|
Hockey fans watching the finals of the 2008 World Championships were treated to a thrilling finale, as Russia defeated hosts Canada 5-4 in overtime. These championships which marked the 100th anniversary of the IIHF were celebrated in style as the Canadians and Russians resumed a rivalry which has seen some of the all time classic matches, including the 1972 Summit Series and 1987 Canada Cup. Ilya Kovalchuk’s overtime goal gave the Russian team a 5-4 victory after battling back from a 4-2 deficit in the second period. For the Russians, the victory is a huge relief after the disappointment of losing in the semifinals on home ice in last year’s tournament. The win is also a huge lift to a nation which has struggled in international play in recent years. This is only Russia’s second World Championship following the break up of the Soviet Union and its first since 1993. With the monkey off their backs, now the focus for the Russians turns to Vancouver 2010. Olympic play has also been frustrating for the Russians, who have not been able to win the competition since NHL players were permitted to play in 1998. Though they picked up a silver medal in 1998 and a bronze in 2002, talent like Kovalchuk, Alexander Ovechkin, and Evgeni Nabokov makes them one of the clear favorites. Add in Pavel Daysuk and Evgeni Malkin, who were still in the NHL Playoffs and unable to compete at the World’s, and anything less than gold in Vancouver would be see as a failure. For Canada, the loss continues the home ice curse which has seen the host fail to lift the trophy every year since 1986. But the disappointment of missing out on a 25th World Championship will be offset a little by the knowledge that they have hosted one of the most successful tournaments in recent years. Though the total attendance of 477,040 missed the all time tournament record of 552,097, the average match attendance of 8,834 was a huge increase from a year ago, when Moscow and Mytishci, Russia saw only 5,906 per game. This year’s tournament was the first World Championships to be held in Canada, and the success of the event led IIHF President Rene Fassel to state that he hopes it will return to North America in the future. However, the next five World Championships will be held in European countries, meaning that Canada will have to wait at least until 2014 for the opportunity to host the tournament again. In other news, while the Canadians and Russians were the best on the ice at year’s tournament, they also dominated the IIHF’s All-Century team, with Wayne Gretzky being joined by the four former ‘Red Army’ stars Vyacheslav Fetisov, Valeri Kharlamov, Sergei Makarov, and Vladislav Tretiak. Sweden’s Borje Salming rounded out the team which was selected by a panel of 56 writers from 16 countries.
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
He can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network's Author Profiles
|
