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Team Sweden was one of three teams at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics to be filled with NHL players. Understandably, they were favored to at least notch a medal but it was just not destiny unlike 2006. Coach Sam Hallam and Co. went crashing down in a overtime thriller against Team USA. It all ended with a Quinn Hughes goal to get the score to 2-1. Colorado Avalanche star and Sweden veteran Gabriel Landeskog was visibly saddened by the result.
Landeskog drops unfortunate assessment at Milano Cortina
The expectation was always to contend for the gold medal against Team Canada at the Olympics. When Hughes hit the shot for Team USA and the clock stopped, Landeskog just stared into the abyss for a while. Everything they worked hard for fell short and their hopes of bringing medals home to Sweden were not fulfilled.
He bared his emotions after the quarterfinals game, via Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
"I’ve talked all along about staying present, being right here, right now, and I’m not going to run away from the bitterness and heartache of this. I’m going to sit in it for a little bit, accept it for what it is, and then the sun will rise tomorrow again. It felt like we were in control. It felt like we were going to tie it up, just a matter of time. Eventually we do. Then having been on the gas the majority of the third period it felt like we had the momentum, but also knowing that it’s 3-on-3, can go either way. It didn’t go our way, it’s as simple as that," the Avalanche and Team Sweden star declared.
Prior to getting eliminated in the Olympics, Landeskog was doing a lot of work to keep Sweden afloat. He notched two goals while also dishing out two assists. Unfortunately, he the Avalanche star can no longer extend his point streak but his sights will now be set in winning the Stanley Cup.
Before he returns to Colorado, Landeskog just plans to sit with his feelings for a while and digest what happened against Team USA. What made everything hurt more was that Victor Hedman was not able to play alongside this Sweden line because of his injury. The Avalanche star wanted it to be a memorable Olympics for Hedman because it was the only one he'll get to participate in.
“Talk about a heartbreaker. We knew there was no place he’d rather be than on the ice competing with us. Forced to have to sit out, yeah, I was hurting for him. I really was and I still am. I know how long he’d been working toward this and looking forward to this. Yeah, that stinks,” Landeskog added.
Often, the pain of not being able to represent the nation up to par with expectations haunts a player more than losing a Stanley Cup. It is also a byproduct of pouring one's heart out on the ice and knowing that Team Sweden did their best but the outcomes just were not in their favor.
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