The United States, Canada, Finland, and Slovakia have advanced to the semifinals of the men's hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics in Milan. Wednesday brought unprecedented excitement to fans, as three out of the four quarterfinal matches were decided only in overtime. The tournament's biggest favorites, the USA and Canada teams, had to sweat until the very last second, facing ambitious opponents from Sweden and the Czech Republic.
The quarterfinal battles of hockey players at the Milan Olympics have gone down in history as one of the most dramatic days in Olympic hockey history. The USA team defeated Sweden 2-1 after a goal by Quinn Hughes scored in stoppage time. The Swedes suffered a significant loss even before the match when their defensive pillar, Victor Hedman, sustained a groin injury. Despite a spirited performance and an equalizer late in the third period by Mika Zibanejad, it was the Americans who celebrated advancing to the medal zone, where they will face the sensational Slovakia. Equally intense emotions accompanied the match between Canada and the Czech Republic. The team under the Maple Leaf, considered the strongest in history, won 4-3, even though they trailed 2-3 in the third period after a goal by Ondřej Palát. The Canadians had to cope without their captain, as Sidney Crosby left the ice in the second period with a leg injury. Nick Suzuki leveled the score, and the winning goal was scored by Mitch Marner 82 seconds into overtime. The Czech team was one step away from causing a massive upset, but the experience of Jordan Binnington in goal saved the favorites from elimination. The last time such a level of excitement was seen in Olympic quarterfinals was in 1994 in Lillehammer, when Peter Forsberg secured Sweden's gold with a famous penalty shot, later commemorated on a national postage stamp. In the remaining matches, the defending champions Finland overcame a two-goal deficit against Switzerland, ultimately winning 3-2 after a goal by Artturi Lehkonen in sudden death overtime. The last time such a level of excitement was seen in Olympic quarterfinals was in 1994 in Lillehammer, when Peter Forsberg secured gold for Sweden with a famous penalty shot, later commemorated on a national postage stamp. In the remaining matches, defending champions Finland overcame a two-goal deficit against Switzerland, ultimately winning 3-2 after a goal by Artturi Lehkonen in sudden death overtime. Meanwhile, Slovakia was the only team to decide their match in regulation time, defeating Germany 6-2. A special moment of the day was the announcement of the engagement of the captain of the U.S. women's team, Hilary Knight, to speed skater Brittany Bowe, which became a media symbol of the Olympic spirit in Milan. „People ask if I get stressed during games as a manager. I say yes, because the best thing in the world is being out there on the ice, not in the stands.” — Bill Guerin [{