After their heroic performances at the World Hockey Championships in Latvia, former Ottawa Senators Kaspars Daugavins and Rudolfs Balcers may never have to buy a drink again in their home country.
Two ex-Ottawa Senators were all over the scoresheet yesterday in one of the biggest moments so far at the World Hockey Championships.
Host Latvia upset undefeated Switzerland 4-3 in overtime to advance to the tournament quarterfinals. All they actually needed was a tie to advance, and they got the goal they needed with just over 5 minutes to play. Down 3-2, Kaspars Daugavins tied the game with a nice wrist shot on a 2-on-1. From there, Latvia was happy to milk the clock to clinch a spot in the quarters.
But to further thrill their hometown crowd in Riga, another former Senator, Rudolfs Balcers, buried a power play goal to win the game outright, securing third place in their pool. Latvian crowds, watching inside and outside the arena, went bonkers.
Balcers played 51 games for the Senators, who acquired him in the 2018 Erik Karlsson deal. He later returned to San Jose when the Sharks claimed him on waivers. This season, Balcers bounced from Florida to Tampa Bay, where he played just 3 games.
Daugavins played 85 games for the Sens and will always be remembered for his wild ringette-style shootout attempt in 2103.
Oh, so close. For the record, Daugavins did successfully pull off the move in the American Hockey League.
That was a memorable goal. But Daugavins' goal to launch Latvia into the quarterfinals won't soon be forgotten either.