Literally the day before we complained that there was almost no intrigue at the World Championships. A few unexpected results and uninspiring quarter-finals doubles. Not like in Russia! I wanted to believe that with the participation of our team and in the group stage, one of the close tops will be left in the playoffs, and there will be another sound signal in the knockout matches. But Russia also has a few guaranteed stars in the championship. Even the head of the IIHF took part in it.

“The absence of such a big country does not benefit such big tournaments. That’s why I’m always ready and doing everything to keep in touch with the federations. I want to congratulate my friend Vladislav Tretiak on his anniversary, this is a wonderful phenomenon in world hockey. We plan to work on this plan, stay in touch, and be ready to bring the whole hockey family together when things get better.”said Luc Tardif.

Who will benefit from Russia’s suspension from the World Cup? Canada, lucky stars according to student tradition, and the United States

And right after that the main battle of this championship took place! Officially, the third team of group A lost to the winner of group B. The real hockey powers of both Sweden and Canada are the blocks of the puck game. However, the Canadians’ current world champion status and the squad they went to Finland practically prevented the tournament from ending so quickly. But the “maple” was on the brink of the abyss. The hockey founders last set off this early in 2014 in Minsk, where Oleg Znarok won Russia the title.

What happened in this quarter-finals?

Someone suspects something is wrong with these Canadians, it may have appeared in the first game. Then they left the game at 5:1 and let the Germans get back to intrigue. Here, however, he can pay tribute to the opponent who cleverly converts the majority. But the Canadians who met the Swiss did not backfire. The “European Canadians” beat the original Canadians, scoring six goals in three. In the end, the Swiss won the group. But the Danish defeat was alarmingly embarrassing for Canada. “Maple” lost to them for the first time in their history.

A glorious sensation at the World Cup – this has never happened before! Canada lost toothlessly to humble Denmark

If the misfire in the match against Denmark has become historic for Canada, they have lost to the Swedes and more than once. The last time was at the Olympics a few months ago. Then, missing the start of the Games in Beijing, the team of Claude Julien failed to score against the wards of Yukhan Garpenlev. Lukas Wallmark of CSKA scored the winning goal. Wallmark came to the championship and broke all ties with the “army team”, in one of the moments when he did not score into an empty net, and the Canadians still broke the Swedish goalkeeper.

The rest of the Canadians walked along the neatly placed rake. Their biggest problem during the tournament was that they started the games badly. From the first minutes they looked like “sleepy flies”, not “caged gorillas” that swept everyone and everything. They ate the first puck from the Swedes at 1:27 and already in the middle of the kick-off period began to “burn” two goals. Another former soldier, Joakim Nordström blocked the shot, and Tre Kronur main star William Nylander underwent a one-on-one transformation.

Before the tournament, some experts stated that the weak side of this Canada was the goalkeepers. At the decisive moment, Seattle’s second number one Chris Dredger might not have been helpful, but he certainly wasn’t wrong. The first goal was a one-on-one shot, the second was an exact replica of Nylander, and the Canadians finished by putting a stick on a nickel. It is almost impossible to remove such a tab. The outfielders did not help this man in goal.

In the third period, Julien’s guards still looked up. They opened a goal and when the Swedes eventually retired through the efforts of child prodigy Dalin, the Canadians removed the goalkeeper. Pierre-Luc Dubois minimized the gap in the 6×4 arrangement. Overtime for Canada was two minutes and a one-shot distance. And it wasn’t just someone who shot that shot, it was Matthew Barzal! The main star of this squad of Canadians, who failed in the championship and could not hit the door with the Swedes until the quarter-finals. And it did so when it was needed most.

In such crazy feelings, the Canadians wouldn’t have stood there when they were scoring two goals with empty nets. The wave that began to envelop the Swedes would inevitably sink Tre Krunur as well. But instead of holding onto the last one, Nylander dug another hole in this ship with his own hands. His dismissal at 25 seconds of overtime signed Sweden’s decision. Drake Baterson scored the winning goal, which also included Barzal. The happiness of the young striker, who came to the World Cup for the first time, knew no bounds. And the Swedes have made it clear once again that the stereotype of “spineless” and “soft-bodied” about them is not just a stereotype.