Finland upsets Russian Olympic Committee to win 1st-ever Olympic hockey gold medal

The Finns are finally flying home with Olympic hockey gold.

Finland knocked off the favoured Russians 2-1 Sunday to win the tournament without NHL players at the Beijing Games, capturing an Olympic gold medal for the first time in the nation's history. The defending champions had to settle for silver instead of going back to back.

Finland had never won at the Olympics on the men's or women's side. It last reached the final in 2006 and lost to Sweden, matching the silver from 1988.

The hockey tournament unfolded in the shadow of another Russian doping saga, this time in figure skating after word emerged that 15-year-old Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance in December, helped the Russians win women's team gold and was allowed to skate in the individual event, in which she finished a disappointing fourth. Players and coaches from the Russian hockey team and others at the rink faced questions about the scandal and the IOC's ruling not to hold a medal ceremony if she finished on the podium.

No matter the name, the silver in men's hockey was the 32nd medal the Russians took home from Beijing.

WATCH | Finland upsets ROC in men's hockey gold-medal game:

While the Russians looked like the new favourites when the NHL withdrew because of pandemic-related schedule disruptions in late December, the Finns were actually the big winners. With recent NHL players like captain Valtteri Filppula, forward Leo Komarov and defencemen Sami Vatanen and Mikko Lehtonen on the team, Finland had the firepower to go along with its hallmark of strong structure, defence and goaltending.

That combination helped Finland go through the Olympics undefeated in six games, including a three-goal comeback to beat rival Sweden in the