Hlinka Gretzky Cup

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup (also known as the U-18 Junior World Cup and formerly known as the the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, La Copa Mexico, Phoenix Cup, Pacific Cup and the Nations Cup) is an annual event held each August for national under-18 ice hockey teams from around the world. Held since 1991, it has been contested under various titles and in various countries, including Japan, Mexico, and Canada. From 1997 through 2017, hosting duties for the event alternated between, and were later split between, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. During this period, the event was known as the Nations Cup, the U-18 Junior World Cup, and Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. From 2018 through at least 2023, the tournament will alternate between Edmonton, Canada and Czech Republic/Slovakia.
The event is not sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which holds its own U-18 championship earlier in the year. As that event conflicts with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) playoffs, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is one of the few opportunities for Canada to compete with their strongest U-18 national team. Canada has subsequently been the most dominant team in the tournament, having won 22 times.
The tournament is a prominent pre-season showcase for National Hockey League (NHL) prospects; 17 players on Canada's winning team from 2017 were selected with first-round picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In the most recent tournament, 2022 Team Canada defeated Team Sweden to win the gold.https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2023/wm18/news/37950/canada_u18_wins_at_home#:~:text=Team%20Canada%20wrapped%20up%20a,summer%20under%2D18%20showcase%20tournament.
==History==
The tournament started in 1991, hosted by Japan for the first three years, as well as the fifth. In its first year, it was known as the Phoenix Cup, after which the Pacific Cup moniker was adopted (with the exception of 1994, when Mexico served as the host country and the tournament was known as La Copa Mexico). In 1996, the tournament was first held in Canada. Beginning in 1997, just four years after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia began alternating as hosts, and the tournament was renamed the Nations Cup. The two countries alternated until 2003, then co-hosted from 2003 through 2017. At this time, it was also renamed the U-18 Junior World Cup, but was subsequently renamed again to the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournement in 2007, three years after the death of Ivan Hlinka—one of the first prominent figures in Czech hockey.
Historically, the tournament has been dominated by Canada; over 27 years, the country has won 22 times and medalled in each year except 2003, 2007, and 2016. As the IIHF's official U18 world championships conflicts with playoffs in domestic competitions such as the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), this tournament is the only competition of the two to which Canada is able to send its best under-18 team.
In January 2018, Hockey Canada announced that the event had been renamed the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (additionally honouring Edmonton Oilers alumnus Wayne Gretzky), and that the 2018 edition would be hosted by Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, in association with Oilers Entertainment Group and the Czech and Slovak ice hockey federations. The tournament will alternate between Edmonton and Czech Republic/Slovakia annually through 2022.
==Results==
Year	Gold 	Silver 	Bronze 	Venue
1991	 	 	 	Sapporo / Yokohama
1992	 	 	 	Tokyo
1993	 	 	 	Yokohama
1994	 	 	 	Mexico City
1995	 	 	 	Yokohama
1996	 	 	 	Nelson / Castlegar, British Columbia
1997	 	 	 	Jihlava / Žďár nad Sázavou / Znojmo
1998	 	 	 	Bratislava
1999	 	 	 	Havlíčkův Brod / Třebíč / Znojmo
2000	 	 	 	Kežmarok
2001	 	 	 	Kolín / Mladá Boleslav / Nymburk
2002	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2003	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2004	 	 	 	Břeclav / Hodonín / Piešťany
2005	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2006	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2007	 	 	 	Hodonín / Piešťany
2008	 	 	 	Hodonín / Piešťany
2009	 	 	 	Břeclav / Hodonín / Piešťany
2010	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2011	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2012	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2013	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2014	 	 	 	Břeclav / Piešťany
2015	 	 	 	Břeclav / Bratislava
2016	 	 	 	Břeclav / Bratislava
2017	 	 	 	Břeclav / Bratislava
2018	 	 	 	Edmonton / Red Deer
2019	 	 	 	Břeclav and Piešťany
2020	Event cancelled on April 28, 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic	Event cancelled on April 28, 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic	Event cancelled on April 28, 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic	Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta
2021	 	 	 	Břeclav and Piešťany
2022	 	 	 	Red Deer
2023	 	 	 	Břeclav and Trenčín
==Medal leaders==
Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Medals
 	23 	3 	1 	27
/ 	5 	4 	9 	18
 	1 	9 	3 	13
 	1 	8 	4 	13
 	1 	4 	8 	13
 	0 	2 	3 	5
 	0 	1 	2 	3
 	0 	0 	1 	1
==External links==
*History from Hockey Canada
==References==
 
Category:Ice hockey tournaments
Category:International ice hockey competitions for junior teams
Category:Tournaments