Complete Game Recaps

Sept. 14/04 - If this is the last we see of hockey's best players for a long while, at least they finished with a flourish. Tuesday night, Canada and Finland showed the skills, smarts and determination expected of world-class hockey teams, with the Canadians hanging on for a tense 3-2 victory and the 2004 World Cup title.

Sept. 11/04 - It is often said that a sign of a good hockey team is its ability to squeeze a win from a game that should have been lost. So it was for Canada on this night.

Sept. 10/04 - After an impressive win over Russia in the quarterfinals, Team USA appeared to be coming together at just the right time. That turned out to be an illusion.

Sept. 8/04 - Vincent Lecavalier started the scoring, and might have been Canada's best individual forward on the night. But the line of Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla stole the show.

Sept. 7/04 - Two teams given up for a dead a few days ago have found their way into the semifinals of the 2004 World Cup. The USA and the Czech Republic saved their best for the today's quarterfinal games.

Sept. 6/04 - It seems like Germany gives someone a scare at every international hockey tournament. The Germans played that role again today.

Sept. 5/04 - The Russians look ready for the quarterfinals. The Slovaks look ready to go home.

Sept. 4/04 - Team Canada wrapped up a week of near-perfect hockey with Saturday's 3-1 win over Russia. Now the real work starts.

Sept. 3/04 - Team USA rose from the dead on Friday. Meanwhile, over in Europe, Jaromir Jagr, Milan Hejduk and their Czech Republic mates are finally taking an interest in the tournament.

Sept. 2/04 - On this night, the Russians recalled the Soviet teams of old, skating like demons, playing tricks with the puck and pounding 45 shots at USA goalie Robert Esche.

Sept. 1/04 - Canada's win over Slovakia on Wednesday was also a product of rigorous checking and lots of grunt work along the boards. Meanwhile, the Swedes looked unbeatable for 40 minutes against the Czech Republic.

Aug. 31/04 - The North American pool got off to a spirited start, as Canada defeated the USA 2-1. The Swedes also started strong, against Germany, but goaltender Tommy Salo let in a couple of ugly goals. Where have we seen that before?

Aug. 30/04 - Finland opened the 2004 World Cup of Hockey with speed, pinpoint passing and a convincing 4-0 win today. But a barely-there Czech Republic team did not provide much resistance.