Republic (and its predecessor Czechoslovakia), Finland, Sweden, and the United States in dominating the medals overall. Among them, these six nations have taken every medal in the history of the tournament with the exception of one bronze medal each for Switzerland and Slovakia.
The tournament offers one of the most prestigious stages for young hockey players, able to significantly boost a player's value for upcoming NHL Entry Drafts.
Read more about this topic: IIHF World U20 Championship
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