Golden Memories – 1988
From Russia with Gold
By Aaron Bell
Canada’s national junior team arrived in Moscow, Russia in December 1987 looking for gold as always, but also looking for a little revenge against the home team.
The previous year in Piestany, Czechoslovakia, the Canadians were leading Russia 4-2 in the second period and on their way to clinching their third World Junior gold medal when a pair of Russians left their bench to join an on-ice altercation. Both benches emptied for an ugly brawl that left both teams disqualified from the tournament.
The disqualification gave Canada a seventh place finish in 1987 and a much tougher schedule for the tournament in 1988. Instead of a warm up against the weaker teams, Canada opened the tournament on Boxing Day against Sweden, followed by Czechoslovakia, Finland and the United States before the rematch with the Soviet Union on New Year’s Day.
The schedule didn’t allow much time for Canada to develop their team chemistry or defensive strategies. Coach Dave Simpson, who previously coached in the OHL with the Toronto Marlboros, was blessed with an outstanding group of players, but he wanted to ensure that they played a strong game at both ends of the rink.
“Our big job is convince some lads who are big scorers with good offensive skills that there’s another very important side to the game,” Simpson said after the team arrived in Moscow.
Strong Opening
The Canadian forwards did their job at both ends of the rink in the opener against Sweden on Boxing Day. Rob Dimaio (Medicine Hat – WHL) and Rob Brown, who was released from the Pittsburgh Penguins for the tournament, scored first period goals and Dan Currie of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds added a third period powerplay marker to pace Canada to a 4-2 win.
Windsor Spitfires’ star Adam Graves, who started the season with the Detroit Red Wings, scored a short handed marker in the third period that proved to be the winner as Canada doubled Czechoslovakia 4-2 in their second game.
Canada’s next game was against Finland, who inherited the gold medal the previous year in Czechoslovakia. Jody Hull of the Peterborough Petes and Currie, with his second of the tournament, scored as Canada escaped with a 4-4 tie despite being outshot 15-4 in the third period and 35-17 in the game.
The Canadians enjoyed an off day before meeting the U.S.A., who lost to Poland in the tournament opener before rebounding with a win over West Germany. The Americans boasted a future NHL All-Star line of Mike Modano, John LeClair and Jeremy Roenick, but were coming off a 7-3 loss to the Russians.
Currie scored Canada’s first goal and assisted on another 12 seconds into the second period as Canada edged the Americans 5-4.
Rematch with Russia
Canada had three games remaining in the tournament, but they all believed that their game against Russia on New Year’s Day was for the gold medal.
“Tomorrow we play the biggest game of our lives,” said defenceman Greg Hawgood (Kamloops – WHL) on New Year’s Eve. Hawgood was one of four returning players from the team that was disqualified the year before. “It’s been difficult, maybe even impossible, to get the Russians out of our minds for a minute.”
Canadian captain Theoren Fleury (Moose Jaw – WHL) also held ill feelings about the Russians from the year before. “I’ve been waiting a year for this chance and I have no feelings of trying to get even for the brawl. I want to beat them very badly so we can get the medal we didn’t get a year ago.”
Fleury opened the scoring on a first period powerplay before Trevor Linden (Medicine Hat – WHL) gave Canada a 2-0 lead that they took into the first intermission.
The teams exchanged powerplay goals in the second period before Valery Zelepukin pulled the Russians to within one goal with 7:47 left in the period.
The Russians threw everything they had at the Canadian net in the third period, outshooting Canada 17-4, but couldn’t put the tying goal past goaltender Jimmy Waite (Chicoutimi – QMJHL). The Russian dynamic duo of Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov were held scoreless in the game, which left Canada as the only undefeated team (3-0-1) in the tournament.
Coasting to the gold
Canada had a day off following the win over Russia and then cruised by Germany 8-1 on January 3. Graves scored three times and Currie added a single and an assist. Canada needed a win against Poland, who had just one win in the tournament, in the opener against the U.S.A., to clinch the gold medal.
Graves wasn’t worried that the Canadians would suffer the same collapse against Poland that their North American neighbors did.
“I think we might be hungrier tonight than we were for the game with the Russians,” Graves said before the finale. “The game with the Russians didn’t give us the gold medal, though it was such a big win that it seemed like it did – just a big chance to win the gold medal.”
The teams traded first period powerplay goals before Canada scored eight straight goals, including Graves’ fifth of the tournament, for a 9-1 win and their third World Junior gold medal.
Winning back respect
“Winning the world title just gives a big lift, not only to junior hockey, but to the entire country,” said Ed Chynoweth, then President of the CHL and Commissioner of the WHL. Chynoweth is now the owner of the Kootnay Ice, who won the Memorial Cup last May in Guelph.
“It shows that we have players of a good caliber who can compete with the best in the world and come out on top,” Chynoweth continued. “It shows all the critics (of junior hockey in Canada) that we are producing young men with character who can represent their country with class and sportsmanship.”
Joe Sakic (Swift Current – WHL), now the captain of the Colorado Avalanche, scored three goals in the tournament and felt that Canada’s ability to come together as a team in the short amount of time that they had to prepare for the tournament made them a tighter squad.
“That’s going to be the hard part, splitting up, because we’ve become a really close-knit group in a very short time,” Sakic said after the game against Poland. “From the time we gathered in Ottawa in mid-December for a little training camp, there was terrific camaraderie among the players.”
Tomorrow – 1990: Canada returns to Helsinki and returns to gold
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