Complex sentence: Prior to 1982 Canada had sent the defending Memorial Cup champions to represent the country at the world juniors, however because of the lack of success, 1982 became the first year that the top players in the country were sent.
Split into simpler sentences: Prior to 1982, Canada had sent the defending Memorial Cup champions to represent the country at the world juniors. However because of the lack of success, 1982 became the first year that the top players in the country were sent.