By: Jason Cooke | Follow me on Twitter / X @cookejournalism
The Boston Bruins’ season may be over, but that doesn’t mean David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha don’t have a reason to celebrate. The duo formerly removed from the “Czech line” with David Krejci have paired up to capture Gold for their home country at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
Team Czechia defeated Switzerland, 2-0, in the gold medal game on Sunday afternoon to win the prestigious tournament for the first time in over a decade. And Pastrnak had his name smeared all over the triumph, scoring what would prove to be the game-winning goal midway through the third period to send the home crowd in Prague into hysteria. Not only that, he did so in classic Pastrnak fashion: a beaming one-timer from the left circle.
While Zacha didn’t appear on the scoresheet in the championship game, the Bruins centerman also contributed in a big way en route to Gold, scoring a game-winner of his own to skate past Team USA in a 1-0 win on Thursday. It was far from pretty, but the 27-year-old was credited with the shot from the point by David Spacek.
Zacha is coming off a career season in Boston, netting 21-38-59 to post his most productive season yet, as Pastrnak was four points shy of a career-most with 47-63-110. However, most notably, the seasoned sniper’s 63 helpers this season shattered his previous career-high of 52 in a new development to his game. And while they didn’t fulfill their dream of a Stanley Cup this season with the Black and Gold, they certainly crossed a goal off their bucket list this weekend.
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