You might be familiar with the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships which take place, idiotically enough, before the NHL-playoffs are finished.
Even if many of the teams are missing some of their star players (as they're preoccupied chasing the Stanley Cup), there's some awesome hockey going on as players from European leagues and former junior teams team up with legends from the NHL.
Finland played against the USA yesterday in a match that was defined by the poor work of the officials, especially two Russian refs and the guy that checks video footage in unclear situations.
The game was 0-0 after the first period, the puck being played in both ends very actively. The acclaimed US power play couldn't succeed in scoring, even if Finland was outnumbered the most of the period (Olli Jokinen received a 5+20 in a situation where a 4+10 should have been the maximum).
During the second period, USA scored 2 goals but the Finns didn't give up.
The third period is where things got fucked up, and by fucked up I mean entertaining.
Ville Koistinen scored a goal in the third, narrowing the score to 1-2. Even a blind man could see from the video footage that the goal went through the side of a defective Canadian goal net. But hey, if the ref says it's a goal, it's a goal. See U.S. coach John Tortorellas reaction to the referees decision:
Now that would be tough on any ones morale, and team USA was no exception. The refs did a piss-poor job.
Finland ended up winning the game 3-2 (the two other goals being legit, lol), and it's quite understandable that some players might be pissed off, so as the buzzer rang at 60 minutes, this happened:
Total number penalties dealt:
Finland: 96 minutes
USA: 106 minutes
Epic. Hockey.
P.S: Robert Esche is a phenomenal goalie. But you knew that already.
I need around tree fiddy.