Monday was declared a national holiday in Latvia following the nation’s greatest hockey victory ever.
The country, whose public game is hockey, crushed the US, 4-3, in additional time in the bronze award round of the IIHF Big showdown.
The triumph was so enormous for Latvians that their administration chose to make Monday a public occasion.
Kristians Rubins scored the decoration victor only 1:22 into the extra time frame at Nokia Field in Finland — the group comprised of for the most part Latvia fans, so the objective sent practically everyone into a free for all.
It was the nation’s first medal in IIHF competition, and prior to this tournament, they had never finished higher than seventh.
When Monday was declared a holiday, members of the Latvian parliament donned sweaters representing the team.
“Celebrating the success of the Latvian hockey team could encourage everyone to strive for excellence in their work, in their skills,” the bill stated, via USA Today. “Celebrating this day together would strengthen the national self-confidence and cohesion of the Latvian society.”
The Latvian team celebrates their victory during the USA-Lettonida game at Nokia Arena on May 28, 2023, in Tampere, Finland, during the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
Rubins scored the game-binds objective with 5:39 left in guideline that sent the game into extra time.
Canada, for the 28th time, won the gold award, bringing down Germany.
In the semifinals, Canada prevailed 5-2 over Latvia, which was not surprising.
However, this victory will last a lifetime for Latvia.
“For the big teams like Canada, this is what they do,” Latvian forward Miks Indrašis said after the game. “They win medals all the time. But for us, it’s like a one-time opportunity. This is unreal.”
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