Ryan Leonard and Ryan Chesley won World Junior Championship gold with Team USA on Friday.
Leonard scored a highlight-reel goal to help seal the deal, his third of the tournament, while Chesley skated over 25 minutes of ice time on the team’s top defense pairing. Team USA won 6-2.
After the United States’ celebration concluded on the ice, the team headed back to their locker room where they did their powerful victory chant: OH MAMA DON’T YOU CRY.
OH MAMA DON’T YOU CRY 🇺🇸#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/xHykoc1Jb9
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 5, 2024
CHILLS.
Oh, mama don’t you cry. Oh, mama don’t you cry!
USA hockey is do or die. USA hockey is do or die!
Put a hockey stick in my hand. Put a hockey stick in my hand!
Send me off to a foreign land. Send me off to a foreign land!
Carl said I’d be a star. Carl said I’d be a star!
That I’d go very far. That I’d go very far!
Pour some Gatorade in my glass. Pour some Gatorade in my glass!
We just kicked your fooking a**! We just kicked your fooking a**!
Both Capitals prospects have now won World Junior medals in back-to-back years. Chesley secured a bronze at the 2023 U20 games while Leonard scored the gold-medal winning goal for the US in the 2023 U18 World Juniors.
Leonard finished with six points (3g, 3a) in the seven games while Chesley, one of the team’s main minute-eaters, tallied four points (1g, 3a). Chesley’s average of 21:01 time on ice per game ranked second on Team USA and 15th among all participating players with at least five games played.
Golden now, golden then.
Couple months older, wiser and golder for the ’05s at #WorldJuniors 😉🥇🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/kPMhXTOsSI
— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) January 5, 2024
The gold medal win is the US’ sixth all-time at the U20 tournament, pushing them up to sole possession of third on the all-time leaderboard behind just the Soviet Union (8) and Canada (20). Over their seven-game 2024 run, they outscored their opposition 45-15.
20 years later, still GOLDEN! 🇺🇸#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/JCnzoItUST
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 5, 2024
Team USA can return 11 players from the winning squad, including Leonard, next year for the 2025 tournament. They’re slated to be in a group with Canada after the Canadians crashed out in fifth this year.
Never gets old 🇺🇸🎶#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/WHSTCgN0Rw
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 5, 2024
Screenshot via @usahockey/X
