Canada became the first repeat men’s hockey champion in 20 years and the first undefeated team since 1984 when they took gold in men & women’s hockey in the Sochi games. Sweden took second and Finland the bronze, with the US men’s team coming in fourth. While the American women fared better, taking second place, they still weren’t able to edge their Canadian counterparts, who received the gold. Switzerland received the women’s bronze medal.
The U.S. men’s performance in Sochi was widely regarded as a big disappointment, especially during the bronze-medal match against Finland where they lost 5-0. Both teams were favorites for medals this year. The women’s gold medal match was far less lopsided; they were leading until the last three and a half minutes of the gold-medal game when Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin managed to overcome American goalie Jessie Vetter to get the gold. To make matters worse, the puck bounced off defenseman Kacey Bellamy’s knee to get into the net for a goal that halved the American lead. The loss was so devastating for the Americans that they began crying on the ice after the game.
“We were up by two goals. It’s just heartbreaking and shocking that we didn’t win the game. It’s just like a dream,” said US forward Kelli Stack.
