IIHF – Denmark stuns Canada

Denmark wrote hockey history with a sensational victory over Canada in the quarterfinals of the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Wednesday’s win is surely the greatest upset in the tournament’s history as the hometown heroes dumped Crosby & Co out of the competition.

Two goals in the last three minutes blew the roof off the Jyske Bank Boxen as the host nation turned around a 1-0 deficit to snatch a 2-1 verdict. Nikolaj Ehlers and Nick Olesen got the vital markers to send Denmark to the semifinals for the first time in history. Frederik Dichow produced another memorable performance, stopping 39 of 40 shots to secure the win.

It’s only the second time Denmark has even defeated the Canadians in a competitive game – the previous was a 3-2 preliminary round verdict in 2023. Now, Mikael Gath’s team will play for a medal for the first time as another IIHF Cinderella story unfolds in Hans Christian Andersen’s homeland.

With 2:17 on the clock, Ehlers delivered a stunning tying goal. Denmark was playing with six skaters and the Winnipeg Jet got his second crucial marker in as many games with an uncharacteristic blast from the point.

The arena erupted – but that was only the overture. On 59:12, Olesen sent the crowd into ecstasy when he showed incredible composure on the doorstep to force Jordan Binnington to commit before lifting the puck into the net.

Through two periods, Denmark kept this stacked Canadian roster at bay. The pre-game favourite had all the dominance it would have expected in the first period, but could not turn it into a breakthrough. Dichow pulled off good stops to deny Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan O’Reilly as that line was prominent throughout the opening frame.

For long spells, the Danes had to dig deep and resist Canada’s powerful offence. But two successful penalty kills gave the home crowd something to shout about and, late in the session Binnington got some work to do. Markus Lauridsen tested him with a rare shot before Jared Spurgeon’s stumble invited the lively Morten Poulsen to shoot.

After the intermission Denmark announced its intention to do more than just defend. A flurry of shots in the first minute served notice that Binnington would need to stay alert. Soon, a first home power play arrived, but the Canadians limited Danish chances to a point shot from Phillip Bruggisser.

At the other end, the duel between Dichow and MacKinnon continued. However, it was notable that even when Canada applied…