Nyet, nyet Soviet: only dissolution could stop Soviet dominance of the World Juniors

The first official International Ice Hockey Federation under 20 hockey championship, aka the World Juniors, was held in 1977. Between that year and the final year of the Soviet Union’s existence in 1991, the country (or union of countries) won eight gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals. Outside of the 1987 tournament when the country was disqualified, alongside Canada, for the Punch Up in Piestany, the Soviet Union only failed to medal at one tournament, in 1982, when it placed fourth.

For 10 of the 15 years between 1977 and 1991, the tournament was held in a round robin format, where each team played each team once, with the team that finished with the most points winning gold, second most silver, etc. There was a five year period between 1978 and 1982 when the tournament started with two pools of four teams, and following a round robin format, the top two teams from each pool joined in a championship pool, where the the top three teams in that pool won medals following an additional round robin. To give you an idea of their sheer dominance, here are some statistics:

• Winning 81 out of 101 games played in the time period. In six tournaments they did not lose a game, and four times they had a perfect record. Only in three years did they lose more than one game in a single tournament.

• Averaging 44 goals per tournament, or 6.5 goals per game, while allowing only 17 goals per tournament, or 2.5 goals per game. The average goal differential per tournament was +27 goals.

• Crushing individual achievements, earning 25 nominations to the post tournament all-star team and winning the best defenceman awards seven times, best forward four times and best goalie three times.

649 - World Junior Tournament subset checklist

650 - Darius Kasparaitis

Defenceman Kasparaitis represented the Soviet Union at the 1991 WJC, winning silver. As part of the gold medal winning CIS team in 1992 he was named best defenceman, scoring six points in seven games. Born in Lithuania while it was still a member of the Soviet Union, Kasparaitis was part of the gold medal winning Unified Team at the 1992 Olympics, and represented Russia at three additional Olympic Games in 1998 (silver), 2002 (bronze) and 2006. He played in two World Championships (1992 and 1996) and the 1996 and 2004 World Cups. Kasparaitis was given a chance to represent Lithuania at 2018 Division 1B World Championships, winning gold.

The tough defencemen that played on the edge, and often over the edge, of clean play, was drafted fifth overall by the New York Islanders in 1992. He played 14 NHL seasons, totaling 863 games, 163 points and 1379 penalty minutes, second all-time for a Russian NHLer.

651 - Alexei Yashin

A centre, Yashin represented Russia at the 1993 WJC as well, totaling 5 goals and 7 points in 10 career tournament games. He was part of three Olympic teams, winning silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002. A staple of Russia’s World Championship teams, Yashin played in eight tournaments between 1994 and 2005, winning bronze in 2005 and leading the tournament in goals in 1999 with eight. He also played in the 1996 and 2004 World Cup of Hockey tournaments.

The enigmatic playmaker was drafted second overall by Ottawa in 1992, which at the time was the highest a Russian player had ever been drafted (eventually surpassed when Ilya Kovalchuk went first overall in 2001). He played 12 seasons, appearing in 850 games and scoring 781 points. Yashin played in three all-star games, and in 1999 was a second team all-star and runner up for the Hart Trophy.

652 - Nikolai Khabibulin

Goaltender Khabibulin represented at two World Juniors, in 1992 and 1993. Despite being one of the best Russian goalies of all-time, he did not often represent his country. The Bulin Wall was on the 1992 Unified Team for the Olympics, but did not appear in a single game. At the 2002 Olympics he was a key part of the bronze medal winning team, winning three games, posting a .930 save percentage and winning best goalie in the tournament. His final international appearance for Russia came at the 1996 World Cup.

Khabibulin was drafted 204th overall by Winnipeg in 1992. Over 18 NHL seasons he posted a 333-334-97 record, .907 save percentage and 2.72 goals against. Khabibulin played in four all-star games, won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004 and sits top three in most major statistical categories for Russian born NHL goalies.

653 - Denis Metlyuk

The 1992 WJC was the only time left winger Metlyuk represented Russia in international play, scoring five goals and seven points in seven games. He was drafted 31st overall by Philadelphia in 1992, and played two seasons in Hershey from 1993 to 1995 before returning to Russia for a lengthy pro career that ended in 2007.

654 - Konstantin Korotkov

Centre Korotkov was part of two World Junior entries, winning a silver medal in 1991 with the Soviet Union in their last tournament appearance. Overall he scored 14 points in 11 games in his world juniors tournament career.

Korotkov was drafted 177th overall by Hartford in 1992. He played his entire professional career in Russia from 1992 to 2004, save one season in Italy in 1997-98.

655 - Alexei Kovalev

A right winger, the 1992 wonrld juniors was the only time Kovalev played in the tournament, however he made an impact; scoring five goals and 10 points while being named to the tournament all-star team. He represented Russia many more times internationally, highlighted by three OIympics, winning gold in 1992, bronze in 2002 and captaining the 2006 team. Kovalev suited up at three World Championships (winning bronze and best forward at the 2005 edition) as well as the 1996 and 2004 World Cup tournaments.

Drafted 15th overall by the New York Rangers in 1991, he played 19 NHL seasons, appearing in 1316 games, scoring 430 goals and 1029 points. Kovalev played in three all-star games, was a second team all-star in 2008 and won a Stanley Cup with New York in 1994.