Czechia’s biggest active hockey star helped put the team at the center of the hockey world as David Pastrnak’s goal gave his country the 2-0 win over Switzerland to win the 2024 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Prague.
Czechia last won gold back in 2010, with today’s win being their 13th in the combined history of Czechoslovakia and Czechia. It is Czechia’s 48th medal in team history, and they’ve become just the second host team in the past decade to win the title after Finland won it back in 2022.
Switzerland, meanwhile, took its fourth silver medal and third since 2013. It’s Switzerland’s 12th medal in the nation’s history.
The Czechs were the better team through 40, outshooting the Swiss 12-7 in the first before tying seeing them draw at 10-10 in the second. The Czechs had some of the more dangerous opportunities, though, with Swiss goaltender Genoni coming up big on a few occasions. Lukas Dostal was great at the other end as well, especially on Switzerland’s two power plays in the second stanza.
But with about 10 minutes to go, the Czech crowd was launched into mayhem. At 49:13, Tomas Kundratek found Pastrnak all alone by the left faceoff dot, and he made no mistake, firing a hard one-timer past Genoni to make it 1-0. The Swiss controlled the puck game over the next 10 minutes, but Czech goalkeeper Lukas Dostal shut the door and David Kampf scored an empty-netter to cap off the game at 2-0.
Earlier in the day, Sweden pulled off a 4-2 victory over Canada to win bronze – their first medal since winning gold back in 2018.
Here’s a look at the top performers from the 64th and final game of the 2024 World Hockey Championship:
Czechia
#1 Lukas Dostal, G (Anaheim Ducks): If this tournament is any indication, Dostal is going to be a key piece of the Czech national team anytime he’s available. He never once looked out of place, going toe-to-toe with Genoni all night long. Dostal found a way to outduel his goalie counterparts almost every game this year and his shutout performance today was his best yet.
#88 David Pastrnak, RW (Boston Bruins): Pastrnak had just one point all tournament long – but he saved it for the best possible time. His one-timer blast with about 10 minutes to go in the game helped get the hockey-crazed Czech crowd to their feet in a moment the fans in attendance won’t soon forget.
Switzerland
#63 Leonardo Genoni, G: Once again, Genoni was outstanding. And he had to be, given how Switzerland did most of its damage on the power play at this tournament. The veteran keeper was so sharp, making some great, athletic stops while staying square in his crease and tracking shots well.
#90 Roman Josi, D (Nashville Predators): Josi didn’t register a point, but he did what he does best – shutting the Czechs down. He brought physicality and strong puck movement and matched up with Czechia’s top players with ease. In the end, it wasn’t enough for one of the best players in the entire tournament.