Russian fans mistakenly celebrate after station airs old gold-medal game

Most hockey fans in Russia spent Sunday disappointed. Some gleefully unaware supporters, on the other hand, partied like it was 2011.

Channel One, a widely viewed Russian TV news station, aired Canada's 4-3 victory over the nation in the 2020 gold-medal game at the World Junior Hockey Championship, according to The Associated Press.

However, Match TV - the country's primary sports network - simultaneously showed the 2011 final, in which Russia overcame a three-goal deficit in the third period to defeat Canada 5-3.

Several prominent Russians, including politician Mikhail Degtyarev and soccer player Dmitry Tarasov, were apparently fooled.

And here is the lawmaker posting on Facebook. "Let's congratulate our juniors with the World's Gold! A real Red Machine! The new model! Great job! Russian character!" https://t.co/h7Fnkpmz4T pic.twitter.com/sC1Fl49PR5

- Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) January 6, 2020

St. Louis Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko's wife, Yana, posted in Russian on Instagram that her husband watched the 2011 final on Sunday for 10 minutes "until he saw himself in the game," as The AP translated.

Match TV showed live games earlier in the 2020 tournament, but Channel One exclusively aired the medal-round contests.

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