The world at Canada’s feet

From Vancouver to Sochi: Canada keep gold medal around the neck tops Sweden in a final battled just in the first period, played by Canadians defensively perfect, picking up all the Sweden mistakes. Tre Kronor, with the last-minute absence of top center Nicklas Backstrom, played a good first period but was touched by Crosby second goal and had many wrong passes when coming out from defensive zone. With gold in both men and women hockey, Canada confirms to be the leading nation in this sport, capturing 3rd gold medal of the 5 NHL Olympics, the first team to win back-to-back gold medals in men's ice hockey since the URSS in 1984 and 1988.

After an eve of controversy due to the appointment of three Canadian referees for the final, “It's kind of crappy joke. It's a comedy at the highest level” said legend Peter Forsberg, finally Canada and Sweden takes the ice for the last act of ice hockey tournament. Swedish media superstitiously remembered the last game for a gold medal at Olympics between two teams, in Lillehammer 1992, when Sweden took gold medal winning at SO, coach Par Marts mixes up the lines for the final, with Kruger-Ericsson-Hegelin in the first and Alfredsson-Berglund-Steen in the third, choosing a fourth line with an extra attacker with Daniel Sedin-Backstrom-Loui Eriksson and Nyquist. But in the warm-up Backstrom did not skate. His place in the lineup was taken by defenseman Henrik Tallinder. No surprise in Canada roster and in the goals with Henrik Lundqvist and Corey Price confirmed as starting goalies. Game has a great start: 58 seconds and Patrice Bergeron can write his name in the history, but Boston Bruins forward incredibly shots on Lundqvist a pass by Nash. Kromwall at 3 gets in Canadian defense taking advantage of a bad line chance, takes aim but shots on Price, wasting a good opportunity. At 5 Nyquist wraps around price and hits the post with puck dancing on the goal line. After a brief calm, at 10 Jay Bouwmeester calls Lindqvist at a difficult deflection with the pad and minutes after Karlsson shot on Price a deflection on a Edler pass. At 11 Bergeron ties the number of post hit the bar after a Lundqvist deflection. At 12.55 Canada opens the score with Jonathan Toews perfectly timed in deflecting under the legs of Lundqvist a pass by Jeff Carter. Toews touch is almost imperceptible but enough to deceive Swedish goalie. Canada takes the momentum and is dangerous again with Matt Duchene. Sweden survives a power play and finally reacts with Gabriel Landeskog, but Price is ready in deflecting the shot closing a brilliant period decided by an invention of Toews and Canada with down by a man for a penalty called to Kunitz.

The power play produces tentative by Alfredsson and Steen, both saved by Price. The game is now more tactical. Canada has a chance with Crosby – his shot is saved with difficulty by Lindqvist – and a bigger one with Perry on power play and Sweden with Loui Eriksson arriving late to deflect a long pass. In the middle of period Canada takes the control crushing Sweden in its defence and Lundqvist becomes a wall, denying Perry, Nash, Benn and Crosby the goal. Sweden is in difficult, missing elementary passes keeping afloat just for Lundqvist talent. But at 35.43 Swedish goalie has to stoop on a personal move of captain Sydney Crosby that steals a puck to Steen and dekes NY Rangers goalie for his first goal in the tournament.

Canada celebrating Sydney Crosby goal

Canada picks up where it left off in the second taking advantage of Swedish lapses to create good scoring chances, hitting again a post with Drew Doughty and not finalizing good chances with Perry, Carter and Nash before to nail Sweden’s coffin at 49:04 when Chirs Kunitz finds the third goal with a shot under the bar. The remaining nine minutes are just a waiting for the final celebration with Benn and Nash wasting another opportunities to swell the score, a too severe punishment for Sweden.

After the game is difficult to catch quotes from the players, but all Canadians praise the team work: as captain Sydney Crosby: "We played solid and we didn’t give anything up in the last few games - we played the way we needed to and it’s great to see everyone get rewarded. Our defence was solid, so good at skating their way out of trouble we didn’t have to play in our own end and, with the guys we have offensively, the more we can stay out of there the better chance we have of creating things. We’re really proud and we appreciate all the support, we know that there’s high expectations coming in and we’re glad that we could deliver."  and goalie Carey Price:  "This team was totally dedicated to keeping the puck out of our net and we really had a relentless work ethic. We did it, we’re so excited and looking forward to getting back home."

Rick Nash compares the two victories: "I think it's a different feeling. Vancouver was relief, playing on home soil was such a big deal to win gold and we did it. This time we came into one of the most hostile environments for a Canadian - into Russia, and to win a gold medal in Russia is pretty special for Canadians. Last time was a nail-biter and probably took a couple of years off my life, but this one was just as fun." 

Few words from the Swedish side, as expected:  Loui Eriksson: “When they get the lead Canada can play well defensively and they took advantage of our mistakes. We gave them too many good chances."

Henrik Tallinder, who replaced Nicklas Backstrom in the Sweden team hours before the game, said he doesn’t know what happened with teammate "It was something about an asthma medicine, that's all I know." he said

Daniel Alfredsson"It's a tough loss for us. I thought Canada played extremely well today and we didn't generate as much offence as we would have liked. They've got good depth, they've got four lines they had rolling. Our hope was that they would take some penalties and our power play would go to work. I thought we battled hard throughout this tournament, but we just couldn't get enough goals today."

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