While many local residents watched Team Canada capture the gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championship on television, it was an amazing experience for a Port Lambton couple and a Wallaceburg man to watch the game LIVE and in person.
Port Lambton’s Pete Johnston said is was a tremendous atmosphere leading up to the 5-4 Canada win over Russia on Monday, January 5.
“The atmosphere on semi-final day on Sunday (January 4), it was very electric,” said Johnston, who attended the tournament with his wife Ivy. “We were expected to win and the beers were flowing into a lot of people there. We were expecting a win, so it seemed a little looser on semi-final night.”
“Yesterday (at the gold medal game) was a little different vibe. I think people were nervous. We haven’t seen a gold medal in a few years. But once we got up 5-1, the place was absolutely crazy, and 5-2, 5-3, 5-4… she was dead silent.”
Johnson said in the third period of the championship, the Canadian fans rallied around the team.
“They played a great third period, shut them down and won the gold,” he said.
Johnston added the noise was deafening after the game.
“A lot of those fan haven’t seen a winner in a long time, many of them are Toronto Maple Leafs fans,” he said. “It was pretty wild. When the final buzzer went, I think a lot of people were still in shock that we did finally win and we held on. It was pretty nerve racking that is for sure.”
Johnston, whose son Brendan plays goalie for the Windsor Spitfires, said this was the fourth time we has watched the World Junior Championships LIVE.
“It never gets old, it’s the best hockey in the world,” said Johnston. “If I could do it every year, I would. I did make a trip to Sweden once, watched them win gold in Sweden with some friends. It never gets old to win the gold.”
Wallaceburg resident Eric Harvey was also in attendance at the ACC to watch Canada take gold.
“The atmosphere was just ecstatic,” he said. “On a scale of one to 10, it was 100. You go in and see all the Canada jerseys and you have a feeling who is going to win and the rivalry itself, Canada versus Russia, just the rivalry itself, it was ecstatic.”
Harvey said the game was a classic.
“With Canada being up 5-1, they looked good in the first period,” he said.
“In the second period they kind of went to sleep for about three and a half minutes and Russia scored those three goals. We were all holding our collective breaths and the 20 minutes went by in the third and Canada was celebrating gold. It is what we all went there for.”
Harvey said he’ll always remember the experience.
“It was something to live for and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and something I’ll look forward to again hopefully,” he said.
Here is a video captured by Ivy Johnston directly after the final buzzer:
Submitted photo: From left, Ivy and Pete Johnson.
