A flawless execution thwarts the Swiss "heist".
Although Switzerland attempted victory for the third time at the Ice Hockey World Championship, they were unsuccessful. The difference was made by an NHL player who executed a stunning attack, thwarting their chances of success. The Swiss team experienced heartbreak, but remained proud despite their 0:2 loss to the Czech Republic in Prague.
The conclusion of the World Championship saw the Swiss team missing out again, similar to their losses in 2013 and 2018. Leonardo Genoni, the Swiss goalkeeper, showed his sense of humor by remarking, "Winning this cup here would have been like a bank robbery. But then the door opened." The Czech Republic were ecstatic following their seventh title win in their home country.
Following the defeat, the Swiss players hurried to the locker room before the World Cup presentation. As in the past, the trophy was given to the opposition. Coach Patrick Fischer lamented, "I can't see silver anymore." The team's loss marked the third World Championship final without a victory, a result that left the Swiss dejected. This year’s top Swiss team, featuring seven NHL players, couldn't secure the title despite having believed they could succeed. Roman Josi, the Nashville Predators NHL star, shared, "We believed this year that we could make it. It's extremely frustrating that it didn't happen."
Swiss media were understanding. Bescheremühle wrote, "The hockey gods have stepped in. There's no other explanation for this defeat." Blick, the newspaper, acknowledged: "In the past few weeks, the Nati transformed itself from a team not knowing how to win into a world-class team thanks to NHL players."
In 2013, Switzerland surprised in the finals, suffering a 1:5 loss to Sweden in Stockholm. In 2018, they were narrowly defeated by Sweden in Copenhagen with a penalty shootout. "2013 gave us hope. 2018, we were more mature," Fischer elaborated. "And this year, we felt we were ready due to lessons learned from previous years when we struggled."
The quarterfinal victory over Germany should have paved their way to victory. The Swiss team had been repeatedly defeated by the German Ice Hockey Federation team, but eventually triumphed with a 3:1 win in Ostrava. Fischer triumphantly declared, "Finally." With the semi-final penalty win over Canada, the Swiss were set to make history.
"We thought this would be our night," Josi recalled.
Kevin Fiala emerged as the standout Swiss player of the tournament, winning the best player award. "I don't really care about the gold," the NHL player from the Los Angeles Kings lamented. Switzerland's next opportunity for the title will be the championships in Denmark and Sweden next year. Their goal for the tournament is to win the title at the 2026 event in Zurich and Freiburg. "Right now, I can't even think about the future," said the 40-year-old veteran Andres Ambuhl. "Today we're all sad."
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic celebrated. As Pravo, the paper, reported, "The Czech Republic is experiencing a hockey euphoria not seen since the gold medal win at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano."
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Despite their strong performance throughout the tournament, featuring seven NHL players, the Swiss team couldn't secure the Ice Hockey World Championships title in Switzerland, losing to the Czech Republic 0:2. The Czech Republic, hosting the championships, celebrated their seventh title win in their home country, following their victory over the World Championships finalists.
Source: www.ntv.de
