Canada Defends Vancouver Hockey Gold

A talented, deep, and defensive-minded Canadian men's ice hockey team was too much for Sweden, convincingly winning the gold medal contest, 3-0, at the Bolshoy Ice Dome.

Canada became the first country since the Soviet Union in 1984 and 1988 to defend an Olympic title in hockey.

Canadian captain Sidney Crosby, who scored a pivotal goal on a breakaway, to extend his country’s lead to 2-0 with six minutes left in the second period, spoke about the team’s achievement in Russia.

"It feels great, obviously, no matter where this game would be played," said Crosby, who scored the overtime winner in the gold medal game four years ago.

"Obviously we all know, being Canadian, the amount of history with Canada and Russia. Ultimately, to come here with the bigger ice, different challenges than in Vancouver, it feels great to be able to find a way to win," Crosby said.

The victory earned Canada its tenth gold medal of the Sochi Games, third behind only Norway and Russia. Gold medals were awarded after the contest by IIHF president and IOC member Rene Fasel, while Sochi 2014 coordination commission chairman Jean-Claude Killy presented silver medals to Sweden.

Canada was an unbeatable force in Sochi, outscoring its six opponents 17-3. Goaltender Carey Price provided back-to-back shutouts in the medal round against the United States on Friday night and today versus Sweden.

"We dominated the whole tournament from start to finish. I don’t think we trailed once," said Canadian forward Matt Duchene. "That’s the definition of domination right there."

"This could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m just honored to be a part of this," said Price, who denied 24 Swedish shots to attain his second consecutive shutout.

Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who helped lead his nation to an Olympic title in 2006, played superb in defeat, stopping 33 of Canada’s 36 shots.

"It’s a big disappointment obviously, being this close to a gold medal, but I think Canada definitely deserved to win tonight," said Lundqvist, who also tends goal for the NHL’s New York Rangers. "It was a tough game, but overall a great experience to be here."

Gold Medal Game Ban for Backstrom

Sweden was forced to play the contest without one of their top forwards, Nicklas Backstrom, who reportedly tested positive for a banned substance Sunday, believed to be allergy medication.

According to the Swedish team doctor, the 26-year-old Backstrom has been taking one allergy pill a day for several years, including at the 2010 Games.

Swedish coach Par Marts says that the IOC has "made things up here" regarding its decision on Nicklas Backstrom.

"He’s been really good this tournament and, for sure, it impacted our team," said Swedish forward Daniel Sedin about the loss of Backstrom. "We tried to go out and win the game for him, but once Canada got the first goal, they were a really good team."

NHL to PyeongChang?

Crosby was asked his thoughts about attempting to win a third consecutive gold medal, four years from now in PyeongChang, South Korea, should the NHL opt to send its elite international stars to the Olympics once again.

"It always kind of feels like it’s a long ways away, but then it creeps up very quickly. That won’t be easy," said the 26-year-old Crosby.

Team Canada general manager Steve Yzerman, who also serves in the same role for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, offered his support for the world’s best players returning to the Olympic Games four years from now.

"I realize that there are a lot of differing opinions, but I just think it’s tremendous for the game, and tremendous for the National Hockey League, so I hope we stay," Yzerman said.

"We want to come back in 2018," Duchene said about the NHL’s best at the Olympics. "Players love playing in this. It’s great for hockey. You see players become national heroes here and it’s so good for our game."

Crosby Applauds Sochi

Crosby, who along with his NHL star teammates opted to stay in the Olympic Village with all of the other athletes, only had positives to say about his Sochi experience, on and off the ice.

"It was awesome, everything -- the people, the way it was organized all the way through. You’re not going to hear one complaint from me," Crosby said regarding his second Olympic Games. "The people were friendly, and all the volunteers, we had a really nice set-up here, it gave us every opportunity as far as off the ice to succeed on the ice."

Written by Brian Pinelli

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