Canada won a 28th world title, a record at the Ice Hockey World Championship, beating surprising Germany (5-2) in the final on Sunday in Tampere (Finland).
With this coronation, Canada is one unit ahead of Russia (counting the titles of the Soviet Union), which was banned from the Worlds co-organized in Tampere and Riga due to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Led 1-0 in the first then 2-1 in the second period, the Canadians equalized each time before breaking away in the last third of the match, thanks in particular to Samuel Blais (who scored twice in this final), Tyler Toffoli and Scott Laughton.
Favorites of the competition, the Canadians had played in the three previous finals (victory in 2021, defeats in 2019 and 2022, no World Cup in 2020 because of the covid) against the Finns. This year, the maple leaf team defeated the Indian sign by eliminating Finland in the quarterfinals.
The Germans have never been world champions and the last of their two finals dates back to 1953. They reached the final of the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and were beaten by the Russians, in the absence of the players of NHL.
Previously, Latvia, another host country of the tournament, had taken third place in the Worlds by beating the United States 4-3 after extra time. Kristians Rubins offered the Baltic country the first medal in its history at the Worlds by equalizing in the third period and then scoring the winning goal in sudden death.
It is a new disappointment for Team USA, four times bronze medalist at the Worlds (2013, 2015, 2018 and 2021), which was chasing before the competition a first world title since 1933.
