World U-17 Hockey Challenge | |
Organizer: | Hockey Canada |
---|---|
Sport: | Ice hockey |
Last event: | 2011, Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Next event: | 2012, Windsor, Ontario |
Current champion: | Canada Team Ontario U-17 |
The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011,[NB 1] the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. As such, the World Under-17 Challenge was held three out of every four years. It is organized by Hockey Canada and is the first major international competition for male hockey players under the age of 17. The tournament is the first step in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence and is used to identify players moving on to the U18 and National Junior Team.
Contents |
The inaugural World Under-17 Hockey Challenge took place in Quebec as the 1986 Quebec Esso Cup. At the time, it was considered the unofficial world championship of midget hockey. It was also used as a development tool for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association to identify players for further development as well as expose them to their first taste of international competition. The tournament was among ten teams, five regional teams from Canada, Finland, Czechoslovakia, U.S.A., Sweden, and the U.S.S.R. Team Quebec, led by future NHL first overall pick Pierre Turgeon captured gold by defeating the Soviets, who featured the likes of Sergei Fedorov and Alexander Mogilny.
The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge has continued to grow over the years to the point where it is perhaps the largest annual event on Hockey Canada's calendar. The tournament is not an official World Championship, as it organized entirely by Hockey Canada. The IIHF holds the World Under-18 Championships each April.
The tournament is typically held over the Christmas break at the same time as the Under-20 World Junior Hockey Championships. As such, Sidney Crosby, who would have been slated to participate in the 2004 Championships did not take part having been selected to Canada's National Junior team at the time.
The 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge was held in Winnipeg, and Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The majority of games were played at the new MTS Iceplex in Winnipeg and PCU Centre in Portage la Prairie. The championship game was held on January 4 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, with Team Ontario defeating the United States 5-3 in front of a record crowd of 12,060.[1]
Canada enters five regional teams from across the country. These teams are:
Other participating nations have included:
Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Medals |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada Ontario | 8 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
United States | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
Canada Quebec | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
Russia Soviet Union |
1 1 2 |
0 1 1 |
0 1 1 |
1 3 4 |
Canada West | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Finland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Canada Pacific | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
Sweden | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Czech Republic Czechoslovakia |
0 0 0 |
1 0 1 |
1 1 2 |
2 1 3 |
Canada Atlantic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|