Sweden is through to the semi-finals of the JVM after great drama.
Afterwards, however, the criticism was enormous – and in Canada all the experts were furious.
“The worst decision I’ve ever seen,” writes the world’s biggest hockey podcast, Spittin’ Chiclets, on X.
Sweden were huge favorites in the quarter-finals against Switzerland in the JVM, at home in Gothenburg. But just hours earlier, we had seen a huge upset in another quarter-final, as the Czech Republic knocked out Canada itself after scoring with just seconds left in the match. And it was close to another bang.
Dream location to be decided
Sweden had a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead in the match, but after conceding two consecutive goals, the match went to extra time. However, Sweden got a golden chance to decide the match even before it went to extra time, after an incident that made large parts of the hockey world see red. With less than two minutes left in the game, the Swiss goalkeeper blocked the puck, and Sweden’s Filip Bystedt was in front and poked a little at the goalkeeper, looking for a loose puck.
To defend his goalkeeper, a Swiss player chose to poke the stick at Bystedt, and the referee raised his arm for a spearing. Sweden had to play with one more man at the end of the match, and at the beginning of extra time – and the criticism was huge. Especially in Canada, where the comments absolutely raged against the decision.
– Oh my god. That’s not spearing. It’s a poke, max. You absolutely must not take that expulsion, it doesn’t work, says TSN commentator Mike Johnson.
Huge criticism
But it wasn’t just the commentator who reacted. Several major hockey profiles in Canada reacted to the verdict, and the hockey podcast Spittin’ Chiclets did not hold back in their criticism.
“Less than two minutes left in a decisive match. The worst expulsion of all time?”, writes on X, formerly Twitter.
The host of the podcast is Paul Bissonnette, who is also a popular expert for the television channel TNT:
“When you didn’t think it could get any worse… This takes its toll,” he writes.
Sweden decided a few minutes into extra time after another expulsion that could be called into question. Switzerland were completely furious afterwards, and in Canada they believe that Sweden has had the advantage of the decision the entire tournament.
“The referees are really doing everything to take Sweden further,” writes a user on X.
“Let me guess, the judge is Swedish…?”, writes another.
Share