Sweden Relishes World Junior Glory

It’s been a long time coming for the Tre Kronor.

31 years to be exact.

In fact, head coach Roger Rönnberg was only 10-years-old the last time he witnessed his country win a gold medal at the IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship.

This year, a lesser known, but always skilled Swedish squad worked their way to a perfect 4-0 record in round robin play before squaring off against some hefty opponents in the medal rounds.

Digging themselves out of a 3-0 deficit against the Russians in their final preliminary match proved to be one of their biggest feats. With 40 seconds remaining in the game, Anaheim Ducks prospect Max Friberg tied the score to force extra play. Friberg went on to assist Joakim Nordström’s game winner in a 4-3 final.

The overtime determinant marked the first of three for the Swedes en route to capturing gold. The team’s semifinal against Finland was determined in a shootout and the final championship game against Russia also went to overtime.

In that final game, shots favoured Sweden 50-16 after 60 minutes of regulation. Ottawa Senators prospect Mika Zibanejad was the eventual hero, scoring the “golden goal” for his country.

The scene across the pond in Stockholm was one of pride and exuberance for a country that had waited so patiently for its turn in the international hockey spotlight.

Friberg finished the tournament with 11 points in six games and was named to the tournament all-star team, along with teammate and defenseman Oscar Klefbom.

The victory has since been called the greatest hockey accomplishment for Sweden in the past century.