Defending ice hockey champions Canada and the USA meet in a rematch of the 2010 Olympic Games gold medal showdown while Sweden seek to keep their perfect record intact against Finland in Friday’s semi-finals.
Canada face an explosive American team that has scored a tournament high 20 goals in four games.
“This is what it is all about,” said Canadian forward Jonathan Toews. “Canada-USA. It’s become even a bigger rivalry than Canada-Russia.”
The North American rivals met in the 2010 Vancouver final where Sidney Crosby scored the winner in overtime.
The men’s hockey tournament at Sochi is down to four teams after a surprising quarter-final round that saw host Russia crash with a 3-1 loss to the Finns.
The USA easily beat the Czechs 5-2 in their quarter-final, Canada survived a scare before easing past Latvia 2-1 on a late goal in the third and Sweden rolled over Slovenia 5-0 setting the stage for some dramatic semi-finals.
USA coach Dan Bylsma said the Americans are hungry to avenge their loss from four years ago in Vancouver.
“Now we have a rematch,” Bylsma said. “Canada is the matchup we certainly all wanted.”
Canada are hoping to get more production from some of their NHL stars like Crosby who has yet to fire on offence.
The top two scorers for Canada are defenceman Shea Weber (five points) and Drew Doughty (six points) while American forward Phil Kessel leads the tournament in scoring with eight points in four games.
“I don’t even know if they’ve had a matchup besides the Russian game at all,” Canada coach Mike Babcock said during Friday’s practice of the Americans. “They have beat everyone big time.”
Toews said another gold medal would be a dream come true.
“It’s for the chance to play for a gold medal,” said Toews. “It doesn’t get any better than that, playing for your country against the United States.
“There are millions of kids that grow up dreaming of this situation.”
Babcock said before the tournament that he predicted Sweden, Canada, USA and Russia would be the final four teams, but not Finland.
Despite taking the early lead, Russia were rocked by a determined Finnish side that had also humiliated them 4-0 the last time they met in the Olympics at Turin in 2006.
Finland have won more Olympics hockey medals (three) than any other country since NHLers were allowed to play in the Olympics beginning in 1998.
Sweden and Finland is also a rematch of the 2006 championship game in Turin which Sweden won 3-2 to claim their first gold medal in 12 years.
The turning point came on the opening play of the third period when Sweden’s Mats Sundin broke the stick of Saku Koivu on the opening face-off, which meant Koivu had to go to the bench to retrieve another stick.
But before Koivu could get back in the play, Nicklas Lidstrom scored the eventual game winner.
Finland’s captain Teemu Selanne, who is playing in his sixth and final Olympics, is the all-time scoring leader in the Winter Games.
Earlier in this tournament he became the oldest male player to score a goal in the Olympics.
“I am very proud of our hockey,” said Selanne. “When we came here nobody believed we could do this.”
Sweden have about a dozen players back from the their Vancouver Olympic team. Their roster is also heavy on National Hockey League players like veteran Daniel Alfredsson, who is getting his last shot at Olympic glory.
The Swedes have the best record in the tournament and the best goaltender so far, Henrik Lundqvist, who plays for the NHL’s New York Rangers.
Alfredsson said he doesn’t mind that the focus in Sochi up to now has been on the Russians, Canadians and Americans.
“Please keep it that way,” Alfredsson said.
