Canada faces the United States in the gold medal game at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

Few know the feeling better than former Ontario Junior Hockey League star Andrew Cogliano.

The speedster from Vaughan, who played two starry seasons (2003-05) with Toronto’s St. Michael’s Buzzers, won gold twice at the World Juniors.

Cogliano became the 348th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000 regular-season games played-mark in February

He was the OJHL’s leading scorer in 2004-05, with 102 points (36 goals/66 assists) for the league champion Buzzers. Cogliano was selected by the Edmonton Oilers, 25th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Cogliano then moved to the NCAA and played two years for the University of Michigan Wolverines.

Now 33, Cogliano has played in the NHL for Edmonton, Anaheim and Dallas. He’s in camp with the Stars this week in preparation for next week’s start of the NHL season next week.

Cogliano shared his World Juniors memories with nhl.com in 2010:

"Winning," Cogliano said with a smile. "That’s what it was all about for us. I had the chance to play in Vancouver and Sweden and win two golds with Canada. It's a good tournament, I had a lot of fun doing it, and Canada always puts on a good show."

Although Cogliano was already developing a dynamic set of offensive tools before joining Team Canada in 2006, the annual event happened to provide him with an even greater opportunity to shine and refine his skills.

The 2006 tournament was played back in Canada for the first time in three years, which came to the delight of the masses that cheered on the Canadians from start to finish at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Cogliano recalled the memories of the surreal atmosphere provided by the sell-out crowds.

"Incredible," Cogliano said of the fan support. "Our year in Vancouver, that was the first year it was held in Canada in a while. Just the excitement and the energy in the building -- and the city, too. It was simply incredible. That was something I'll never forget. I had a great time, won gold, and obviously made life-long friends playing in that tournament."

While Cogliano certainly refined his offensive game at the 2006 event, as he recorded five points in six games and was counted on as one of the team's leaders in that regard, it was his play at both ends of the rink that saw the most improvement.

Coach Brent Sutter brought a unique brand of coaching to Team Canada’s game that relied heavily on a defensive system that has helped Cogliano establish his reliable two-way game.

According to Cogliano, it was a byproduct of excellent coaching and the makeup of the team’s roster.

"He's a very hard-nosed coach; preached defence. We had a team where we didn't have a lot of superstars. We had a lot of skill, but tough and hard-nosed guys who played defensively and played hard."

"We got the job done. At the end of the day, Brent needed to get the done job and in those kind of tournaments it doesn't really matter how you do it, you have to win. We did a good job of doing that."

With one gold medal secured in 2006, Cogliano returned to Team Canada in 2007 to help Canada capture the prize once again. This time, the event was held in Mora and Leksand, Sweden, where Cogliano says his greatest hockey memory was recorded.

"Probably the biggest memory was beating the States in the shootout in Sweden. That was one of the highs of my career for sure. It would be pretty difficult to top that moment."

So much has been made of the close-knit relationship between Canadian players following the two-week experience. Particularly when the squad comes away victorious, the opportunity to share memories with friends and teammates has been one of the greatest outcomes for Cogliano as he reflects back on his time with national club.

“You create life-long friends playing in that tournament. It was hell of a run playing in Sweden and Vancouver and playing against the best players in the world. It definitely creates a lasting bond."