An Austrian national ice hockey team has won against Canada only once. That was in Vienna in 1930 – 1-0 at test level. Anyone who saw yesterday’s O2 Arena in Prague, which was brilliantly attended by 14,704 visitors – based on the 2-2 draw in 2004 – as a signal of hope, was not mistaken. The red-white-red team defied the 28-time world champion, who appeared to be a “black beast” compared to his outfit, by winning 6:7 after extra time.
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Austria came back from a 6-1 deficit
This is a sensation that was not nearly expected after two thirds. Roger Bader’s protégés had opened up a seemingly hopeless 1:6 deficit. But then Brother Leichtfuß sneaked into the “maple leaves” and the Austrians took advantage of this mercilessly. The third period went 5-0 to red-white-red – against the reigning champion, whose coach Andre Tourigny just shook his head in disbelief.
The fact that his team ended up with a black eye because superstar John Tavares, the NHL captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, averted the complete Canadian embarrassment with the score 7:6 just 15 seconds after the start of overtime was at least conciliatory. Of course the Austrians would have liked to win, but this point win, especially the way it came about, will go down as one of the highlights in the association’s history.
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Image: GEPA pictures/Daniel Goetzhaber
Source: Nachrichten
