Winter Olympics 2022 | Finland beats Russia for its 1st Olympic hockey gold medal

Finland last reached the final in 2006 and lost to Sweden

Finland knocked off the favoured Russians 2-1 to win the tournament without NHL players at the Beijing Games, capturing an Olympic gold medal for the first time in the nation’s history. The defending champions had to settle for silver.

Finland had never won at the Olympics on the men’s or women’s side. It last reached the final in 2006 and lost to Sweden, matching the silver from 1988.

After winning gold in 2018 as the Olympic Athletes from Russia, the Russians competed this time as ROC, short for Russian Olympic Committee. The ROC and OAR names were the result of sanctions for doping and cover-ups across multiple Olympic sports.

The hockey tournament unfolded in the shadow of another Russian doping saga, this time in figure skating after word emerged that 15-year-old Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance in December, helped the Russians win women's team gold and was allowed to skate in the individual event, in which she finished a disappointing fourth. Players and coaches from the Russian hockey team and others at the rink faced questions about the scandal and the IOC's ruling not to hold a medal ceremony if she finished on the podium.

While the Russians looked like the new favorites when the NHL withdrew because of pandemic-related schedule disruptions in late December, the Finns were actually the big winners. With recent NHL players like captain Valtteri Filppula, forward Leo Komarov and defensemen Sami Vatanen and Mikko Lehtonen on the team, Finland had the firepower to go along with its hallmark of strong structure, defense and goaltending.

That combination helped Finland go through the Olympics undefeated in six games, including a three-goal comeback to beat rival Sweden in the preliminary round. Finland beat Switzerland, Slovakia and the Russians to roll through the tournament in efficient, business-like fashion with longtime coach Jukka Jalonen behind the bench.