Ice Hockey World Championship Held in the Czech Republic - Swiss ice hockey disappointment: "No more hope for silver"
The World Cup finals witnessed yet another Swiss ice hockey team loss, this time against the hosting Czech Republic in Prague, with a scoreline of 0-2. Leonardo Genoni, the standout goalkeeper, kept the team's spirits high despite the unfortunate defeat. He joked, "Stealing the cup here would've been like a bank robbery, but then the door opened." Fans in the Czech Republic rejoiced as their awaited victory unfolded, boasting their seventh title.
After being edged out, the Swiss quickly retreated to the dressing room before the World Cup presentation. Their dreams of triumphing for the first time shattered once again since 2013. Coach Patrick Fischer expressed his dismay, "After all these years, I can't even see silver any longer."
Boasting seven NHL professionals, this year's Swiss team, touted as their finest ever, had big hopes of finally claiming the title. Roman Josi, an NHL star from the Nashville Predators, shared his disappointment, "We had assumed we could achieve it this time. It's incredibly frustrating."
Swiss media outlets offered varying perspectives. "The hockey gods have decided on this outcome. There's simply no alternative explanation," a Swiss online portal suggested. "In recent weeks, the Nati has transitioned from becoming a team that couldn't win, into a world-class outfit," concluded the newspaper Blick.
Switzerland stunned the world in 2013 with their semi-final entry, but Sweden annihilated them in Stockholm, 1-5. Five years later, Switzerland outplayed Sweden in a penalty shootout only to fall short, 0-1. "2013 demonstrated our capabilities. 2018, we'd matured further," explained Fischer. "And this year, we felt ready for success since we'd learned from the past when we failed." The quarterfinals win over Germany was expected to set them on the road to gold.
However, it wasn't enough. Czech forward David Pastrnak scored a stunning goal ten minutes before the game's end. David Kampf's score, seconds before the match ended, sealed their defeat. Josi admitted their disappointment, "Each final has its own particular idiosyncrasies, but we genuinely thought this year would mark our success. We were sure this was to be our moment."
Kevin Fiala received the award for the tournament's best player, regardless of his side's loss. "I really don't care about this," Fiala responded angrily. "We established ourselves for gold."
Indeed, Switzerland plans for another attempt at the 2022 championship in Denmark and Sweden. The team has high hopes for a future victory during their home games in Zurich and Fribourg slated for the May 2026 World Cup. As coach Patrick Fischer reflected, "Currently, I can't fathom the future." The journalistic world noted, "The Czech Republic is experiencing a hockey euphoria not since the 1998 Winter Olympics' gold win in Nagano."
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Source: www.stern.de
