Nikolaj Ehlers: Denmark Beating Canada ‘One Of The Biggest Things I've Done In My Career'
'I don't have any words for this,' Nikolaj Ehlers said after the game, almost in disbelief. 'To beat Canada at home and go through is one of the biggest things I've done in my career, so it's amazing.'
Ehlers is the only active NHL player on this Danish team. In fact, he was playing for the Winnipeg Jets last Sunday. That loss to the Dallas Stars was disappointing, but opportunities to play in the World Championship on home ice don't come long often so he didn't hesitate.
He flew overseas and joined the team in time for Denmark's last group-stage game on Tuesday against Germany – a shootout win which got the team into the quarterfinals. The Danes knew they were huge underdogs against Canada but had a clear plan for the game, and executed it nearly to perfection.
'We knew from the beginning that they were going to have a lot of pressure on our net, so we just tried to play on the inside and minimize their chances, and I thought our goalie (Frederik) Dichow was great today,' said Ehlers. 'Then we managed somehow to score two goals at the end.'
EHLERS! 😤🔥 #MensWorlds #IIHF @dkishockey pic.twitter.com/876YiroUPb
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 22, 2025
It was Ehlers who scored the equalizer – a flick of the wrist from the point that went through a screen and goaltender Jordan Binnington with 2:17 to play. But that wasn't all. With under a minute to go, Nicklas Jensen found Nick Olesen alone in front of the net, and he put the puck up and over a fallen Binnington for the game-winner.
GAME. CHANGER. Nick Olesen sends @dkishockey through! 🇩🇰💥 #MensWorlds #IIHF pic.twitter.com/en6PBK4F9I
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 22, 2025
'Unbelievable,' said Ehlers. 'I was almost crying on the ice, being at home in front of the Danish fans, hearing the Danish national anthem, it was great.'
For the first time ever, Denmark is in the World Championship semifinals so, as much as they'd like to, they can't celebrate this win too much. They've got a flight to Stockholm in the morning and a game against Switzerland on Saturday afternoon. Switzerland beat Denmark 5-2 in the group stage, but that was before Ehlers joined the team.
'I mean, we just beat Canada, so I guess we have to prepare for that game now,' he figures. 'We'll celebrate for an hour or two and then get ready for the next game.'
Photo © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
'Disappointed' Sidney Crosby: 'We Couldn't Get It Done Here Tonight' When
Sidney Crosby said he'd play for Canada, followed by Nathan MacKinnon, Marc-André Fleury and others, it was supposed to be 2015 all over again … or, at the very least, the team was supposed to be playing for a medal this weekend. Instead, Crosby was left trying to figure out what happened at the end of Thursday's 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Denmark.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Abbotsford Canucks Penalty Kill Must Step Up In Crucial Game 6 Versus The Texas Stars
The Abbotsford Canucks are one win away from history. If they can defeat the Texas Stars on Sunday, they will punch their ticket to the 2025 Calder Cup Final. While Abbotsford has had a strong series so far, one area that needs improving is their penalty kill, which has been problematic over the past three games. Entering into the Western Conference Final, the Canucks penalty kill was almost unbeatable. They allowed only one goal in the first three rounds and, at one point, killed off 30 straight power plays. Flash forward to this series, and Abbotsford has allowed four goals in five games while posting a kill percentage of just 75%. Advertisement The Canucks penalty kill issues started in Game 3 when the series shifted to Texas. All four goals against have come on the road, with Game 3 featuring not just two failed penalty kills, but also two shorthanded goals allowed. While it was unlikely that Abbotsford was going to keep operating at over 95% on the penalty kill through the entire post-season, their inability to stop the Stars' power play over the last three games has become an issue. One factor that could be impacting the Canucks penalty kill is the amount of penalties they are taking. Through the five games, Abbotsford has been shorthanded 16 times, with 11 of those coming on the road. While it may seem like a simple statement, the Canucks need to find a way to stay out of the box, as they are giving Texas too many power play chances on a nightly basis. Latest From THN's Vancouver Canucks Site: Vancouver Canucks Draft Class Throwback: 2022 Advertisement Vancouver Canucks 2025 NHL Draft Target: Braeden Cootes How Former Vancouver Canuck Vasily Podkolzin Went From Scoring Droughts To The Stanley Cup Finals The good news for Abbotsford is that the final two games of this series are at home, where they are a perfect 28 for 28 on the penalty kill. That being said, they may need to switch up their strategy, as it is clear that the Stars have found ways to expose the Canucks penalty killers. In the end, if Abbotsford wants to punch their ticket to the Calder Cup Final, their penalty kill will need to come up big on Sunday in Game 6. Abbotsford Canucks vs Texas Stars (Photo Credit: @TheAHL on Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Capitals' Alex Ovechkin Makes Big Career Decision: Report
Capitals' Alex Ovechkin Makes Big Career Decision: Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After breaking the legendary Wayne Gretzky's longstanding record for most career goals, few would blame Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin if he decided to call it a career. Advertisement There has been plenty of speculation about what the future holds for the 39-year-old Russian, and Capitals fans got a little scare last week when an email sent out referring to the 2025-26 season as Ovechkin's last — a decision the team quickly addressed as inaccurate. 'No decision has been made on Alex Ovechkin's future following the 2025-26 NHL season. An email was sent from an individual with the corporate sales department that mistakenly alluded to next year being Alex Ovechkin's final year,' the team wrote on X. Though Ovechkin has yet to make an official decision about how many more years—if any—he plans to play in the NHL, the three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner (NHL MVP award) has reportedly decided when his next hockey game will be, and it's sooner than some fans might think. Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after scoring career goal 888 at Capital One Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images In a recent interview with Russian news outlet Match TV, Utah Mammoth defenseman and fellow countryman Mikhail Sergachev disclosed that Ovechkin will play in the second annual 'Match of the Year' between all-stars from the NHL and the Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on July 13. Advertisement Ovechkin's reported decision is a big one given it could be the final time he plays in international competition given the Russian national team has been banned from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, due to the country's ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The first iteration of the NHL-KHL exhibition happened last year at CSKA Arena in Moscow and ended in an 8-8 tie, but Ovechkin made quite an impact, scoring the game's first goal and winning MVP. Ovechkin, who scored 44 goals and 73 points in 65 games this season, is back in Russia for the offseason having flown back at the end of May after the Capitals were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes. Next year is the last on Ovechkin's contract with the Capitals. Barring a contract extension being signed between now and next offseason, Ovechkin will hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026. Advertisement Ovechkin has expressed a desire to finish his professional hockey career with Dynamo Moscow, the KHL team he began his career with and played for back in the 2012-13 season during the NHL lockout. Related: Sidney Crosby Sends 6-Word Alex Ovechkin Warning After Capitals Season Ends This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
After 2 overtime games, Panthers and Oilers relish days off as Stanley Cup Final shifts to Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — After Brad Marchand scored the winning goal in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, he and Florida Panthers teammate Sam Bennett were asked how they kept their bodies going during another long and intense matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. 'I think (Marchand) grabbed a Blizzard … I think it was Oreo today,' Bennett quipped, referring to a viral moment during the Eastern Conference finals when Marchand joked that he enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie dough treat from Dairy Queen between periods — which was later revealed as a spoonful of honey. Advertisement 'Nice plug," Marchand responded with a chuckle. 'I like that.' They were joking, of course, but there was a point in Friday night's double-overtime game that Marchand spent time between periods pedaling on an exercise bike to stay loose — as players from both teams shuffled their tired bodies on and off the ice for hours. The first two games of the Stanley Cup Final have gone to overtime, only the sixth time in NHL history that's happened and first since 2014. Game 1 went on until Leon Draisaitl's power-play goal 19:29 into the extra period. Marchand put Game 2 to an end with a breakaway goal 8:07 into the second overtime. With the series tied 1-1, both teams will embark on a cross-continent trip from Canada to Florida, enjoying an extra day's rest between games to recover after an intense start to their championship series. Game 3 is Monday night in Sunrise, Florida. Advertisement "Obviously a long game, a lot of back and forth," said Florida defenseman Seth Jones, who led the Panthers in ice time at 34 minutes, 35 seconds on Friday. Jones, who is averaging a team-high 25:45 on the ice in the postseason, played more than 30 minutes in both of the first two games of the series. He scored in the first period on Friday — his fourth goal of the postseason — and assisted on Dmitry Kulikov's goal in the second. 'We came here for a split and got it," Jones added, "and just going to recover now.' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said heading back to Florida with the series tied — instead of being down 0-2 — does make a minor mental difference, but one of his team's strengths is its tunnel vision approach. Advertisement 'It's mathematically significant," Maurice said. "I'd like to think that we'd be dragging here today, this morning, if we had lost that game having had the lead for so long. But I think we're really good at cutting it off. "It's the same morning this morning at the meal room as it was two days ago (after the Game 1 loss). It's just on to the next day. We understand how to leave our days — the good ones and the bad ones — in the past and handle the day we have right now.' The Oilers are moving forward in the series with an equally short memory after missed chances in Game 2. Corey Perry, whose goal with 17.8 seconds left in the third period forced overtime, said the back-and-forth nature of the series was to be expected from the two teams, but there's no use in getting hung up on 'what-ifs.' Advertisement 'What's it going to do?' Perry said. "It's not going to do anything for you now. Get on the plane tomorrow and get some rest and be ready for Game 3.' Few players have spent more time on the ice in the series than Connor McDavid. The Edmonton star played 31:12 in Game 1, and just over 35 minutes in Game 2 — more than anyone else in the game. That's nearly 10 minutes more than his postseason average of 24:22. McDavid's impact was certainly felt on Friday. He had three assists, including one in which he zipped through Florida's penalty kill to set up Draisaitl's power play goal in the first. Draisaitl noted after the game there's only one player in the world that can make such a highlight-reel play, but stressed the importance of using the two days off to recalibrate. Advertisement 'At this time of year, you've got to move on,' he said, 'There's not time thinking about it too long. Obviously it stings right now, but we have to move on.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and Alanis Thames, The Associated Press