In the end it was a case of Goliath crushes David in the men’s ice hockey final at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, as Canada swept aside a plucky Sweden outfit in a convincing 3-0 victory. The win helped the Canadians on to secure third place in the overall medal table for the games, with only host nation Russia and cross-country skiing specialists Norway ahead of them.
Canada have dominated the hockey rinks over the past four Winter Olympics, with three Gold medals to their name. They might not have made it all the way to the top this time, but they did show enforce their credentials as the leading superpower in international ice hockey, with victories over Sweden and – perhaps most crucially of all – their neighbours and great rivals the United States. The Canadians have beaten the rest by being the best, validating the many thousands of fans who cheered the side along or bet on them to win at sites like www.bettingsports.com in the lead-up to the final.
Story of the final
For neutral ice hockey fans it was something of a disappointing end to a fascinating tournament at the Bolshoy Ice Dome, with Canada rolling over the Swedes with apparent ease. Chris Kunitz, Jonathan Toews and captain Sidney Crosby all got their names on the scoreboard, whilst after a reasonably promising start which saw Carl Hagelin hit the post with one particularly menacing effort, Sweden seldom looked likely to threaten the Canadian goal.
Drugs test controversy that mars result
The Sochi Winter Olympics was tainted by a string of doping scandals, and none could be so contentious as that which apparently harmed Sweden’s chances (slim as they may have been) in their ice hockey final clash with Canada. Vice-captain Nicklas Backstrom had proven to be a key figure in the Swedish team on their way to the final, but the star forward was ruled out of the clash by the IOC after testing positive for a banned substance. This may sound like a clear cut case, but the player’s own argument suggests that this isn’t so… Backstrom and his team insisted that the substance found in his test was simply an ingredient of an allergy pill which he had been using for many years. He told members of the press, “I’ve got absolutely nothing to hide. It was shocking to me and at the same time I’m here right now and I have to deal it.”
Sweden’s team doctor Bjoern Waldeback added, “It’s a permitted drug. We told them he had one pill per day as he has for the past seven years.”
