Team Canada is always a favourite at the World Junior Hockey Championship, but that doesn't mean other squads should be counted out. (DARREN MAKOWICHUK/QMI Agency)
With no gold medals in the past three years, the Canadian players realize it is not their right to win the top prize at the world junior every winter. The expectation is that Canada, host Russia and the U.S. will be in the hunt for medals. But counting Sweden and Finland out of that race would be foolish. A glance at the five contenders, plus a few notes on the other five nations competing in the 2013 world junior hockey championship.
