Norway wins first-ever IIHF World Championship medal after beating Canada for bronze
For the first time in IIHF Men’s World Championship tournament history, Norway has won a medal, taking bronze in a 3-2 overtime win over Canada on Sunday.
Norway had never advanced to the final four at any major IIHF tournament before, so this will be a moment that the Norwegians will never soon forget. Canada, meanwhile, has lost for the sixth time in a row in a bid for bronze, with the last win coming in 1995. Canada has not medaled since the 2023 World Championship.
The win marks Norway’s third against Canada in tournament history, having also done so in 2000 and 2023.
Canada controlled the pace in the first period, outshooting Norway 18-9. But Emilio Petersen would get Norway on the board first, taking advantage of a Jet Greaves giveaway behind the Canadian net to make it 1-0 Norway.
At the other end, Henrik Haukeland – an MVP candidate – was spectacular. He bounced back from a difficult 6-0 loss to Switzerland by stopping every shot sent his way in the first period of a game that his team was outplayed in.
The Canadians struggled to find the same pace in the second period, and it ultimately bit them in the butt. Stian Solberg scored to make it 2-0 after his shot hit off Zach Whitecloud and in to double the team’s advantage.
Canada needed to do whatever it took to win in the third – that’s where Robert Thomas came into play. The St. Louis Blues forward scored twice in the final 76 seconds of play, forcing the game into extra time. But in overtime, Noah Steen – a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect – managed to fire home a wrister to make it 3-2, giving Norway its biggest hockey victory ever.
Here’s a look at Sunday’s top performers:
Canada
#18 Robert Thomas, C (St. Louis Blues): The Canadians needed everything possible to go their way – and it did. Thomas scored two goals with the extra man to force extra time, showing a level of competitiveness we just hadn’t seen enough of him from the past few weeks. He battled harder than anyone and he was able to give his team a fighting chance.
#55 Mark Scheifele, RW (Winnipeg Jets): Scheifele had the hat-trick against Norway earlier in the tournament, but then proceeded to quiet down on the scoresheet. I really liked his game today, though – it felt like he was one of the few players off the top line who looked good. Scheifele did an excellent job of breaking through the middle of the ice and getting pucks toward Haukeland, but he just couldn’t find a way to crack through on the scoresheet.
#87 Sidney Crosby, LW (Pittsburgh Penguins): Crosby looked like the only Canadian forward who truly wanted to win this game. He landed big hits, battled hard at both ends of the ice and had a few solid scoring chances, as well. Crosby struggled at this tournament as a shooter, but his defensive work and overall hockey sense were definitely on display in all 10 outings.
Norway
#40 Henrik Haukeland, G: Haukeland not only deserves heavy love as the top goalie of the tournament, but should be firmly in the MVP conversation. Without him, Norway wouldn’t have come close to getting this far. He was extremely busy in the first period in particular, stopping 18 shots in a frame that saw Canada get multiple power-play opportunities. Haukeland gave the Canadians very little to shoot at while making great play reads through traffic and keeping his glove active at all times.
#72 Stian Solberg, D (Anaheim Ducks): Even before the goal (a deflection), Solberg was one of my favorites today. He played a lot of minutes and proved to be too much for Canada’s attack defensively. At his best, Solberg is an absolute menace who can dominate physically and with the puck. Today, it felt like he played his best game – just no real weak spots at any end.
#20 Emilio Pettersen, RW: Pettersen wasn’t able to make his NHL dreams come true, but I really liked his tournament. It always felt like he was flying around the ice, trying to make quality plays while beating opponents with speed. That paid off after he outmuscled Parker Wotherspoon on the 1-0 goal, and then he nearly scored again on his next shift. He’s a shifty forward who seems to annoy everyone, and it was good to see him finally rewarded with his first goal of the tournament.