The British ice hockey team continue to show that they’re no pushovers. While they’re a relatively new proposition at the Hockey World Championships, they’re beginning to show that they can compete with the historically big players. While they’ve got some issues in both defence and attack, one area in which they do not need to strengthen is in spirit and character. The stunning comeback against Norway, a game in which they were 3-0 down, showed that the group has what it takes to perform when the going gets tough. And that might just prompt hockey fans to use a free bet offer to back the side to finish the championships in a higher position than normal. The competition is tough, but as we’ve seen, the British team can pull a big performance out of the back when it’s needed.
Of course, there’s still a long way to go. A 6-0 defeat to Sweden in the competition shows that Britain has a lot of development yet to go through if they’re going to compete with the countries that have historically been dominant in the sport. But it’s important to keep things in context. The culture of ice hockey is not as rich in Britain as it is in other countries (for example, the ones that receive a lot of ice and snow). It’ll take time for them to get to a level where they’re genuinely competitive.
However, we should not overlook the progress that the team have made. Five years ago, British ice hockey was nowhere. Indeed, they hadn’t been close to the top for decades. But a surprise victory at the 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship showed that it would be foolish to write the team off. With more people interested in ice hockey with each passing year and with a structured development in place, it seems realistic that the side will continue to have glory days in the years to come.
It won’t be this year, not at the Hockey World Championships. There are too many sides that are entering peak form, sides that have spent getting to the stage where the people behind British ice hockey eventually want to reach. If there’s one thing to remember, however, is that Britain has a long history of achieving unlikely success in sports that they should not, on paper, have a right to win. 2019 proved that. And hopefully, the coming years will too.
