While we have our focus on the 2015 IIHF World Hockey Championships and the Stanley Cup playoffs at the moment, in this post we have collected some other sports news from this week:
Manchester United lost against Chelsea: Chelsea won the important top-game against Manchester United in the English Premier League with 1 goal to none. They are in the top of the league with 76 points before Arsenal in second place with 66 points. Manchester United is in third place with 65 points. For the teams behind Chelsea, the last rounds will probably not be a fight for the league won but rather for spots in the 2015/16 Champions League. The four first teams in Premier League get directly qualified. Currently Manchester City has the fourth and last spot with Liverpool, Southampton and Tottenham chasing behind.
The final series in the Russian KHL has begun: St Petersburg won the first game against AK Bars Kazan with 4-2. The series is played in a best of 7 games format. St Petersburg reached the final series after a sensational comeback against CSKA Moscow. Moscow were in a 3 game lead but St Petersburg managed to win 4 consecutive games, winning game 7 with 3 goals to 2. This is the first time that happens in Russian hockey. If they go all the way to winning the gold, it would be a hockey fairytale come true.
Michael Phelps is back: The world’s most succesful olympian of all times, with 18 gold medals, American swimmer Michael Phelps have had some hard times since the olympic games in London 2012. After the games, he announced his retirement. About a year ago, however, he said he would do a comeback, aiming for the olympic games in Rio 2016. Shortly thereafter he got caught drunk-driving and got expelled from competing. Now he is back though and won against his rival Ryan Lochte in 100 metres Butterfly. He might get a ticket the World Championships if the American national team gives him their clearance.
USA is challenging the nordic dominance in floorball: Sweden and Finland have won all gold medals in the floorball Championships during the years. Now they are challenged by no one else than Wayne Gretzky. His hockey school is making a commitment to floorball and has an aim to win the gold against Sweden in a future final. Sweden won the World Championships at home in 2014. At Chicken-Swedes we welcome this and hope that future floorball tournament will be more exciting than watching Sweden winning games with dual figures on the way against the final against Finland. Maybe this will give the sport Olympic status?
