The World Junior Hockey Championship

Beginning in late December every year, the International Ice Hockey Federation holds its under-20 competition for team from around the world. The competition doesn’t wrap until the beginning of January, and in the interim, winners, losers and champions are decided.

The tournament has grown in both competitors and prestige since its inaugural competition in the winter of 1977 – so much so that it has become one of the premier events on the Canadian sports calendar – where hockey may as well be played in churches, people are so religious about it. As the games are frequently held in Canada, the event makes for a nice taste of North American hockey culture, and can be easy to get to, and very often sold out.

Just because the players are young doesn’t mean the competition isn’t fierce – the hottest rivalry seems to be that of Russia and Canada. Game ending, bench-clearing brawls have occurred, and the matches always seem to have their feisty meters on high.