Although it was widely believed that Canada would grab the title, it was Sweden that won the ice hockey world championship 2017 yesterday night. In the absence of ice, the Swedish expat community in Mauritius celebrated with their feet deeply buried in the warm sand. “Write that we are the biggest ice hockey fans ever,” said Swedish Helen Laine who lives in Grand Baie. “It’s definitely more fun to experience a world championship victory when you live abroad,” she added.

Sweden, a nation of ice hockey lovers, is expected to be in a celebratory mood for the rest of the month – if not the rest of the year. The game played in Germany was a nerve-racking experience for supporters. The teams were tied 1-1 until the very last moment, when Sweden beat Canada on penalties. The final score was 2-1.  “I’ve dreamt about this since I was a child,” said Swedish goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist.

Arch-enemies when it comes to ice hockey, Sweden and Canada often face each other in the finals. Other countries with strong teams are Russia and Finland, who fought for the bronze this time around – a battle won by Russia.