Daniel Amoia
No Timo Meier, no problem. While the New Jersey Devils‘ Swiss power forward was suspended for today’s semifinal, Nico Hischier and Team Switzerland went on to rout Norway anyways — the 6-0 final advanced them to the World Championship Gold Medal Game.
Hischier notched one point — a third period power play goal, which was Switzerland’s fifth tally.
This marks the sixth ever time Switzerland has made the final — but they have yet to ever claim Gold. Not only do they have a chance to do it now…but they can do it in front of a raucous home crowd at Swiss Life Arena in Zurich, Switzerland.
This is Switzerland’s first time hosting the World Championship since 2009. The country was originally scheduled to host in 2020, but the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And it’s only the second time they’ll play in the final in front of their home crowd. The last time? 1935 — a loss to Canada.
They’ll take on the winner of Canada vs. Finland. With Connor Brown and Dawson Mercer representing Canada and Lenni Hameenaho suiting up for Finland, a Devils player is now guaranteed to return home with a gold medal.
Adding Meier back for the final will be a welcome addition; he’s seventh in the entire tournament with 11 points in eight games. Hischier also has 11.
Nico Hischier gives the Swiss a decisive lead in semifinal play! Swiss leads 5-0.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) May 30, 2026
Nico’s 6th of the tournament! #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/LUtERlyyRC
Unfortunately for Devils’ defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, he’ll have to watch from the sidelines as he couldn’t participate due to injury.
Prior to the tournament, Hischier expressed his excitement: “A home World Championship is pretty special. When I was a kid, there was one in Bern, Switzerland. I remember go watching there, so it should be a pretty cool experience for me to be a part of it, and for sure for the whole Switzerland.”
It’s safe to say it’s certainly been a cool experience thus far. Per the TSN broadcast, analyst and longtime NHL player Mike Johnson said the Swiss atmosphere today was “the best” he’d “ever seen”. Strong words.
Will Meier, Hischier and Switzerland finally get over the hump? Find out tomorrow at 2:20 PM EDT. The game will air on NHL Network and TSN, while the NHL will also stream it live on its YouTube channel.
