Quick Hits: May 30, 2022
1) 2022 IIHF World Championships: Host team Finland captured the 2022 IIHF World Championship gold medal on Sunday with a 4-3 overtime victory against Team Canada. Canada led in the third period, 1-0, until 5-on-3 and 5-on-4 power play goals by Mikael Granlund put Finland ahead. The penalty that caused the two-man advantage, a high-sticking minor on Cole Sillinger, was controversial. Replays showed that Sillinger did not catch Team Finland defenseman Miro Heiskanen in the face with his stick.
Team Canada goalie Chris Driedger had to leave the game with an injury after the first Granlund goal. Matt Thomkins, who had not played in the entire tournament up to that point, had to come in to finish the game and gave up three goals in 14 shots.
Joel Armia gave Finland a 3-1 lead with 5:56 left in regulation. However, goals by Zach Whitecloud at 17:48 and by Max Comtois at 18:36 knotted the score at 3-3 to force overtime. Back in the second period, Dylan Cozens opened the scoring for Canada at the 4:00 mark.
In overtime, all five shots belonged to Finland. With Thomas Chabot in the penalty box for hooking, Sakari Manninen scored the gold-medal winning goal at 6:42. He was assisted by Granlund and Heiskanen.
Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim skated 17:28 of ice time for Canada over 23 shifts in the gold medal game. He finished the tournament with four points (1g, 3a) and a plus-seven rating in 10 games played while averaging 16:39 of ice time.
Former Flyers forward Valtteri Filppula captained Team Finland. He became the 30th player -- and first Finn -- in hockey history to have won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and a World Championship gold medal during his career.
2) Today in Flyers History: Major Three-Way Trade
Looking to re-shape the roster and bolster the blueline, Flyers general manager Russ Farwell completed a blockbuster three-way trade with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings on May 30, 1991.
On the front end of the deal, the Flyers traded power forward Scott Mellanby, enforcer Craig Berube and young left winger Craig Fisher to the Oilers. In return, the Flyers obtained the NHL rights to Hall of Fame right winger Jari Kurri, received hard-shooting defenseman Corey Foster and reacquired tough guy right winger Dave Brown.
Kurri, who had played in Switzerland during the 1990-91 season, wanted to come back to the NHL specifically to be reunited with his longtime Oilers linemate, Wayne Gretzky. This was the key to the back end of the trade.
The Flyers then flipped Kurri's rights to LA along with hard-nosed defenseman Jeff Chychrun. In return, the Flyers received star offensive defenseman Steve Duchesne, checking forward Steve Kasper and a 1991 fourth round pick (defenseman Aris Brimanis).
Duchesne won the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the Flyers top defenseman in 1991-92 while posting 18 goals and 56 points. He was on the move again the next summer, however, as his inclusion was an important part of the Flyers assembling the trade package that brought Eric Lindros' rights from the Quebec Nordiques. Duchense later had a second stint with the Flyers as a late-season rental in 1998-99.
3) May 30 birthday: Flyers center/winger Scott Laughton celebrates his 28th birthday today.