Tampere, Finland — Denmark pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the world hockey championships on Saturday, stunning the United States 5-2 in the opening game.
Denmark, a small Scandinavian country with only about 4,000 hockey players, is making its return to hockey's elite after a 54-year absence. In the 1949 tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, Denmark lost one game to Canada 47-0, which is still a record in championship history.
Kim Staal, one of the Danish team's six players who play for the Swedish club Modo, led Denmark with two goals and two assists.
The U.S., which has 12 NHL players but no big names on its roster, outshot Denmark 55-22 but goalie Peter Hirsch made several sparkling saves throughout the game.
Three of the Danish goals came after breakaways, including the first two in the opening period.
After the final buzzer, hundreds of boisterous, flag-waving Danish fans celebrated the triumph in the stands at the Tampere Ice Hall, the oldest hockey facility in Finland.
!
Denmark, a small Scandinavian country with only about 4,000 hockey players, is making its return to hockey's elite after a 54-year absence. In the 1949 tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, Denmark lost one game to Canada 47-0, which is still a record in championship history.
Kim Staal, one of the Danish team's six players who play for the Swedish club Modo, led Denmark with two goals and two assists.
The U.S., which has 12 NHL players but no big names on its roster, outshot Denmark 55-22 but goalie Peter Hirsch made several sparkling saves throughout the game.
Three of the Danish goals came after breakaways, including the first two in the opening period.
After the final buzzer, hundreds of boisterous, flag-waving Danish fans celebrated the triumph in the stands at the Tampere Ice Hall, the oldest hockey facility in Finland.
!
