WJC History: 2004 - Helsinki, Finland

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Canada: 5 W - 0 T - 1 L, Silver Medal

For the third consecutive year, Canada let a lead slip away in the gold medal game, falling 4-3 to the Americans. It was the first ever gold medal for the United States.

Goaltending was expected to be a Canadian strength, but Marc-Andre Fleury did not have a great tournament. Al Montoya of the United States was named the tournament's top keeper after he outplayed Fleury in the final. The loss was particularly hard on Fleury, as he essentially scored the winning goal on himself after his clearing attempt hit a Canadian defender and bounced into the net with less than five minutes to play.

Fleury's untimely gaffe aside, blowing a 3-1 third period lead was a team effort, and the Americans deserved full marks for the win. Their team was well-prepared, and the core had also won gold at the Under-18 World Championship the year before.

On the plus side, Canada prepared many young players for the 2005 WJHC, including 16-year-old phenom Sidney Crosby. He became the youngest player ever to score in the tournament, and finished with five points.

Nigel Dawes led the tournament in scoring with six goals and eleven points. His linemate, Anthony Stewart, had five goals and eleven points. They did not make the all-star team, but Canada was represented by hard-hitting defenceman Dion Phaneuf and forward Jeff Carter, who scored five goals.

American Zach Parise was named MVP after putting up 11 points for Team USA.

Finland took the bronze medal for the third straight year, led by the tournament's top defender, Sami Lepisto. He had four goals and eight points. Valtteri Filppula joined him on the all-star squad.

For the most part, it was a two team tournament with Canada and the United States outclassing the field. The normally-strong Czechs and Russians did not fare well, despite the efforts of several star players. Alexander Ovechkin, however, appeared to solidify his status as the top prospect for the 2004 draft with five goals for the Russians. 

Team Canada Roster (GP - G - A - Pts)

Nigel Dawes (6 - 6 - 5 - 11)
Anthony Stewart (6 - 5 - 6 - 11)
Jeff Carter (6 - 5 - 2 - 7)
Ryan Getzlaf (6 - 3 - 3 - 6)
Brent Burns (6 - 0 - 6 - 6)
Mike Richards (6 - 2 - 3 - 5)
Jeff Tambellini (6 - 2 - 3 - 5)
Sidney Crosby (6 - 2 - 3 - 5)
Daniel Paille (6 - 4 - 0 - 4)
Dion Phaneuf (6 - 2 - 2 - 4)
Braydon Coburn (6 - 2 - 1 - 3)
Brent Seabrook (6 - 1 - 2 - 3)
Tim Brent (6 - 1 - 2 - 3)
Maxime Talbot (6 - 0 - 3 - 3)
Josh Gorges (6 - 0 - 3 - 3)
Shawn Belle (6 - 0 - 1 - 1)
Derek Meech (6 - 0 - 1 - 1)
Stephen Dixon (6 - 0 - 1 - 1)
Kevin Klein (6 - 0 - 0 - 0)
Jeremy Colliton (6 - 0 - 0 - 0) 

Team Canada Goaltending (W-L-T - GAA - SO)

Marc-Andre Fleury (4-1-0 - 1.81 - 1)
Josh Harding (1-0-0 - 0.00 - 1)