From a successful semi-final against the USA to a free fall in the JVM final against Canada.
And the only history the Swedes wrote was their record defeat when the Canadians won 10-0.
There have never been greater numbers in a tournament final for women.
Yes, it was a bitter end to this tournament, although it was the first time it felt like Sweden had a reasonable chance of winning the historic JVM gold.
Sweden beat the American giants in Saturday’s half, while Canada was very lucky to beat Finland after a long extra time.
But it wasn’t worth a slap when the puck was released.
I’ve rarely seen a game decided so quickly.
Already twelve minutes later it was 5-0 to Canada and the rest was a long struggle, as the goals kept pouring in.
No, that first period was an athletic disaster and a mental breakdown.
Team management should take care of that.
The team was not prepared for this final.
They were elsewhere, completely mentally unprepared for the start everyone knew Canada was going to get.
Now they’ve stood and watched Canadians skate through the 80’s in Swedish territory and were allowed to do exactly what they wanted.
I felt sorry for the girls in the end.
They were not close to the match that took them to the final and they never really recovered from the upset start.
It started when Canadian star Caitlin Kramer made it 1-0 for Canada already after 5:16 and then added herself to make it 2-0 after just 25 seconds.
Then it was played 3-0 even before the opening half of the period, when Alexia Obin drove the puck in front of the goal.
Then I read 9.14 and the only hope I could find was the old cliché that there is nothing more difficult than leading an ice hockey 3-0.
Then it was good night again
Tonight, this theory doesn’t add up.
It wasn’t even close.
Because right after 3-0, zookeeper Linnea Natt och Dag was sent off.
Then it was good night again.
After just 19 seconds of the numerical advantage, Piper Grouper served up a puck that slid over Felicia Frank’s left shoulder.
I think that the management of the Swedish team would have changed the goalkeeper in this case, when at the start of the match the previously playing 17-year-old made a big mistake.
But even there, he was paralyzed in motion this evening.
Felicia thought so, too, when Caitlin Cramer headed in her third goal into the far corner.
Then she replaced herself.
I get it.
And Ida Henrikson got into a situation where it was about stopping the bleeding.
But it was 5-0, 6-0 and then 7-0 with over half the game remaining, when Abby Looney had to stand without offense and hit a rebound behind Henrickson.
In this case, I thought of an old classic series game in the SHL between AIK and HV71 in the fall of 2011, when it brought the Småländers 2-7 to 7-7 in 4.55 in the last period.
HV71 then won 8-7 on penalties.
After that match, Lassi Unriel called AIK goalkeeper Markus Svensson the worst goalkeeper in the world, which he naturally had to eat in the years that followed.
But it was a vain hope
And after 8-0 in Canada, I stopped counting or even fantasizing about historical phantom setbacks.
Now it finished 10-0 in the end.
Two numbers as if to sprinkle excess salt in the wounds.
But we must not forget what happened before this Black Sunday.
JVM silver is like gold if we exclude Canada and the United States.
Just going to the final is a minor feat.
When I delve into the history of the women’s hockey tournament, I count twenty-one WC tournaments played, seven Olympics and fifteen JVM tournaments.
Including this.
He has played in the Special Division since 1990
In a total of 43 tournaments, Canada and the United States have met in the last 39 times.
Sweden have reached the final a total of three times and started with an Olympic silver in Turin in 2006, when women’s hockey made a huge breakthrough in the booths.
Then there is the JVM team who have reached the final twice, first time in 2018 and now at home in Östersund in 2023.
Finland is the only team among other countries to reach the final, by defeating the USA in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup on home soil.
But Canada and the United States share all 43 gold medals.
They have played in their respective league since the first-ever Women’s World Cup in Ottawa, Canada in 1990.
And I think we’re going to have to wait a little longer for the miracle that will be able to change that.
