A big performance from Detroit Red Wings‘ defenseman Moritz Seider wasn’t enough for his national team to end the World Championship on a winning note.
Germany settled for the silver medal Sunday at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland, where Canada rallied twice to emerge with a 5-2 victory and another gold medal. Wings general manager Steve Yzerman was an assistant GM with the team, and Joe Veleno was part of the lineup until he received a five-game, tournament-ending suspension for kicking a player in a group-stage game against Switzerland.
Germany started out 0-3, but rose from the bottom of the Group A standings to finish fourth, setting up a quarterfinal against Switzerland. The Germans took that match, 3-1, and then upset the U.S. with a 4-3 victory in the semifinals on Saturday.
RED, WHITE AND BLUE: Red Wings’ Carter Mazur and Team USA lose bronze medal game to Latvia in Worlds
FEELING A DRAFT? Red Wings hold ninth pick in 2023 NHL draft. Here are Steve Yzerman’s options
Seider finished the event with one goal and four assists in 10 games.
Seider earned his first assist Sunday when he got the puck inside Germany’s zone. Seider made a long heads-up pass that landed at John Peterka’s feet at Canada’s blue line. He strode into the left circle, and fired a shot that made it 1-0 for Germany at 7:44 of the opening period.
On Germany’s second goal, Seider skated the puck out from his own zone and up along the boards before firing it into Canada’s zone. Maximilian Kastner got the puck, and Daniel Fischbuch turned it into a 2-1 lead at 3:47 of the second period.
The Canadians scored three times in the third period to claim gold for the second time in three years, extending their streak of winning a medal to four straight (two gold, two silver).
It is the first Worlds medal for Germany — then playing as West Germany — since 1953.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.