When the leader of the pack focuses on the inconsequential, the rest of the pack follows. The end result is embarrassing to watch, writes Jussi Paasi.
Jussi Paasi sports reporter
Ilves and HPK met on Wednesday this week in Tampere. The people from Hämeenlinna surprised by beating the series leader with 3–2 goals.
However, the most memorable part of the game was the obnoxious and embarrassing behavior. The home team Ilves was responsible for that.
The game of tassel ears has not gone as expected in the home arena. Before HPK, KooKoo went there to get full marks. Is that one of the reasons that Ilves focused on the unimportant?
Jukka Jalonen moving to Leijon after this season Antti Pennanen held a lesson in the HPK match about how the head coach should not behave during the match.
HPK took a three-goal lead in the game. How did Ilves pilot Pennanen react? He raged at the judges. For almost every situation.
Referees make mistakes on the rink just like players. But no matter what happens, the most important task of the head coach is to take care of the playing of his own team.
And when the leader of the pack repeatedly focused on the inconsequential, the rest of the pack naturally followed suit.
There were some ridiculous scenes on the ice that reminded me of the South American soccer leagues. Ilves’ golden helmet was responsible for one Oula Palve, who tried to fish with an embarrassing fall into the ice. Fortunately, the judges were not fooled.
Sports expert Top Nättinen took a firm stance on Pennanen’s and Ilves’ banter in the Ice Hockey round.
The lynx is discussed in the Ice Hockey round from 2:02:10 onwards.
The phenomenon is not new. The referees are tried to be influenced, especially in the deciding games of the spring. Backstage, the mood is sick at times.
Fortunately, most league coaches know how to control themselves and stick to piloting their team, but with Pennase, the moped often gets out of hand. His reputation is well known in the ladle circles. Pennanen tries to make the striped shirts whistle according to his will.
I can’t think of a stupider way to do it. One would think that Pennanen knows that his behavior will not achieve anything good.
When the head coach, the star player and, at worst, the entire team focus their energy on fishing for ice and teasing the justices, everyone can predict the outcome. The result is exactly what was seen on Wednesday. Loss.
It is obvious that referees’ decisions can – and should – be criticized if necessary. During and after the game. But if you behave like Pennanen did in that match on Wednesday, i.e. blame the referees for almost everything, you will have acted in an inferior way.
In one word: disrespectful.
Even though ice hockey is the freak of ball games in all its aggression and archaism, at the core of the sport is a constant respect for both opponents and referees.
Or at least it should be.
Friday’s SM league games will be watched on Puhe’s Ice Hockey Tour starting at 6 p.m. Listen to the broadcast here.