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DEL.ICIO.USSweden-Finland: The Georgia-Florida of Olympic hockey
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Turin, Italy - Let’s put this in a way you could understand. Four years ago in Salt Lake City, the peaceful residents of neutral Sweden took an Olympic-elimination loss to Bulgaria about as well as Georgia fans would take a loss to Arkansas State.
The “Expressen,” a Stockholm newspaper, ran mug shots of every Sweden player, listing their names and NHL salary. The headline screamed: “Skyldiga: De svik sitt land.” Which roughly translates to “Guilty: They Betrayed Their Country.”
Sweden and Finland will play for the Olympic hockey gold medal Sunday. It’s not what most expected. It’s certainly not what anybody who draws a network paycheck wanted. (At least Latvia-Switzerland would have had humor value.) We tend to think more along the lines of: “Clash of the Titans,” not, “Clash of the Scandinavians.”
But there are no two more deserving teams to reach the final than Sweden and Finland. The Swedes scored five goals in the first 28 minutes on former Thrashers goalie Milan Hnilicka and pounded the Czech Republic, 7-3, Friday. This was the same Czech team that stunned Slovakia two days earlier.
Finland, with the most bland of NHL roster, has yet to lose. It methodically dismantled Russia, 4-0, so frustrating the opponent that Ilya Kovalchuk (roughing, cross-checking) and Darius Kasparaitis (boarding, roughing) both took double-minors in the third period. The Finns go into Sunday 7-0, with five shutouts and a goal differential of 27-5.
“This is big,” said Finland and Florida forward Olli Jokinen. “You’re in the Olympics. You’re playing a different country every game. It’s a little bit different than playing in South Florida on a Tuesday night.”
Sweden and Finland. No, it’s not any combination of U.S., Canada, Russia. Helsinki vs. Stockholm. Just not sexy. But it’s amazing what little things like effort, sacrifice, teamwork get you. NHL players on the two sides of North America might want to examine the game tape. “We know everybody is willing to take a shot or block a shot, and play hard for their country,” Finland’s Jarkko Rutuu said. “That’s what we’re proud of. That carries us when we’re [killing] the five-on-three [penalties]. There’s nothing better than winning as a team.”
Sweden-Finland. Think: Georgia-Florida. They hate each other. Always have. Asked if he was told a young age that he had to hate Swedes, Finland’s Antti Laaksonen said: “No. I think it comes naturally.”
Finland has done it with simple play, great goaltending from Anti Nittymaki (who somehow wasn’t knocked unconscious on a first-period slapshot by Kovalchuk) and forechecking that didn’t allow the skilled Russia to gain speed through the neutral zone.
It’s only the second time Finland has made it to the Olympic gold medal game, having lost to the Soviet Union in 1988 in Calgary. The country also has won only one World Championship (1995). But in that game, at least it beat Sweden.
But they have other memories to exorcise. They lost to Finland, 2-1, in Nagano in 1998. Then came the 4-3 “betrayal” in 2002 against Belarus. The deciding goal came when a Belarus player fired the puck from the neutral zone and it bounced off the mask of goalie Tommy Salo, dropped down rolled into the net. Salo was never same. He was an NHL goalie. Now he’s playing in the Swedish Elite League, presumably under an alias.
The Swedes, who appeared to defeat a worn down Czech team, have won Olympic gold once. They beat Canada in 1994 in Lillehammer. They have won just one World Championship in the last 13 years, losing five times in the finals.
“It’s disappointing when you get so close,” Chris Backman said. “You don’t get too many chances to play in an Olympic final. I think I never played a bigger game in my life. You never know if it will happen again. Maybe you don’t make the team, or maybe the team doesn’t make it back.”
Veteran Mats Sundin added, “We knew this [Olympics] was a great opportunity for us. A lot of us are getting older and this might be our last big tournament together. We want to make the most of it.”
It’s nice when it matters. Sweden-Finland. It won’t be one for the ratings books. But the U.S. and Canada may want to take notes.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Other, Thrashers / NHL
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By StingerSplash
February 24, 2006 08:36 PM | Link to this
Thanks, Jeff, for recognizing that other countries play the game and play it well, aside from the vastly overrated North American teams (and everyone don’t get all jingoistic on me, I pull for the U.S. as much as anyone, except when they put the kind of collection of stiffs on skates as this year or stiffs in high tops as the last so-called basketball Dream Team). And for hockey purists and fans, this gold medal matchup may be one of the best of all time, in terms of skill displayed and emotion on the ice. Just so long as no one slips on their first jump attempt or something like that.
By Casparitis
February 24, 2006 09:47 PM | Link to this
Jeff- I thought Finland lost to the Americans in the 80’ Gold medal game?
By Tony C.
February 25, 2006 11:12 AM | Link to this
I agree with stinger. This Gold medal game promises to be very intense. Nothing like a “border-war” game you know? I loved the way Selane shrugged off the commentators bait about getting his teeth knocked out (I don’t if anyone else saw the interview prior to the game vs. Russia), saying something along the lines of “Yeah you know I’ve played hundreds of NHL games but this is The Olympics!…awesome. I think it will be a low ratings thing for NBC b/c both teams are all about team D, and counter-attack. I have seen the Swedes do some very effective forechecking, but as the Russia game bore out, the Finns are ready for that. Sweden has the deeper team, but I believe Finland has the better goalie. Should be fun to watch if you like hockey….and hey, just as an aside:
How many of yall like that big sheet of ice they play on in international competition?
By northwestDAWG
February 25, 2006 02:22 PM | Link to this
I won’t know what I’m watching because you could take all I know about hockey, put it in a thimble, cut the thimble in half and my knowledge still wouldn’t run over the sides. But if the broadcasters are good and NBC does a good job of explaining I should be able to enjoy the game. Kinda of a learning situation.
By So...
February 25, 2006 04:03 PM | Link to this
Has one of these teams beat the other 15 out of 17 times? B/c if so, I might then see the similarity.
Does one of the fan bases wear jean shorts and mullets like a uniform?
Is the other team full of off-season arrests and does it graduate players that can’t read, and whose fans are only marginally better?
Do both teams boosters “help” out their players?
Just asking….
By Mean D
February 25, 2006 07:15 PM | Link to this
Not quite, Jeffrey. Florida DOMINATES Georgia. And though Florida is Georgia’s biggest rival, Florida’s is Florida State first, Tennessee second, and then they think about the Bullcraps. Also far fewer rednecks in the Swamp and the girls are 50 times as pretty.
By geechee
February 25, 2006 08:19 PM | Link to this
“Not quite, Jeffrey. Florida DOMINATES Georgia. And though Florida is Georgia’s biggest rival, Florida’s is Florida State first, Tennessee second, and then they think about the Bullcraps. Also far fewer rednecks in the Swamp and the girls are 50 times as pretty.”
I think you may remember the tune. Hear are the words.
dreeeeeeeeeeeam, dream, dream, dream, dreeeeeeeeeeeam, dream, dream,dream