Semi Finals

It could not have been a better result in the quarter finals of the Ice Hockey World Championship. Mum's home country America beat Russia 8-3. Switzerland continued its winning streak by beating the Czechs. Our neighbour Finland beat Slovakia. Then, in the last quarter final, Sweden beat Canada.

The USA will play Switzerland in one of the semi finals. This is good, because it means that either of these countries will be in the final. For as long as the current format of the tournament has been played, with a true final game, neither the USA, nor Switzerland, has reached that game. The USA last won a bronze in the 2004 championship, and before that in 1996, while Switzerland has not won any medal since 1953, when they won bronze.

Most of us hope that Sweden will win the gold, but Mum has her hope up for America. That would also be nice. America has not won the World Championship since 1960, when it was the same tournament as the Olympics, and has not won the separate World Championship since 1933. By comparison, there was a short time since Sweden's latest gold in 2006 or time without a gold between 1962 and 1987.

Go, Sweden!