Finland won the gold medal in men’s ice hockey at the 2022 Olympics. In the Beijing final on February 20, Finland defeated the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) 2–1.
The victory was historic because it gave Finland its first Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey. Finland had been a consistent international contender, winning Olympic silver in 1988, 2006 and 2021, but had never finished first.
Finland went unbeaten in the tournament. Ville Pokka scored the opening goal, ROC tied the game through Mikhail Grigorenko, and Hannes Björninen scored the decisive goal early in the third period. Harri Pesonen had earlier scored Finland’s semifinal winner against Slovakia.
A common mix-up is calling the opponent simply Russia. Because of doping-related sanctions, Russia competed in Beijing under the Russian Olympic Committee designation, with the ROC flag and anthem restrictions. Finland’s win was also notable because NHL players did not participate in the men’s tournament.