Sweden has won for the tenth time the Ice Hockey World championship 2017 after a 2-1 shoot-out win over Canada.
A great tense final, cautious game from start to finish produced two lucky goals, 20 minutes of overtime, and a decisive shootout. Final score, Sweden 2-1, Canada, in Cologne, Germany.
Nicklas Backstrom and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored shootout goals and superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopped all four shots he faced, giving Sweden its first World Championship gold medal since 2013.
It also marked the first time in four gold-medal games between the two nations that Sweden beat Canada (having lost in the finals of 1997, 2003, and 2004).Canada, trying to win a third straight gold, has to settle for silver.
The only other IIHF World Championship gold-medal game to go to a shootout was in 1994, when Canada beat the Finnish national team.
Sweden's captain, Joel Lundqvist, now joins Sven "Tumba" Johansson, Mats Sundin, and Jonas
Bergqvist as the only members of Tre Kronor to win three World Championship gold medals.
"For me it's the first time ever winning something with Team Sweden," enthused Marcus Kruger. "I know how important this is for all the guys on the team and for Swedish hockey in general. It's going to be a good thing to come back to Sweden and share it with the people there. It's going to be great to celebrate with the Swedish fans."
Well done, Sweden. the championship couldn't go to a more deserving country. Keep up the great Hockey!
Russia won the bronze medal game after a 5-3 win over Finland at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.