The Olympic Athletes of Russia are on top of the hockey world.
After a thrilling third period which featured four goals in less than seven minutes remaining in regulation, the OAR ultimately took home gold after Kirill Kaprizov scored a beautiful overtime winner. Team captain and former Detroit Red wings superstar Pavel Datsyuk was standing in front of the net as the puck crossed the goal line.
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The game was late by North American standards , but that didn’t stop enthusiasts from staying up and watching the action. Following the goal, they congratulated both teams on the result.
The gold medal was just the Olympic Athletes of Russia’s second, and 17th total medal at the Games. The hockey team entered the tournament as the +225 favourites according to OddsShark, whereas Germany was given odds at just +6600. Had won, it would have been one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history.
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Despite the absence of NHL players, the gold medal game (and rest of the tournament for that matter), still provided hockey fans with some extremely entertaining hockey. Now, fans will have to play the waiting game to see if NHL players will be able to compete in the 2022 Games in Beijing.
