Finland Beats Russians For Its 1st Olympic Hockey Gold Medal
Feb 20, 2022, 2:26 PM
Members of Gold medallist Team Finland pose during the Men's Ice Hockey medal ceremony following the Gold Medal game between Team Finland and Team ROC on Day 16 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
BEIJING (AP) — The Finns are finally flying home with Olympic hockey gold. Finland knocked off the favored Russians 2-1 to win the men’s hockey tournament without NHL players at the Beijing Games.
It’s the first hockey gold medal in Finnish history.
The defending champion Russians had to settle for silver instead of going back to back.
FINNISHed the JOB! 🥇
Finland wins its first ever gold medal in Olympic men's hockey! #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/mL12yIeziX
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 20, 2022
Respected veteran Marko Anttila assisted on Hannes Bjorninen’s golden goal.
Anttila spent his first six days at the Olympics in isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus.
In case you missed it, Finland defeated ROC 2-1 to win its first ever Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey!#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/Vqrtow1CtD
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 20, 2022
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament unfolded in the shadow of a Russian doping saga centered around 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
Beijing is the capital of China, with a population of more than 20 million people and the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympic games. It is one of the largest cities in the world and 15 hours ahead of Mountain Time. There are 13 different venues in and around Beijing that will be used for the Winter Olympics. A total of 109 events will be held in 15 different sports, and there will be a lot of Utah locals competing for medals. Keep up to date with them at our Olympic headquarters.
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