Metaphorically speaking, the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa has big skates to fill. That’s because anyone who attended the previous World Juniors in the Canadian capital in 2009 can tell you what a memorable experience it was.

For fans of the red Maple Leaf, the icing on the cake was naturally Canada’s 5-1 win over Sweden in the 5 January gold medal game in front of 20,380 exuberant fans. That capped off a run of five consecutive gold medals for the host nation, tying the previous record (1993-97) also set by Canada.

However, there are plenty of other memories to choose from – some unquestionable highlights, others not quite as much fun, depending on which team you cheer for. Let’s take a quick look back at seven memories from Ottawa 2009.

1) Future Hall of Fame candidates on display

Several U20 players who appeared in the 2009 final have become household names. On Canadian head coach Pat Quinn’s roster, you think immediately of Toronto Maple Leafs star John Tavares, a 2014 Olympic gold medalist with four Worlds under his belt. He currently ranks 78th in all-time NHL scoring. Jamie Benn, the 2015 NHL scoring champ with the Dallas Stars, and P.K. Subban, the 2013 Norris Trophy winner with the Montreal Canadiens, also joined Tavares on that Olympic squad.

The Swedish blue line featured two surefire Hall of Famers in future Norris Trophy winners Erik Karlsson (2012, 2015, 2023), now with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning (2018).

2) Blowouts aplenty

For many years, women’s hockey would get criticized for lopsided scores like Canada’s 18-0 rout of Slovakia at the 2010 Olympics – unfairly so during a developmental phase for the sport. But objectively, the men’s game has its share of blowouts too. The ‘09 World Juniors underlined that point.

In all, 14 of the 31 games in Ottawa were decided by a gap of five goals or more. The single biggest blowout was Canada’s 15-0 romp over winless Kazakhstan. Tournament scoring champ Cody Hodgson led the way with two goals and four assists. 

3) A Canada-U.S. New Year’s Eve classic

Unsurprisingly, tickets for this year’s 31 December clash between the North American archrivals at the Canadian Tire Centre are sold out. It’s always a hot ticket, but surely memories of Canada’s thrilling 7-4 New Year’s Eve win from the 2009 tournament have made this matchup even more desirable.

The Americans roared out to a 3-0 lead in under 13 minutes, but a pair of Tavares goals – including a spectacular cutting-to-the-net play off right wing – and a single from Jordan Eberle drew Canada even before the first buzzer. The teams went back and forth in the middle frame, with Hodgson potting the eventual go-ahead goal and Canadian goalie Dustin Tokarski robbing the U.S.’s Colin Wilson with a lunging glove stop.

Tavares completed his hat trick with a last-minute empty-net goal and Tyler Ennis added some insurance. It was a true special teams battle, as the teams combined for six power play goals, with two by the U.S. and four by Canada.

4) Slovakia’s mind-blowing upset

Heading into the 2009 quarter-finals, Slovakia hadn’t beaten the Americans in World Junior action since 1998. Pundits and fans alike figured coach Ron Rolston’s squad – featuring the likes of James van Riemsdyk, Ryan McDonagh, and Kevin Shattenkirk – would advance without too much difficulty.

However, the Slovaks had good momentum after a 3-2 shootout win over Finland on New Year’s Eve. And goalie Jaroslav Janus played the game of his life. He recorded 44 saves, and Tomas Tatar paced the underdogs offensively with two goals in a massive 5-3 upset. The U.S. settled for a disappointing fifth-place finish, while Slovakia wound up fourth with a 5-2 bronze medal game loss to the Russians.

5) Most exciting semi-final ever?

The semi-final showdown between the Canadians and Russians was as back-and-forth as international hockey gets. Canada took the lead no fewer than four times, but saw their opponents tie it up every time. Forward Dmitri Klopov made it 5-4 with 2:20 left in the third period, but then iced the puck as he tried for a last-minute empty-netter. Off the ensuing faceoff, Tavares found Eberle in front of the Russian net, and he slipped home a backhand amid general ecstasy

For many Canadian fans, TSN broadcaster Gord Miller’s call of Eberle’s equalizer with 5.4 seconds left – “Can you believe it?” – remains the signature moment of the 2009 tournament. The Regina Pats ace would add the 6-5 shootout winner to send the hosts to the final against Sweden.

"You have 20,000 Canadians standing up watching every [shootout attempt], and you can’t really watch on the bench,” Tavares said.“Guys had their heads down or were holding each other, praying for pucks to go in and pucks to stay out.”

6) Remarkable records

In their 15-0 shellacking of Kazakhstan, the Canadians established a new World Junior record with eight power play goals. At the 2010 tournament in Saskatchewan, the Finns would match that mark when they hammered Austria 10-1.

In the not-so-laudable category, defenceman David Stich, who wore the “C” for both the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and the Czech World Junior team that season, set the single-game penalty minutes record (52). It came in a 3-2 overtime loss to the U.S. in the 2009 fifth-place game. Stich amassed 50 of those minutes in a third-period altercation with Teddy Ruth, including a roughing minor, a game misconduct, and a match penalty.

7) Amazing attendance

Ottawa is hungry for championship hockey. The old-school Ottawa Senators won their last Stanley Cup in 1927 and the Ottawa 67s last earned major junior hockey supremacy with the 1999 Memorial Cup. So it’s no wonder that local citizens, as well as out-of-town fans, showed up in droves in 2009 to enjoy Canada’s run to World Junior gold.

An all-time attendance record of 453,282 was set, with an average of 14,622 fans per game at the two venues. It’ll be exciting to see how many spectators pack the Canadian Tire Centre and TD Place Arena for the 2025 World Juniors.