Canadian national ice hockey teams had struggled leading up to 1999, and there was a general panic in Canada. The Canada men's national ice hockey team placed fourth at the 1998 Winter Olympics and sixth at the 1998 IIHF World Championship. The Canada women's national ice hockey team lost the gold medal game at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team placed eighth in at the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.