Delirious Jordin Tootoo fans, young and old, piled into Iqaluit’s Astro theatre and kept their eyes fixed on their hero during the gold medal game between Team Canada and Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax on Jan. 5. Russia defeated Canada 3-2.

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(PHOTO BY KIRSTEN MURPHY)

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Feisty Team Canada settles for silver

Living rooms throughout Nunavut were packed with hockey fans on Jan. 5 as Team Canada went head-to-head with Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax.

Many Iqaluit hockey fans gathered at the Astro Theatre in Iqaluit, where they munched on popcorn and cheered on crowd favorite, Jordin Tootoo, number 22, of Rankin Inlet.

Despite Canada’s best efforts, the junior Canadians lost to Russia 3-2 and went home with a respectable silver medal.

Although Tootoo had several scoring chances, the Russian goalkeeper turned him away. But he played his heart out, thrilling fans with his crunching body checks and tenacious forechecking.