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The presents have been opened, the cartons of egg nog drained and the annoying (er, loving) relatives sent on their way.

If it’s still the most wonderful time of the year in your house, it might be because the world junior hockey championship is about to begin.

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For the majority of Maple Leafs, there are fond memories of the event, even if the tournament didn’t end the way they would have liked.

No less than 18 of the players on the Leafs’ 23-man roster represented their country in the event. Coach Mike Babcock was behind the bench for Canada in 1997 when the country won gold for the fifth consecutive year.

For the Leafs who played in the world junior, their experiences varied from winning gold to disappointing finishes to simply being happy to be part of the event. Despite the differences, the memories linger.

Frederik Andersen, 2008, Denmark

Photo by Ernest Doroszuk / Toronto Sun

Andersen was part of the Denmark team that finished 10th in the Czech Republic, and even now, the goaltender cringes at his stats: An .854 save percentage in four games.