HELSINKI (AP) — Tens of thousands of flag-waving ice hockey fans gathered on the streets of the capital to welcome home Finland’s world champions.
Finland beat archrival Sweden 6-1 in the final on Sunday in Bratislava, Slovakia, to claim the Nordic country’s second world championship.
All-night revelers filled city streets nationwide late Sunday after the team, now dubbed the “Golden Lions,” beat its fierce rival in a repeat of its first world victory in 1995.
The team flew to Finland on Monday, escorted by a Finnish Air Force Hornet F-18 jet.
