Three crowns or Stars & Stripes
Sweden vs USA, Saturday, 1420 CEST
There used to be a time when the host teams simply couldn’t win the Ice Hockey World Championship. The “home-ice curse” was alive and well for almost 30 years, until 2013, when it was busted by, that’s right, Sweden, in, yup, the Avicii Arena.
Few people would be shocked to see Tre Kronor line up for gold medals again. The hosts have been impressive in the tournament so far, losing only once on their way to the semifinal.
Coach Sam Hallam has a welcome problem as Sweden has an embarrassment of riches on offence. When your third line has players such as Mika Zibanejad, Leo Carlsson, and Marcus Johansson, you have a deep team….