LEKSAND, SWE – For the third consecutive year, Canada has won the IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring a 4-2 win over Russia in Friday’s gold medal game. With the gold medal, Canada has now won a medal at nine consecutive World Junior Championships (three gold, four silver, two bronze), breaking a record it previously shared with the Soviet Union.

The gold medal is Canada’s 13th at the World Junior Championship, and first on European soil since a 1997 triumph in Geneva, SUI. The 13 gold medals are the second-most ever at the event, just one behind Russia, formerly the Soviet Union, who have won 14.

Andrew Cogliano (Woodbridge, ON), Bryan Little (Cambridge, ON) and Jonathan Toews (Winnipeg, MB) scored first period goals and Brad Marchand (Hammonds Plains, NS) added a second period tally as Canada jumped out to a 4-0 lead on their way to the gold medal. Carey Price (Williams Lake, BC) made 25 saves in picking up his sixth win of the tournament.

Price and Toews were joined by team captain Kristopher Letang (Ste-Julie, QC) on the tournament all-star team, while Price was named Top Goaltender and Tournament MVP by the IIHF Directorate.

Canada has now run their winning streak at the IIHF World Junior Championship to 18 games, which ties the all-time Canadian record set between 19.

Canada’s National Junior Team players and staff will be returning to Canada on Saturday, January 6th. .

Check out www.hockeycanada.ca for more information on the National Junior Team, Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence and other Hockey Canada programs.