Canada scores early, often to sink Sweden, take gold in Hlinka Gretkzy Cup
Canada scored early and often and also stayed out of the penalty box en route to a 4-1 victory over Sweden in the gold medal final of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Hugo Pettersson scored for Sweden, who won 36-26. Each team received eight minutes in penalties.
Canada had defeated Sweden 3-0 on August 3.
“Three weeks ago we put this roster together and I felt right away that this was a tight group,” said head coach Stephane Julien. “It’s not easy when you have so much talent, but everyone accepted their role and I’m so happy for them.”
🐐-ier goes bar 👇 to put 🇨🇦 back in the lead!#HlinkaGretzkyCup | @HlinkaMemorial pic.twitter.com/ hdzpQqE8ZZ
The win is Canada’s first gold medal since 2018, the last time this tournament was held in Canada.
“I’m so happy for this group,” added Julien. “They haven’t had it easy in their careers in the last two years with the pandemic, but now they have this, a gold medal and something they’ll remember for the rest of their careers.”
Canada advanced to the final with a 4-1 win over Finland, while Sweden defeated the Czech Republic 6-2. Finland beat the Czech Republic 3-1 in Saturday’s bronze final.
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup will move to Europe in 2023 and return to Breclav and Piestany, Czech Republic for the first time since 2021.