With the World Junior Championship of hockey coming to an end, it was interesting to see the drama between team USA and team Sweden go down in the gold medal game. When you watch your home team get blown out in your own country, as a viewer it leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
That's what the Swedes had to experience, made all the more infuriating from team USA's taunting of the team and their crowd. The Swedes were obviously unhappy about this, as we were able to hear about the aftermath of the game from Will Smith as he joined the Spittin' Chiclets podcast.
It's crazy to think that the fans would take a U18 tournament this seriously, but it doesn't take much to imagine a scenario where Canadians would do the same thing if they had to watch team USA gloat about the medal in front of their country's best talents. Even though Sweden has always been a top competitor, it's fascinating to watch Sweden become an even bigger market for hockey than previously thought, and ushers in an age of very intense international competition and rivalries for years to come.