In 2012, the Ice Hockey World Championship was held simultaneously in Finland and Sweden, respectively, matches were played in Stockholm and Helsinki. This tournament was lucky for the Russian national team, which was able to win gold medals in a bitter struggle.
Instructions
Step 1
The mascot of the tournament was the "hockey bird" Hockey Bird, and the official anthem was the song "Last Ride of the Day" by the Finnish band "Nightwish".
Step 2
The preliminary stage was a group stage, where the teams were divided into two groups, and each team had to play each. In total, there were eight teams in the group. The Russian team won all matches, scoring only 27 goals and conceding 8 goals. Having thus won the first place in the group, the Russian team advanced to the playoffs.
Step 3
In the quarterfinals, the Russian national team was opposed by the Norwegian team, which Russian hockey players won with a score of 5: 2. The teams played in Stockholm.
Step 4
In the semifinals, the Russian team beat Finland with an even more convincing score 6: 2. The game took place in Helsinki.
Step 5
The teams from Russia and Slovakia met in the final. On the way to the final, the Slovaks managed to beat the Canadian national team in the quarterfinals, which was perceived as a sensation, and in the semifinals - the Czech team, which eventually took third place in the tournament.
Step 6
Russia won the final match with the same score 6: 2, thus taking revenge for the defeat in Sweden in 2002, when the Slovak national team became world champion for the first time. Two goals in the final match were scored by Alexander Semin, and the last point in the tournament was put by Evgeny Malkin, who was recognized as the most valuable player in the entire championship. In total, Eugene scored 11 goals, made 8 assists and scored 19 points.
Step 7
As a result, the Russian team showed a unique result, winning all ten matches with an advantage of at least two goals and not playing a single overtime. At the end of the final, the hockey players received congratulations from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Step 8
The title of world champion became the fourth for the Russian national team, and, taking into account the victories of the USSR national team, it was twenty-sixth.
