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Canucks goalie Silovs gets "MVP" chants at epic celebration in Latvia

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
May 29 2023, 10:34 pm
Canucks goalie Silovs gets "MVP" chants at epic celebration in Latvia
@NastyaStognei/Twitter | @HockeyNewsHub/Twitter

Latvia declared today a national holiday after the tiny country of just 1.88 million people captured its first-ever medal at the IIHF World Championship.

They did so in dramatic fashion, securing the biggest win in Latvian hockey history by beating USA in overtime on Sunday in the bronze medal game.

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs and his teammates not only took home bronze medals but were also awarded Presidential medals today at Riga Palace from Latvian President Egils Levits.

The Latvian president noted that while Canada won the world championship, Latvia won the real gold.

“You gave the nation a sense of unity for a moment, that we are all together, we have one goal, that we are compatible with each other,” he said, according to a report out of Latvia. “Such moments in history are rare, and you gave us one of these moments yesterday.”

The underdog Latvians returned home from Finland to a hero’s welcome, as an estimated 30,000 fans filled the streets of Riga.

“One of the reasons why it is necessary to declare a holiday is the need to give the residents of the regions the opportunity to welcome the Latvian hockey team to Riga,” another report said.

The rally in front of the Freedom Monument in Riga was a sight to see and was certainly more impressive than most Stanley Cup parades.

The biggest reason for Latvia’s success was Silovs, the Canucks goalie prospect that played most of last season in Abbotsford.

Silovs was named MVP of the entire tournament, which is an incredible accomplishment for the 22-year-old Riga native. The only goaltender in the tournament to play every single one of his team’s games, Silovs finished with an impressive .921 save percentage and 2.20 goals-against average.

So when it was time for Silovs to step up to the microphone, he was greeted with MVP chants from the overjoyed crowd.

“I still can’t believe we won the game, it’s so special for our country, for our team. We really deserved it, we played so hard,” Silovs said post-game in a video posted to social media by the IIHF. “I think for sure it’s the best moment for me. Playing in such a huge tournament and managing to win the trophy and the medals, it’s so insane.”

 

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