Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks playoff run was short-lived and ended in disappointment, but it gave forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin and defenceman Alexander Edler a chance to join Team Sweden at the IIHF World Championships. The tournament came to a close on Sunday with a gold medal victory over Switzerland on home ice for the Swedes.

Swiss defenceman Roman Josi opened the scoring in the first period at 4:45, but the Swedes would score five unanswered goals to take the game 5-1.

Sweden’s Erik Gustaffsson tied the game just under four minutes later. Henrik scored at 11:38 to put the Swedes ahead 2-1 and it would remain that way until the third period. Simon Hjalmarsson and Loui Eriksson added goals. Henrik then scored into the empty net with less than four minutes to play to seal it.

Henrik finished the night with two goals and an assist. His brother, Daniel, had no points with an even rating. Edler did not play due his suspension from his knee-on-knee hit on Canada’s Eric Staal.

Sweden is the first team to win gold on home ice in 27 years.

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Even though the 2013 Vancouver Canucks season came to an end on Wednesday, the hockey season is not over for Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Alexander Edler, and Nicklas Jensen. All four players will be heading to Sweden and Finland to participate in the 2013 IIHF World Championship.

The Sedins and Edler could arrive as early as this Saturday to participate in Sweden’s game against Slovenia.

“These are obviously great players that will give the team a boost,” Swedish national team coach Pär Mårts told IIHF.com. “Another good thing is that this ends our process of adding players and this will give the team peace of mind to focus on the game.”

Jensen is also slated to join Denmark on Saturday in time for the game against Switzerland.

Fellow Dane and teammate, Jannik Hansen, declined to join the national team after he sustained an undisclosed injury in Game 4 against the San Jose Sharks. He finished the third period, but did not play in overtime.

Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

It was clear the Vancouver Canucks season was toast when the San Jose Sharks took a 3-0 series lead since there have been only three 0-3 deficit comebacks four times in North American professional sports history.

Fans had already stopped believing, but were hoping for a miracle comeback. The Canucks were playing in Game 4 to save face—to avoid a first round sweep.

The Canucks down 2-1 entering the third period tied the game at 9:12 on an Alexandre Burrows goal and then took the lead less than two minutes later after Alexander Edler scored on a slapshot from the point.

Then the controversy began.

Kevin Bieksa was called for a crosschecking penalty on Sharks forward Tommy Wingels, which might have been embellished on the part of Wingels. It appeared to be nothing more than a ‘push’ from Bieksa than a forceful crosscheck.

Joe Pavelski scored on the ensuring power play to tie the game.

Questionable call, but not as questionable and controversial as the penalty call on Daniel Sedin in overtime.

Sedin went shoulder to shoulder with Wingels in a battle for a loose puck. Wingels fell violently into the boards and a boarding penalty was assessed on the play by referee Kelly Sutherland, who was in the neutral zone. The referee closest to the play, Chris Lee, did not indicate a penalty.

Referee Kelly Sutherland on Daniel call: Deemed it a violent shove into the boards where the player couldn’t defend himself from the hit.

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) May 8, 2013

Regardless if Sutherland thought it was a penalty or not, he should have allowed his colleague closest to the play to make the call especially in overtime and in an elimination game.

The Canucks were not going to come back in this series. It just sucks it had to end like this.