Canucks' Silovs named tournament MVP at world championships
It’s a run that Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs — and Latvian hockey fans — will never forget.
On Sunday, Silovs and his Latvian national side upset the United States 4-3 in the bronze medal game at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship, giving the tiny European nation of just 1.8 million people one of the greatest sporting moments in the country’s history.
Later in the day, he was honoured with the IIHF’s best Goaltender of the Tournament and the MVP award for his epic performance throughout the event.
Kristians Rubins tied the game with 5:39 remaining in the third period before he scored the game-winning goal just 1:22 into overtime.
KRISTIANS RUBINS IN OT TO WIN BRONZE FOR LATVIA! pic.twitter.com/hdN3QomvvM
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 28, 2023
It’s the first medal ever at the men’s world championship for Latvia, as they become the 12th nation to win hardware at the annual event.
Team Latvia is on top of the world! pic.twitter.com/wyRpAQQ8Ea
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 28, 2023
Silovs made 26 saves on 29 shots in the bronze medal match, finishing the tournament with a 7-2 record and a .921 save percentage.
Arturs Silovs gets his bronze medal. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/EcrLMv4G2B
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) May 28, 2023
It was one heck of a run for the Latvians, who defeated Sweden in the tournament’s quarterfinals before falling to Canada on Saturday in the semifinal. Later today, Canada will face off against Germany in the gold medal game, with the Canadians looking for a record 28th gold medal.
Despite the strong performance on a major world stage, the future is still relatively uncertain for the 22-year-old Silovs, who was drafted 156th overall by the Canucks in 2019.
In 44 games with the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL this season, he was able to post a 2.44 GAA along with a .909 SV%. The solid performance was enough for him to get his first shot at NHL action, where he made five starts and posted a 3-2-0 record.
The game took place in front of a crowd of 11,033 spectators in Tampere, Finland, many of whom were draped in the traditional Latvian dark red.
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