The Olympic Athletes from Russia have won that nation’s first Men’s Olympic Hockey Gold Medal since 1992.\u00a0 That year,\u00a0it was another weirdly named team as the country competed as the Unified Team, with other former Soviet republics, following the fall of Soviet Union.<\/p>\n
On Saturday night, the team beat the Germany 3 to 2 in overtime.\u00a0Kirill Kaprizov <\/strong>scored the winner on the power play. Nikita Gusev<\/strong> scored two third period goals, including a shorthanded\u00a0marker to tie the game very late in the third period.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understood the whole thing from the start so we were calm about it,\u201d coach Oleg Znarok said. \u201cRussia is in our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you play for your country and I win this medal, this special time it\u2019s more important,\u201d Pavel Datsyuk<\/a><\/strong> said. \u201cI have accomplished my dream. Now I have no dream.\u201d<\/p>\n For the Germans, the silver is their first medal since 1976\u00a0when they won a Bronze Medal after beating Finland. It’s also their\u00a0best ever finish in ice hockey. Prior to this medal, Germany’s ice hockey has combined for an underwhelming two bronze medals, both coming from the Men’s team in 1976 and 1932.<\/p>\n Germany’s experience in\u00a0PyeongChang has been notable, to say the least. Led by former NHL players Marcel Goc<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Christian Ehroff<\/strong>, the team went farther than anyone expected. This includes a 5-4 win over Team Canada, a win that propelled Germany to the final round. They also trumped Sweden and Switzerland, two strong hockey countries.<\/p>\n The biggest difference between Russia’s and Germany’s teams is the number of NHL players they boast. Russia’s team is loaded with former NHL talent. Detroit Red Wings Legend, Pavel Datsyuk, is the captain of the team. He doesn’t match their top talent, though. Ilya Kovalchuk<\/a><\/strong>, the highly criticized former New Jersey Devil, recorded seven points throughout the tournament. Nikita Gusev<\/strong>, who was selected in the 2012 NHL draft but never saw his debut, led the Russians in points going into the Gold Medal game.<\/p>\n The Germans only have two NHL veterans on their roster. Ehrhoff\u00a0played in 11 NHL seasons, split amongst seven teams. Goc\u00a0played in 10 NHL seasons with five teams. Both players started their career with the San Jose Sharks in 2003, and both returned to the DEL.<\/p>\n Germany’s top scorer, Patrick Hager, was never even drafted into the NHL. Hager, who tallied six points, has instead played his entire career in Germany. The 29-year-old currently has 27 points in 49 games, in Germany’s top professional hockey league; the DEL.<\/p>\n Main Photo:Olympic Athletes of Russia Win 2018 Men’s Hockey Gold Medal<\/h1>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>