For the second time since 2018, a North Bay area goaltender is coming home with a World Junior Hockey Championship gold.
Ben Gaudreau, from Corbeil, received his gold medal after Canada edged Czechia 3-2 in overtime Thursday night in Halifax in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship final.
"It's unreal, a dream come true," Gaudreau told BayToday via text.
Gaudreau follows in the footsteps of Edmonton Oilers prospect Colton Point who captured gold with Team Canada in 2018.
"I am super happy for Ben and what he’s been able to achieve over the past couple of years," Point told BayToday.
"I was really excited to see him get a win and a shutout. It’s awesome that he’s able to bring another gold medal to the north."
Point recalls the day he shared the gold medal with North Bay hockey fans at Chippewa Secondary School in June of 2018. That day Ben and his dad Robert were two of the first visitors to check out his gold medal.
Now Ben has his own IIHF World Junior Gold to accompany his IIHF Under-18 gold he captured with Team Canada in Texas in the summer of 2021 in a performance the helped him get selected by the San Jose Sharks in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Gaudreau was not the starter in the gold medal contest as teammate Thomas Milic was solid in all his starts for Team Canada at the tournament including Thursday's OT golden win.
Robert Gaudreau, who was at the game, was amazed at the experience of watching his son win a gold medal in front of a packed house at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
"That was an incredible win," Robert Gaudreau told BayToday via text.
"I knew we had it 3 on 3."
See related: Tough start for Gaudreau and Canada in loss to Czechia
See related: Gaudreau gets shutout in one sided win over Austria
See related: The 2023 World Juniors through the eyes of a goalie dad
Ben Gaudreau got to play during two round robin games during the tournament.
Gaudreau was pulled in the second period of the Boxing Day opener against Czechia after allowing 5 goals on 17 shots in that contest as Canada fell 5-2.
Gaudreau, who plays for the OHL's Sarnia Sting, did some redemption a few nights later. The former North Bay AAA Trapper did not have a lot of work but was able to make 12 saves in a convincing 11-0 shutout win for Team Canada over Austria on December 30.
Gaudreau also became the second North Bay area goalie to have a shutout at the World Juniors joining Colton Point who had a 6-0 win over Slovakia at the 2018 event in Buffalo.
Scott Huycke, Trappers AAA Hockey Association president, is thrilled to see another Trapper (like Colton Point) win World Junior gold.
"That is such a great accomplishment for Ben and his teammates," said Huycke.
"He is a role model for young hockey players in the North Bay area hockey associations. He is someone to look up to and hopefully, another young North Bay player will follow in his golden footsteps."
