WHC: Jonathan, who Over Confidence Buries Sweden

Who is Jonathan Toews? The question still haunts Team Sweden, who certainly did not have their finest moment at the Moscow World Hockey Championships. Often, the Swedes did not even care to know the names of the players they were facing. The defending champions acted as if they ruled the hockey world – but in the end, the crown was merely a brief loan.

The reigning champions of the tournament, Team Sweden, arrived in Moscow with Toronto's Alexander Steen as the only NHLer on their roster and had a laid-back manner of cocky confidence throughout their time in Russia. They were however, in for a rude awakening. Immediately following the - all too comfortable Swedish quarterfinal win against Slovakia, former Anaheim Ducks failure Tony Martensson spoke his mind on the value of NHL players.

"I think almost our whole team are more than qualified for being in the NHL and I don't believe that just being in the NHL makes a player better than playing in Sweden necessarily. I'm pretty sick of all the talk about how good they are supposed to be", said the Swedish centre.

Martensson was not the only one in the Swedish camp with such thoughts regarding the NHL. Veteran defenseman Johan Akerman was another Swedish player to chip in to the debate.

"NHL is simply overrated. It isn't that much of a difference, really".

Facing Canada in the semifinals did not rattle the Swedes at all beforehand. At the official press day at the Swedish hotel the day before the game, everyone was relaxed and firmly confident that Canada could and would be beaten, just like last year in Riga, when Sweden won 5-4 against the Sidney Crosby led Canadian team. This year's teenage sensation from Team Canada, Jonathan Toews, was virtually unknown by both coaches and players in Tre Kronor.

"I don't know anything about him. I don't think I've ever seen him play, except for maybe once at the World Juniors and he didn't look anything special then", the Swedish coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson commented on Toews.

World Championship veteran Jorgen Jonsson, a two-time Olympic gold winner, was on the same page as his coach regarding Toews.

"I have no grip on him whatsoever. Maybe I've seen him play once, but I really have no idea about what kind of player he is".

Both Gustafsson and Jonsson were to be educated soon enough though. Already midway into the first period of the semifinal game, Jonathan Toews swiftly cut through the Swedish crease and made it 2-0 for Team Canada. The goal eventually ended up as the game winner in the 4-1 affair. After the game, the Swedish players seemed surprised of the quality of the Canadian team.

"They were just so strong on the puck, winning all the battles in the corners and constantly driving to the net. We just had no response to that and they also buried their chances, pulling the game away from us", the Swedish goalie Johan Backlund sighed afterwards.

Backstrom getting heat

One of the Swedish players receiving the most criticism for the semifinal exit was Washington Capital prospect Nicklas Backstrom. Backstrom clearly did not measure up to his age-peers such as Jonathan Toews and Jordan Staal when it mattered the most and could not carry the intended Swedish top line with Alexander Steen by his side.

Bengt-Ake Gustafsson had relied on Backstrom to shine at this level of competition and therefore, made little effort to persuade knocked-out NHLers to reinforce the Swedish team. Gustafsson went all-in with Backstrom but Canada called him out and when the dust settled, Gustafsson concluded that the Brynas prodigy has a few things to improve before being slated as an NHL star.

"Right now, it seems like he only has one gear in what he's doing on the ice. He needs to be more shifty and play at a higher tempo to excel at the next level. It's a matter of working on it, but I think he has it in him", Gustafsson, a former Capitals player himself, said.

Davidsson top scorer

The top scorer of the tournament was not Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, anyone named Staal, Rick Nash or even David Vyborny. Instead, the title went to 31-year-old Swedish-veteran centre Johan Davidsson, who had a short-lived NHL stint with the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Islanders as part of his career resume.

Davidsson scored seven goals and added seven assists in his third World Championship appearance – although his first as playing a major role on the Swedish team.

"I'm happy to get the title of course, you have to take these things while you can", the gentle and well-spoken Davidsson smiled after the bronze medal game.

The HV 71 captain does not shut the door to a comeback in the NHL, given his performance in Moscow.

"It would be kind of fun to get back there and prove that you can play. I didn't make much of a name for myself there the last time, ha-ha. So I'm definitely not shutting the door or anything, if you shut the door at playing in the best league in the world, you could might as well retire from it all", he said.

"But at this point, I have no offers to consider. So we will see what happens over the course of the summer".

Johan Davidsson might end up being one the few Swedes who could consider three spring weeks in Moscow as a well-spent investment. Many others on last year's top-ranked national team came off as disappointing, overconfident and even slightly ignorant on the ice as well as off it.