Tempers flared and fists were flying at the gold medal game between Team Sweden and Team USA today. As time ticked down in the third, and with Sweden hurting from the loss in front of their home country, officials were forced to boot players from the game to keep things from exploding again.
With just 31 seconds to go in the last period, and Team USA cruising toward a 6-2, the two teams started a scrum after the whistle, and it rapidly got worse, with pretty much every player on the ice getting involved.
Perhaps it was this incident that set off the Swedes. After scoring a goal, one of Team USA's players - Ryan Leonard, picked eighth overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft - blew a kiss to the Team Sweden faithful in Gothenburg. That drew plenty of boos from the crowd, which is expected.
Team USA claims the World Juniors title for 2024. The 2025 World Juniors Hockey Championships takes place in Ottawa. Team Canada will hope for better fortunes after losing in the quarter-finals of this tournament, and never really looking like a cohesive unit at any point.
