O Canada! Men's Hockey Wins Sochi's Final Gold

Sweden loses gold medal game 3-0; forward benched after failing drug test
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 23, 2014 8:31 AM CST
O Canada! Men's Hockey Wins Sochi's Final Gold
Canada goaltender Carey Price makes a save during the first period of the men's gold medal ice hockey game against Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.    (Julio Cortez)

Jonathan Toews scored in the first period, captain Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of the tournament, and Canada defended its Olympic men's hockey title today with a 3-0 victory over Sweden in the gold-medal game. Chris Kunitz also scored and Carey Price made 24 saves for the Canadians, who confirmed their worldwide dominance in their national game by winning gold for the third time in the last four Olympics.

After allowing just three goals in six victories in Sochi, Canada became the only repeat Olympic champ in the NHL era and the first team to go unbeaten through the Olympic tournament since the Soviet Union in Sarajevo in 1984. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 33 shots, but the injury-depleted Swedes couldn't keep pace with the new Big Red Machine in Russia. Meanwhile, the AP reports that Sweden's standout forward Niklas Backstrom was benched before the game after failing a drug test, becoming the sixth athlete to test positive in Sochi. The alleged culprit? A substance in his allergy medication. (More 2014 Sochi Olympics stories.)

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