 Sakic 's first successful professional tournament was the 1994 World Championships , where Canada won its first gold medal in the tournament since 1961 . Sakic 's seven points in eight games were a crucial part of the team 's success . During the 1996 World Cup of Hockey , he played only a minor role in Canada 's second @-@ place finish as he scored one goal and two assists in six games . However , the tournament allowed him to showcase that he was indeed a dominant player who had simply been overlooked . 
