It was the biggest shock in Finnish sports history.
Last year, host Finland led Sweden 5-1 halfway through its quarterfinal at ice hockey's World Championship, but allowed five goals in just over 28 minutes and was eliminated 6-5 by its biggest rival.
"It's something that you'll probably never forget," said Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, who also is Finland's captain.
The unbeaten Nordic hockey powers meet again tonight for the top-seeded spot in the European pool at the World Cup of Hockey.
They will play in the same building, Hartwall Arena. The only difference is the size of the rink. The World Championship is played under international rules, including the bigger Olympic ice sheet. The World Cup, jointly organized by the National Hockey League and the NHL's players union, is contested on the smaller NHL-size rinks.
Sweden and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin was a member of the team that made one of the biggest comebacks in the 94-year history of the World Championship.
"Most certainly they remember when 5-1 became 6-5 ... I'm looking forward to playing them again," Sundin said.
Toronto backup goalie Mikael Tellqvist, who replaced Tommy Salo after the former Edmonton Oilers goaltender gave up his fifth goal against the Finns, is the likely starter today with Salo on the bench.
Looking back, Tellqvist said, "it was one of greatest games I've ever played."
Finland and Sweden, both 2-0 before the round-robin finale, already have clinched home-ice advantage in the European pool quarterfinals early next week.
Both teams badly want the top-seeded spot to avoid the probable No. 3 finisher in the group, the Czech Republic. The group winner plays No. 4, likely Germany.
"We would rather not play the Czechs," Swedish defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "They're quick and have many guys who can win a game for them, so they could be very dangerous in a quarterfinal."
Peter Forsberg, the 2003 winner of the Hart Trophy as the best player in the NHL, agreed.
"Absolutely, I don't want the Czechs in the quarters," he said.
The Czechs, who finished last in the inaugural World Cup in 1996 when Sweden was eliminated in the semifinals by Canada on an overtime goal, scored three third-period goals but lost 4-3 to the Swedes in Stockholm on Wednesday. Finland, a 4-0 winner over the Czechs in round-robin play, also wants to avoid a rematch in the last eight.
"We all know that the group winner most probably will meet Germany in the quarters," Koivu said. "On paper, Germany is the weakest team. So our goal is to win the group."
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB