Surprisingly Nasty

OTTAWA--Certainly more nastiness in this gold medal clash than your garden variety Canada-Sweden game, wouldn't you say?

Both Swedish goalie Jacob Markstrom and defenceman Victor Hedman are being showered with boos, Markstrom for his Dominik Hasek-like theatrics and Hedman for coming to the rescue of Markstrom after a collision with Angelo Esposito and mugging the Canadian without being penalized.

The home ice advantage is surely playing a role, but the bad news for Team Canada is that for most of the second period it seemed to egg them on into taking a bunch of dumb penalties. Only a weirdly passive Swedish power play that seemed more inclined to rag the puck than score and some excellent work by Canadian goalie Dustin Tokarski kept the Swedes off the scoreboard.

Stefan Della Rovere, identified as a potential problem in the first period, seems unlikely to see any ice the rest of the way after taking yet another in a long series of stupid penalties, this one for obviously interfering with Markstrom as the Swedish goalie headed to the bench on a delayed penalty call to Canada.

Esposito, meanwhile, is clearly feeling it. He made it 2-0 at 4:06 of the second with another pretty solo effort, this time fighting his way past Swedish defenceman David Rundblad out of the corner before lifting a backhand over Markstrom's glove.

No Canadian, its fair to say, has elevated his reputation more in this tournament from where it was before the event started as much as Esposito.

The on-ice trash-talking visibly increased in that period, with the Swedes determined not to be bullied by the Canadians. While his teammates were taking five straight penalties, Tokarski made a series of excellent stops. Desperate to get something going, Swedish forward David Ullstrom resorted to slamming on the brakes in the Canadian crease and showering Tokarski with ice chips in the final minute of play.

Swedish forward Mikael Backlund, meanwhile, took his second dumb penalty of the game as time expired, an interference foul on Esposito far away from the play that will give Canada a power play going into the third.

Talk to you when it's all over.

Comments

[Magnus Gustafsson]

How blind can u be as a Canadian is my first question you? if the Swedish players would have attacted the Canadian goalie i`m quite sure you would have screamed for the death-penalty for the Swedish player.

There will never be any fair finals as long as Canada will be allowed to continue to abuse home advantage with their lack of respect for rules and regulations, this goldmedal for Canada is a disgruase for hockey and i do hope you clean up your shit.

Looking forward to next year and i do hope a bunch of Swedish players will be spearing your goalie in the groin time after time or why not do as Esposito but with a better result, and with a better result i meen really hurt your goalie with a trashed knee.

[rob brouwer]

Way to go Canada! The drive for five is complete. Now we gotta fix on six!
Markstrom definately deserved the oscar for his performance tonight. Ok, he was an exceptional goalie in the rest of the tournament, but tonight he was an embarassment to hockey. Other people complain about fighting in the NHL, saying that it does not belong, but I'd rather see fighting than to see that kind of blatant theatrical performance, in an effort to draw a penalty. I mean, does he even have that helmet strapped on? It seems to come off with a mild breeze. It almost reminded me of a soccer match. He definately should have been penalized more. He easily could have had four penalties for diving.

[Whiny Swedes]

Sweden stunk. Bottom line: they had far more excuses than goals.

[Peter]

the swedish goalie is a joke! this is how the swedes paly hockey? he should have gotten a couple of minors for diving. and the refs let the swedes got away with a lot of dirty playes. you are right, there will be never a fair finals involving Canada as long as there are europian refs in the game. they were calling far more fantom calls against the canadians then against any of there opponents.

[wall©rawler™,]

Damian, you seem rather quiet on the mugging that the Swedish players tried to lay on Canada. As a proponent of non-fighting in hockey, and the way the europeans play, what is your answer for the clearly visible puches and with gloves on at that at the canadian players who could do nothing but try to turtle themselves to try not to get hurt. I guess this is the hockey you would love to see, instead of someone standing up for themselves.