Yellow, blue
Story
For the first time, the Swedish hockey team could be seen in a match against Belgium. This was the first match for the Swedes, which took place on April 23, 1920. The Scandinavians held on to a confident victory – 8:0. Eight years later, the Swedish team won its first medal at the world championship. Let's remember exactly those world championships that were victorious for Swedish hockey players.
Sweden won its first gold in 1953, at the World Championships, which took place in Switzerland. The 20th championship was held in Zurich and Basel. Two tournaments were held: group “A” for the strongest teams, group “B” for teams of the second division. Group A consisted of only four teams: Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia. The tournament was held in a group stage format. Each team had to play two matches with each opponent. Since the Czechoslovak hockey players left the championship early (due to the death of the President of Czechoslovakia, Gottwald), all their results were declared invalid. In the absence of a strong opponent, the Swedish team easily won gold, winning all matches. Germany came second, and Switzerland third.
In 1957, in Moscow, Swedish hockey players became world champions for the second time. Teams from Sweden, the USSR, Finland, Japan, Poland, East Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia took part in the tournament. All teams played one match against each other. As a result, the Swedish team, with an asset of 13 points, took first place, winning 6 out of 7 matches (a 4:4 draw with the USSR team). The Soviet Union team took silver because it still had a draw with Czechoslovakia (2:2). Czechoslovakian hockey players tried on bronze. Sven Tumba-Johansson was named the best striker of the World Cup.
Five years later, in the USA, the team of Arne Strömberg and Per Bergsström won the third hockey world championship. The championship participants included: Sweden, Finland, Canada, USA, Norway, Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland. As in Moscow, each team played seven matches. Sweden became better, winning against all its rivals, including Canada and the USA (5:3 and 2:1, respectively). The fate of second and third places was played out in the match Canada - USA. The Canadians won with a score of 6:1. Swede Nils Nilsson was the top scorer with 12 goals. The symbolic team included goalkeeper Lennart Höggroth, as well as forwards Ulf Sterner and Nils Nilsson. Lennart Höggroth was also recognized as the best goalkeeper of the world championship, and Sven Tumba-Johansson - the best striker.
The Swedes had to wait 25 years for their next triumph at the World Cup. For a quarter of a century, the Swedish team could not win gold, while collecting an impressive amount of silver and bronze. But in 1987, in Vienna (Austria), the “curse” was overcome. The scheme of the tournament was already different. Eight teams (USSR, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Canada, Germany, USA, Finland and Switzerland) played one match each at the preliminary stage, and the four best teams already in the group tournament had to compete for championship awards among themselves. The top four included Canada, the USSR, Sweden and Czechoslovakia. Since previous victories were not counted, the Swedish team, having played twice in a draw with Czechoslovakia (3:3) and the USSR (2:2), and also defeating Canada (9:0), became the world champion. The Soviet Union, losing to the Swedes only on the difference of goals scored and conceded, became second. Third place was taken by another European – Czechoslovakians. Despite the victory, none of the Swedish hockey players were recognized.
In 1991 and 1992, the Swedish national ice hockey team dominated the World Championships. First, in Finland (the tournament layout is the same as in 1987), ahead of Canada and the USSR in the group tournament, they won one gold medal, and then, in Czechoslovakia, another gold medal, which became the sixth for the Swedes in the entire history of the hockey championships. At the world championship in Czechoslovakia, knockout matches were held for the first time. The Swedes, who at the preliminary stage were in the same group with Finland, Germany, the USA, Italy and Poland, took the last qualifying place there - 4th. But already at the playoff stage we saw a completely different Sweden. Having defeated Russia (2:0), the “debutants” of the world championships, in the quarterfinals, the Swedish hockey players did not experience any particular problems with the Swiss in the semifinals (4:1). In the final, the Swedes were accompanied by Finnish hockey players. The match turned out to be one-sided, and Sweden won with a score of 5:2. In the match for third place, the hockey players of Czechoslovakia won.
1998 The 62nd Ice Hockey World Championship is taking place in Switzerland, where the Swedish team becomes a seven-time world champion. Having won all the matches in the group without any problems, which, in addition to the Swedes, included the teams of Switzerland (4:2), USA (6:1) and France (6:1), in the second group round, the Swedes in turn defeated Finland (1:0 ), Belarus (2:1) and Canada (7:1). It was clear that no one could stop Sweden that year. With the same mood, in the semi-finals, in two matches, the hockey players of the Swedish national team defeated the Swiss national team (4:1 and 7:2). In the final two-game confrontation, the Finnish national team was defeated with great difficulty (1:0 and 0:0), while in six periods the audience saw only one goal.
At the 2006 World Championships in Riga (Latvia), Swedish hockey players won their eighth and so far last victory at the World Championships. As always, the Swedes began their quest for gold in the group stage. Sweden's opponents in the group were Ukraine, Italy and Switzerland. In the first two matches, the Swedes defeated the Ukrainians (4:2) and the Italians (4:0). In the last round, Sweden and Switzerland played to a fighting draw (4:4). Then, in the matches of the qualifying stage, the Swedish team was able to defeat Belarus (4:1), played a productive draw with Russia (3:3) and lost to the Slovak hockey players (2:5). As a result of these matches, the Swedes took second place in Group E and were scheduled to play the US team in the quarterfinals. This match was a cakewalk for the Tre Kronur hockey players, and the final result was 6:0. In the semi-final match, another North American team, Canada, was waiting for Sweden. A super interesting and productive match ended with a score of 5:4 in favor of the Scandinavians. Having gained confidence after two playoff matches, the Swedes left no chance for the Czech team in the final. The match was won after two periods, during which they were able to score four goals on the Czechs. The last period was goalless. The final siren recorded the score 4:0. Thus, Sweden became eight-time world champions. At the World Cup in 2011, the Swedish team reached the final and was considered the clear favorite in the match against Finland, but to everyone’s surprise, Tre Krunur lost miserably to Suomi with a score of 6:1. Actually, these two teams will host the upcoming world championship, and their confrontation will be especially interesting..
The 2012 World Championships took place in two countries at once: Sweden and Finland. Traditionally, something special is expected from the hosts of the championship, and this time the Finns and Swedes approached the tournament in such a form that they could well count on victory. This group event was almost painless for the Swedes. “Tre Kronur” suffered only one defeat, albeit from the Russian team, albeit with a score of 7-3. However, this guaranteed Per Morts' team access to the quarterfinals, where its opponent was the Czech Republic, which did not shine during the qualifying round. Almost no one doubted that Sweden would beat the Czech Republic, but in fact the hosts of the championship lost, and they lost offensively, conceding the decisive goal twenty-nine seconds before the end of the period.
As for Olympic history, the Swedes can boast of two gold medals, which they won in Lillehammer and Turin. took place in Sweden and Finland, and where else if not at home could the Swedes demonstrate their championship game, and even on the eve of the Olympic Games in Sochi? “Tre Kronur” were beyond all praise for the home World Cup and managed to win a brilliant victory at it! In the decisive match, Sweden defeated the Swiss team with a score of 5:1.
After a confident Olympics, the Swedes also performed well at the . In the group stage, Per Morts' team shared first place with the Canadians, but remained in second only based on the results of the head-to-head meeting, in which the Scandinavians lost to their opponents in overtime. In the quarterfinals, the Swedes barely beat the hosts of the tournament, the Belarusian team, but in the semifinals they ran into a Russian team that demolished everyone. That match will be remembered for a long time by the “thumbs on the throat” gesture of Russian head coach Oleg Znarok to one of his colleagues on the opposing team. The coach of the Russian national team was then disqualified, but the Swedes lost the semi-final match. But the Scandinavians managed to pull themselves together and beat the Czechs without any problems in the match for third place.
Per Morts again took the Swedish national team to the Czech Republic, and his team again took second place in the group, losing only to the excellent Canadian team, which brought one of the strongest teams in recent years to that tournament. In the quarterfinals, Morts' team had a great opportunity to take revenge on the Russians for their defeat in last year's semifinal, but the Scandinavians did not take advantage of this chance, losing with a score of 3:5.
Per Morts continued to coach the Swedish national team and it is he who will bring the team to the 2016 World Hockey Championship, which will be held in Russia. However, shortly before the tournament, it became known that at the end of the tournament the Swedes' coach would leave his post and either coach the Kontinental Hockey League club or end his career. There simply won’t be a “tre kronur” in Russia, but the Swedish team is traditionally one of the contenders for the highest places. The Swedes will play in Moscow, and the teams of Russia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Latvia, Norway, Denmark, and Kazakhstan will oppose the squad of 63-year-old Morts.
Awards and achievements
World Champion (9): 1953, 1957, 1962, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2006, 2013
World Cup silver medals (17): 1947, 1951, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2011
World Cup bronze medals (16): 1954, 1958, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2014
Olympic champion (2): 1994, 2006
Olympic silver medal (3): 1928, 1964, 2014
Olympic bronze medal (4): 1952, 1980, 1984, 1988
Switzerland is already a top team! But the champions are the Swedes again
Tre Kronur, like a year ago in Cologne, won gold in shootouts.
Russian trace: caviar, vodka, Hoffmann
The Russian team completed its run for gold in the quarterfinals. Having lost to the Canadians, Ilya Vorobyov’s team left Copenhagen on Friday. The national team has left, but the Russians are still remembered in the Danish capital. There was even a funny rumor that our delegation mourned their early departure from the tournament so much that they spent a total of 26 million rubles on vodka, caviar and other national attributes. Not bad, not bad. But for some reason this information was not given by the Danes, but by the Finns, whose team played not in Copenhagen, but in Herning. And the management of the Tivoli Hotel, where the Russian national team lived, decisively refuted the myth about our overly broad soul.
No matter how much money the Russian team spent in Copenhagen, the hockey players and coaches have already left the city. But our fans continue to wander around the Danish capital. Many of our compatriots expected that the team would definitely reach the semifinals. And where is the semi-final, there is at least a match for third place. So Russians who have already seriously spent money have to drown their grief with expensive beer, which in the fan zone costs from 700 rubles for a plastic glass. However, very young fans do not need any doping to truly have a blast. During the “bronze” match between the USA and Canada, the real star was the dancing Russian boy, who was caught on time by the camera.
Not only Russian fans and journalists remained in the Danish capital, but also our girls from the official support group. One day we were surprised to discover that among the young ladies dancing in the fan zone, they were all compatriots. It’s not that the beauty of Russian women is some kind of revelation, but it’s still interesting. And the final was entrusted to two Russian judges. Gleb Lazarev acted as the linesman, and Roman Goffman took to the ice along with the Canadian as the main referees. If the Russian team had reached the final of the World Cup, the Chelyabinsk resident might not have even dreamed of such a high appointment. So every cloud has a silver lining.
Deja vu with five years of aging
If you are superstitious, then we have a fresh hockey superstition for you. In cases where the Russian team loses to a North American team in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, Sweden and Switzerland will certainly play in the final. There is little evidence so far; world practice knows only two cases. But the feeling of deja vu is painfully persistent. In 2013, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team lost to the Americans, and in the decisive match at the Globe Arena the Swedes faced the Swiss. Five years later, history repeated itself. Except that we conceded not eight goals from the Canadians, but five. The final sign turned out to be exactly like it once was in Stockholm.
The Swedes won the World Cup in a shootout. How it was
Sweden and Switzerland did not reveal a winner after 80 minutes of playing time. “Gold” was brought to the Scandinavians by the magical hands of Forsberg.
At the 2013 World Cup, the Swedes were the hosts. In the final, they defeated not only the sensational team of Switzerland, but also those very signs. For 27 years, it was believed that a home World Cup was a black mark. “Tre Kronur” became the first after the USSR national team at the 1986 World Cup to win in front of their fans. With the curse of home ice lifted, the Scandinavians may no longer fear vocal support. Here in Copenhagen they also feel at home. Everywhere you look there are Swedes: in the stands, in the parks, in the fan zone. Solid yellow and blue sea. And one of the bars in the center of the Danish capital even became a kind of Swedish representative during the World Cup.
If anything has changed in five years, it is the status of the Swiss national team. In Stockholm they were 100% underdogs, while in Copenhagen they appeared as a team that lacked the “top” prefix. Just look at the increased representation of Switzerland in the NHL. And when Nashville stars Kevin Fiala and Roman Josi came to the “cheeses,” they came closer to this status than ever before. Medals for Patrick Fischer's team are no longer a sensation. They clearly craved more than reaching the final and being humble 1:5 from the favourite.
Title defense and no sensations. What can we expect from the main match of the 2018 World Cup?
The Swiss are very good, but they have no chance against the Swedes.
Have the Swedes forgotten the defeat of the USA?
The Americans, after the match with Canada, in which they won bronze medals, admitted that they managed to take third place at the World Championships, forgetting the Swedish nightmare. “Tre Kronur” openly mocked them, and the main thing was to get the semi-final result out of their heads. Actually, the Swedes needed to do approximately the same thing. Believing that the Swiss can be defeated without much effort, it is not difficult to become embarrassed. It’s not to say that Rikard Grönborg’s team entered the final match slack, but they didn’t have any advantage in the first period. For a long time, even the ratio of shots was equal. And the first scoring chance was created not by the final favorites, but by the Swiss. A lightning-fast three-move ended with a dangerous throw from Fiala.
Among the Swedes, for the time being, it was not Rickard Rakell, whom my colleagues and I unanimously voted for as MVP of the tournament, who stood out, but Viktor Arvidsson. The Nashville forward played here to become the world champion in one-on-one situations. The way he opens up and runs away from defenders is a joy to watch. This time he received the puck after a wonderful lob, but sent it along the goal line. The first Swedish majority, which took the game for a long time into the possession of Leonardo Ghinoni, also benefited from Arvidsson.
Jozi and Niederreiter are playing with fire again
The man who fouled Arvidsson was Nino Niederreiter. And he, who has been playing for the Swiss national team from a very early age, opened the scoring in the final! It is symbolic that Nino finished the puck into the goal after a solo pass by Roman Josi. The same one who managed to open an account five years ago in Stockholm. Then the Tre Kronur players took the first step of the Swiss as a thrown down gauntlet, responding with five goals. And now Gustav Nykvist scored with a magnificent shot into the top corner just a minute after Niederreiter’s unheard-of audacity.
Nino wasn’t particularly modest after the break either. When the Swiss were in the majority, their leader pushed the Swede onto the boards. 5+20? Two minutes? No no and one more time no. Niederreiter continued to play, and a few seconds later Anders Nilsson took the puck out of the net. However, it was the forward who did not escape punishment who scored, but another NHL player, Timo Meier. Entering the zone with a flourish, he fired a projectile into the far corner, and the former Ak Bars goalkeeper only watched him go. 2:1! The Swiss took the lead, breaking out of the rut of the final five years ago. They did not crumble at the first press, and most importantly, they were not afraid of themselves.
Denouement
And what started here! Throws without stopping, dizzying movements and intellectual onslaught. The Swedes got down to business. There was no question whether the guys in yellow would win back. It became obvious that a goal against Genoni was only a matter of time. After the Tre Kronur players spent about one and a half to two minutes in the Swiss zone, Enzo Corvi's nerves gave way. He broke the rules, dooming his team to the inevitable. Mika Zibanejad, finding himself in the defenseman's position in the majority, put the puck neatly into the corner as if with his hand.
The outcome could have been comical. Or dramatic – depending on which way you look at it. In the middle of the third period, Josi received two minutes, served them honestly, after which... he was sent off again. This time for touching the puck before he was completely out of the box. Have you ever seen such absurd removals in World Championship finals?! But to the credit of Josi’s partners, they stood their ground and did not allow their leader to go down in history in such an absurd way.
Shootout Champions
The Swiss survived until overtime, and by this point they should have become national heroes. After Fischer’s team drew in regulation time with the current world champions, the hockey community is obliged to finally rank them among the top teams. But overtime is such a thing that there are no favorites or outsiders. Any throw, even the most unsightly one, can become “golden”. The crowded Royal Arena did not wait for him, although Adam Larsson hit the post at the siren.
Everything, like a year ago in Cologne, was decided in a shootout. After Sven Andrighetto scored the first try, I remembered that Tre Kronur does not have Lundqvist at the moment. From the Canadians, King Hanrik took every single shootout. But Grönborg remembered in time the presence of Ekman-Larsson in the team, the author of one of the two winning shootouts. It was he and Filip Forsberg who made Sweden world champion for the second year in a row!
In the decisive match, the Swedish team achieved a difficult victory over Switzerland. The official website of the competition reports this.
The match ended only in a shootout, where the Scandinavian team turned out to be more accurate. The final score is 3:2 (1:1, 1:1, 0:0, 0:0, 1:0).
The Swiss team took the lead twice during the match. In the first two periods, the scenario repeated itself - the Swiss scored first, but the Swedes immediately equalized the score.
In the third period, despite two removals from the Swiss team, no goals were scored. 2:2 - an additional 20 minutes was assigned.
The Swedes had a territorial and game advantage, had many chances, and in the last second of the playing time of the match (!) the post saved the Swiss goal from a goal.
In the shootout, the Swiss team took the lead from the very beginning - 1:0, but the Swedes equalized the score with their third shot, and Forsberg's fourth shot was decisive - 2:1 in shootouts.
The Swedish national team won the world title for the 11th time in its history. Switzerland has only played in the final match of the World Cup twice before, and has not yet won a single title.
By the number of victories at the world championships - 27 gold medals (1954, 1956, 1963-1971, 1973-1975, 1978-1983, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014). The USSR/Russian team won silver ten times (1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1972, 1976, 1987, 2002, 2010, 2015) and bronze seven times (1960, 1961, 1977, 1985, 1991, 2005, 2 007) world medals hockey championship.
Head coach - Oleg Znarok.
Team Canada
The Canadian national team, as the “ancestor” team of hockey, is considered one of the strongest teams in the international arena. Member of the IIHF since 1920.
Team Sweden
Head Coach: Todd Richards.
Team Finland
The Finns have won the World Hockey Championship twice (1995, 2011), they are the owners of seven silver (1992, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2014) and three bronze (2000, 2006, 2008) world championship awards. The Finnish national team is a two-time silver (1988, 2006) and four-time bronze (1994, 1998, 2010, 2014) Olympic medalist.
The fundamental North American confrontation in the bronze medal match at the World Championship turned out to be much more stubborn than the final score might suggest.
In the 27th minute, the US team forward spotted a mistake by the Canadian defender (the Maple Leaves were still playing in the minority at that moment), took the puck from him and easily beat the goalkeeper - 1:0.
The answer from the founders of hockey came only at the very end of the second period:
in the 39th minute, Sochi 2014 Olympic champion Marc-Edouard Vlasic completed a quick four-on-three counter-attack by tapping in Bo Horvat's pass at the far post.
The tied score lasted almost until the very end of the match, despite the fact that Canada quite often remained in the minority, as if karma had overtaken it for the controversial sending off in overtime of the 1/4 finals, thanks to which the players scored the winning goal.
However, in the 52nd minute, another US power play led to the most productive player of the tournament firing a powerful shot from distance, and after a save by the goalkeeper, Nick Bonino was on the finish line - 2:1.
The Canadians decided to take a chance and quite early, almost three minutes before the end, they removed the goalkeeper, putting in a sixth fielder. This led to only two goals for the United States into an empty net: Kreider, the scorer of the first goal, also scored.
After the meeting, the striker who scored a double told how the Stars and Stripes managed to pull themselves together after a painful defeat in the 1/2 finals from the Swedish national team with a score of 0:6.
“It was very important to beat the Canadians after what happened to us yesterday.
Such defeats happen in hockey, but we took this blow with dignity and were able to understand within the team what happened.
I won’t talk much about my goals, this is a big credit to my partners. Team USA looked like one today, and in hockey this is the main key to success,” Kreider emphasized.
Stars and Stripes forward Kane also noted that after the embarrassment in the match with the Swedes, it took a lot of effort for the team to come to their senses.
“It was difficult to collect ourselves after yesterday’s game. But we managed to beat Canada for the second time in the tournament
(at the group stage, the Americans won in shootouts with a score of 5:4. — "Gazeta.Ru") and win bronze medals.
It was important for us to get together and prepare for this match, it was important to return home with medals. This means a lot not only for our team, but for all of American hockey,” the forward quotes.
In ten matches at the World Championship, Kane scored 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists), becoming the top scorer of the tournament.
No one has achieved such indicators in the 21st century except the Canadian in 2008. It is not surprising that Kane was eventually recognized as the most valuable player of the world forum.
But the Canadian team was never able to recover from the disappointing elimination from the main sensation of the World Cup, Switzerland (2:3) in the semi-finals.
The captain of the Maple Leafs, who failed to excel in the bronze medal match, complained about the fragmentation of the team on the ice.
“I don’t know why our game didn’t work out today - maybe we weren’t all on the same page.
It was hard to readjust because yesterday was also a very emotional match, the result of which disappointed us. It was hard to forget about him,” admitted the 21-year-old striker. — The third period was the key in the game.
I think we did a good job, we stayed in the game, but then we got sent off and the opponent took a power play in the third period. How would I rate my performance at the World Championships? It doesn’t matter, the main thing is how the team performed.”
The more experienced Canadian striker Ryan, who has already won two world championships, called the defeat in the bronze medal match “an unpleasant situation.”
“This is an unpleasant situation. Obviously, we came here for gold medals. Canada was ready to fight for them.
When you can't achieve what you want, it's disappointing. Of course, we wanted to beat the USA and prove that we are the best team. But they simply couldn't. You might have noticed that Canada looked a little ponderous on the ice,” the official website of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) quotes O’Reilly. Thus,
Canada was left without a World Championship medal for the first time since 2014.
Then the “maple leaves” lost to Finland in the quarterfinals, but after such a failure they won gold twice in a row, and in 2017 they lost to the Swedes in the final (1:2) in shootouts, receiving silver awards.
The final. Sweden - Switzerland - 3:2 (B)
The final match of the World Championship brought together the current winners, the Swedes, and the amazing Swiss, who managed to move from fourth place in the group to the match for gold.
The Scandinavians were, of course, the favorites of the final, but this did not bother the “crusaders” at all: they acted very boldly in attack and twice forced their formidable opponent to recoup.
“Without a doubt, this match was one of the most memorable in my career,” the player said after the match. “It’s difficult to describe the emotions I’m experiencing right now.
When Nashville and I were eliminated from the Stanley Cup, we told each other that we were going to the World Championship just for gold.
And we did it by holding a simply unforgettable tournament. I took part in many finals, for example at the Youth World Championships, but now I am world champion - it’s just fantastic!”
The head coach of the Swedish national team, whose post was under threat after the Scandinavians were eliminated from the 2018 Olympics in the quarterfinals by the German team, said that he now, without any doubt, continues to cooperate with Tre Kronur.
“This is the second such final for me, ending in shootouts (in 2017, the Swedes beat the Canadians in shootouts. — "Gazeta.Ru"), it was a great game.
On the way to victory we had to overcome many excellent opponents. And as I told the guys in the locker room, I have a great feeling coaching them.
My contract with the Swedish Hockey Association is valid for another year? At the moment I am not considering any offers and continue to work in the federation. I think I did a great job,” the coach said.
The coach of the Swiss national team said that his players could well have won against the Swedes.
“Congratulations to the Swedish team. She stopped us in the semi-finals of the 1998 home world championship, at the 2006 Olympics, in the final of the 2013 world championship, last year and now.
But I'm very proud of what we did, it's incredible. The team played with courage and acted in the right direction.
If you had told me three years ago that we could become champions, I would have laughed. But now we could win,” the specialist emphasized.
Team goalkeeper Leonardo Genoni supported the words of the head coach:
“I agree, we showed everything we could, but now the opponent is celebrating. Nevertheless, we can be proud of ourselves. We were close to winning, we had good chances. Well, we'll wait until next time."
Thus, the Swedish team won the World Cup for the second time in a row and the 11th in its history.
This tournament was conquered only by Russia (27), Canada (26) and the Czech Republic (12).
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