When debating the greatest international hockey games ever played, the usual suspects come to mind.

Canada vs. the Soviet Union, Game 8, 1972 Summit Series. Montreal Canadiens vs. The Red Army, New Year’s Eve, 1975. “The Miracle on Ice” from the 1980 Olympics. Canada vs. the Soviet Union, 1987 Canada Cup Final. Canada vs. USA, gold medal game, 2010 Olympics. Even Sweden’s overtime loss to Team North America at the 2016 World Cup has entered the conversation.

A hidden gem that rarely gets mentioned, however, is the marathon semi-final contest between Canada and Sweden at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Perhaps one reason this game tends not to get mentioned is the fact there wasn’t a trophy or gold medal on the line, and neither team ended up winning the tournament. There also isn’t much game footage out there for fans to watch. But neither of those two things should diminish this game’s greatness.

The 1996 World Cup is remembered for Team U.S.A’s win and its role in the development of hockey in the United States. Yet unlike any Canada Cup or Olympics had done before it, it also served as a coming out party for Sweden’s greatest generation of hockey players.

The tournament was split into two pools: A North American pool which had its four teams (Canada, USA, Russia, Slovakia) play games in Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Philadelphia, and Vancouver while the European pool saw its teams (Sweden, Finland, Germany, Czech Republic) compete overseas during the round robin.

Sweden was led by the likes of future Hall of Famers Nicklas Lidstrom, Mats Sundin and Peter Forsberg. They dominated the European pool, going 3-0, outscoring their opponents 14-3 and earning a bye into the semis where they would face a Canadian team that finished second in the North American pool behind the Americans, and had just defeated Germany 4-1 in the quarterfinals.

“We had a lot of fun playing in the European group because being able to play with mostly NHL players back in Sweden and in Europe to start the tournament helped with chemistry,” Lidstrom says. “Then when we headed over to Philadelphia to play in the semis, we felt we had a good chance of beating Canada. We knew they had a very strong team, very good players but we felt we were just as good as them. You’re playing in September, most guys are healed up from the bumps and bruises from the previous year so you feel good about going into a tournament like that. It’s always fun to play with your best countrymen in a big tournament.”

Sweden had defeated Canada for gold at the Olympics in 1994, sure, but historically the rivalry between these two hockey nations was nascent. It didn’t have anywhere near the level of bad blood as Canada-Russia or Sweden-Finland.

However, tensions between the two sides were high leading up to the semi-final matchup after Sweden’s head coach Kent Forsberg had accused the Canadians of cheating their way through the tournament. Every referee in the 1996 World Cup happened to be Canadian, so when two Russian goals were waived off in a 5-3 Canada victory in round robin action, it raised the ire of an outspoken Forsberg.

“Canada cheated its way to victory,” Sweden’s bench boss told reporters at the time. “They have made the whole country ashamed. Canada didn’t earn two points against the Russians. They got them from the referee.”

If a spot in the final wasn’t enough motivation, now there was bulletin board material.

The game took place at the CoreStates Center (now known as Wells Fargo Center) in Philadelphia — the perfect antagonistic setting for what was about to be hockey’s equivalent of a 15-round heavyweight boxing match.

It was supposed to be neutral territory — in theory at least — but as the eventual hero of the game Theo Fleury recalls, Canada was “booed mercilessly” by the raucous Philly faithful. The only players donning red and white that got a pass were Flyers Rod Brind’Amour, Eric Desjardins and superstar Eric Lindros.

“We were definitely in enemy territory,” adds Team Canada forward Trevor Linden. “They were cheering for the underdogs.”

Mark Faucette was the referee, while Dan Schachte and Ray Scapinello worked the lines. Curtis Joseph, 3-0 in the tournament at that point, was in the Canadian crease while at the other end of the ice Tommy Salo got the surprise start over Tommy Soderstrom who was coming off a shutout against the Czech Republic and a strong performance against the Finns.

Like a great piece of music, this game rose to a crescendo.

Canada came out strong, playing with pace in that gritty, obstruction-filled mid-90s style of hockey we simply don’t see anymore. The two teams felt one another out and Canada wasn’t shy about throwing their bodies around. Rob Blake pancaked Patrik Juhlin early and caught poor Niklas Sundstrom in the trolley tracks later in the period.

Mark Messier was pestering young Peter Forsberg with cross checks and face washes in the corners, Steve Yzerman butt-ending the dynamic playmaker the following period. Scott Niedermayer hit the post on a flutterer from the blue line, but Canada couldn’t muster too many quality chances due to Sweden’s taut team defence.

Joseph let Sweden know early they were in for a long night, making eight saves during a first-period power play courtesy of an Adam Graves elbowing minor. Graves played on a line with New York Rangers teammate Messier and their former Atlantic Division rival Claude Lemieux. It was not fun for the Swedes when those guys were on the ice. What was fun for the Swedes was moving the puck on the man advantage.

Canada’s best line was Lindros, Joe Sakic and Brendan Shanahan. That trio connected on a tic-tac-toe goal late in the first to give Canada a lead they didn’t necessarily deserve.

“That was a pretty damn good line,” Fleury says. “I played against Joe in junior and played in the same division when we were on Calgary and Colorado. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Joe and what he was able to accomplish and how he went about his business. I played together with Eric in New York and we had a couple really good years playing together. Very dominant.”

Sweden outshot Canada 14-5 in the first but were down 1-0 at the intermission.

“Curtis kept us in there when they had their first power play. They were all over us. That’s what a good goalie does. It’s nice to see the big guy, Eric, get a goal and get going and that’s what this team needs,” Adam Foote told Ron MacLean on the TV broadcast.

Canada, which had been outscored 7-3 in second periods in the tournament heading into this game, stepped back onto the ice with more pep and Graves nearly put Canada up by two, hitting the post on a beautifully-designed two-on-one with Messier.

Canada did eventually secure a two-goal lead when Niedermayer picked up the puck with a head of steam at his own blue line, accelerated down his off-wing and beat Lidstrom wide. Lidstrom finished his NHL career with seven Norris Trophies compared to Niedermayer’s one, but it was the Canadian who got the better of this rush. He poked the puck past Salo for an unassisted marker.

“Scott Niedermayer had great speed and he went around me,” Lidstrom remembers with a chuckle.

Although Sweden was behind the eight ball, they had the best player on the ice. Mats Sundin was leading the tournament in scoring at this stage and was exceptional in this game. He and Forsberg generated more scoring chances than any other players on the ice.

“We had a lot of good players but the one that stands out was Mats,” Lidstrom says. “Mats Sundin always played well when we were with the national team and an up-and-coming player in Peter Forsberg. You could see that talent and the skill he had to become a great player too.”

At one point in the second period Sundin sped down the left wing and pulled a nifty move on Rob Blake but hit the post.

“When Mats plays for the national team he’s usually the best player. Pretty much every time,” Swedish forward Johan Garpenlov says. “We played together in Sweden before we left for the NHL so I know him pretty good. I saw him grow up and become the player he was and you could see that early that he was a special player and a special leader.”

While Sundin soared for Sweden, Fleury flourished for Canada. He was a pest out there in the best possible way playing with Brind’Amour and Yzerman on what was Canada’s grind line.

“It’s one of the biggest reasons I loved playing for Team Canada because I wasn’t expected to be ‘the guy’ and it was very easy to prepare for my role. I was to provide energy and to score some timely goals, which I was able to accomplish in that tournament,” Fleury says. “When you’re playing with Steve Yzerman and Rod Brind’Amour on the fourth line, lots of good things can happen. We had great chemistry and we scored some big goals in that tournament. It was fun.”

“He was brilliant,” Linden says of Fleury. “He was so good in that tournament and in that game. Theo’s one of those guys that had the flair for the moment and he definitely delivered that game.”

The young Swedes, many of them donning those old Jofa helmets (complete with the weird ear protectors), were down 2-0 after two periods but had a 26-14 edge in shots. They deserved a better result and needed a break if they were going to make it a game. That break came in the third period when defenceman Tommy Albelin of the Calgary Flames blasted a shot from outside the blue line that fooled Joseph.

Sweden finally had some momentum, but nearly lost it late.

Linden played beside Vincent Damphousse and Wayne Gretzky, who was 35 at the time. The Great One couldn’t skate at full speed during the game as he dealt with a back injury but that line became more dangerous as the game went on and Salo had to bail out his teammates on a number of occasions.

“Vinny and myself we always got along pretty well and Wayne, well what can you say?” Linden recalls. “The biggest thing playing with Wayne was I had to keep telling myself, ‘Play your own game and don’t think about the fact you’re playing with Wayne Gretzky.’ I think the worst mistake you can make is to try to constantly look for Wayne and force things.”

Linden did find Gretzky in the slot with roughly seven minutes remaining in the third but Salo robbed No. 99 then did the same to Damphousse a second later. Michael Nylander galloped through the neutral zone for Sweden on the same shift and pushed the puck up to team captain and tournament all-star Calle Johansson who slid it to Sundin. The Toronto Maple Leafs centre flipped a backhand towards the front of the goal and Nylander batted in his own rebound after an acrobatic first save from Joseph.

All tied up.

Physicality increased as regulation time wound down. Fleury was causing problems in front of the Swedish net after the whistle. Forsberg and Foote, who hoisted the Stanley Cup as Colorado Avalanche teammates several months earlier, jostled.

As overtime got underway the shifts were shorter, the breaths got deeper and the crowd grew louder just like Bob Cole’s calls on the television broadcast. Icings were frequent, as were the scoring chances.

Sweden had the fresher legs in the first overtime period. Sundin, Forsberg and Daniel Alfredsson in particular moved like they had an extra gear the Canadian players lacked. Maybe it had something to do with the average age of the Canadian forwards being 29 years and 23 days compared to the youthful Swedish forwards whose average age was 25 years, 11 months, 15 days.

Sundin registered double-digit shots in the game and was one of the only Swedes who could hold his own in the corners against a physical Canadian squad, but it was the Alfredsson-Forsberg-Garpenlov line that stood out in the sudden death periods. Forsberg was coming off a 116-point campaign in Colorado, his best season statistically as a pro, and had the puck on a string in this game. Alfredsson was the reigning Calder Trophy winner.

“If you get a chance to play with Peter you have to enjoy yourself. You get to play with one of the best players who ever played the game,” Garpenlov says. “We had Alfredsson on our line and he’s a really great player too so I was just trying to do my job and get them the puck and go to the net. We had lots of fun there, especially in that game. These two guys were playing really good hockey so I was just enjoying myself.”

The majority of the overtime stanzas were flush with end-to-end action and scoring chances.

The final shift of this game was everything a hockey fan could ask for in a sudden death period. The players were leaving it all on the ice.

“As players you’re in it and your adrenaline is so high you don’t realize how tiring a game like that is until it’s over,” Linden says. “The body is an amazing thing. It has an ability to do what’s required. The next day you felt the effects of how far you pushed. Different guys approach things differently [in between overtime periods]. There were some pizzas rolling around in the dressing room. Guys trying to get any sort of energy. We all ate at 1 o’clock in the afternoon and so now it’s almost 12 hours later so guys needed pizza or energy bars or whatever to get some calories in them.”

The more fatigued the athletes were the more the play opened up.

“We had some really good chances, myself included and Johan Garpenlov as well, but it wasn’t meant to be,” Alfredsson says.

At one point late in double OT Forsberg, Alfredsson and Garpenlov combined for four quality chances in a 15-second span including a Garpenlov shot that rang off the post.

“I remember the play. I can still hear the sound when I hit the post,” Garpenlov says. “I just tried to hit the net, really. It’s hockey. It’s a game of inches and I was not lucky with that shot. After the game when we lost I was thinking some nights about if I score we go to the final. I had that in my mind.”

With Canada on its heels late, Paul Coffey, the elder statesman on his team’s back end, picked up the puck to the left of Joseph with 23 seconds remaining in double overtime and circled back with the poise of a player who had been in these pressure situations many times before. Coffey skated up the ice with the grace and confidence of a future Hall-of-Famer who already had four Stanley Cups, three Canada Cups and three Norris Trophies to his name. He crossed the Swedish blue line and left the puck for a surging Fleury who threw the puck on net as Brendan Shanahan and Brind’Amour crashed the crease.

The game was 12.5 seconds away from reaching triple OT when fans watching on television heard Bob Cole yell once more: “Fleury! Scores! Scores! Canada wins this marathon and will play for the World Cup!”

“The greatest player that ever played this game said, ‘You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take,'” says Fleury, who explains he wasn’t thinking at all when he released the puck. “That’s why you train your entire life. That’s the thing about hockey. You’re not paid to think, you’re paid to react and that’s the reason why we practice.

“It wasn’t really about thinking. It was just about ‘Hey the puck’s on my stick.’ I saw Shanny going to the net. Just get the puck on the net. It was a great hockey game played by two great hockey teams and we were fortunate enough to whip one in at the right time.”

“I think we were the better team in the overtimes,” Garpenlov says. “We had lots of chance to win the game but we didn’t manage to win the game. It was a tough loss for us. We had a good team at the time and when you look at the game. It was a bitter loss.”

Lidstrom had already experienced what it was like to lose in a Stanley Cup Final, but says it’s a different feeling when you lose a game in your country’s colours.

“It was tough,” he explains. “You want to be successful when you represent your country and play with the national team so it did sting a bit when we lost that game. You want to play well when you have on that Three Crowns jersey.”

The crowd chanted “USA! USA! USA!” as the players left the ice in anticipation of an all-North American final. The United States still needed to beat Russia in the other semi-final, and they did.

So when people look back on the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, it’s only natural for them to think about the Canada-USA best-of-three final and forget about Sweden’s near upset in the semis.

Although Sweden was on the losing end in this game, the tournament was significant for Swedish hockey. Many of the core players on the ’96 squad remained key players for the country for the next decade-plus and helped lead their country to Olympic gold at Torino 2006.

LINDEN: “I think every country has ebbs and flows. Canada is always strong but certain countries, certain teams have this influx of this rising group and Sweden was definitely that. I don’t even think people fully understood [Lidstrom’s] greatness at that point in time and Peter was just coming into his prime as well. They were definitely on the upswing as a country and as a team.”

LIDSTROM: “I think we had that feeling too. We had some guys in our early or mid-20s, up-and-coming guys that wanted to establish themselves in the NHL and become good players in the NHL so I think that was a springboard for a lot of guys to have success with the national team. We had that core group stay together for a long period of time. Ten years later some of those guys were on that same national team. I think maybe in one way we planted a seed in that tournament that we wanted to have success with the national team.”

GARPENLOV: “When I was growing up my heroes were Borje Salming and Mats Naslund and [Thomas] Steen and [Patrik] Sundstrom and all these guys. They played in Canada Cups before me and I was watching that looking up to these guys. Throughout the years when you have tournaments like this you’re going to have guys that grow up to be superstars in the NHL and we had Mats and Forsberg and Nick and Alfredsson so we had many guys that became superstars and these guys have meant a lot to Swedish hockey over the years.”

FLEURY: “I think collectively as a team that Sweden had all this amazing talent that came together. The ’96 World Cup of Hockey is when we saw a lot of these teams become super competitive with teams like Canada.”