Finland lost the World Cup quarter-final against Tre Kronor.
Now comes the next blow – when a message about Russia makes the country boil.
“Is it a joke?” writes the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.
It was not the WC that Finland had hoped for. The national team captain Jukka Jalonen announced that it would be his last as national team captain, but they came close to a historic fiasco and missed the playoffs for the first time in almost 30 years.
Finnish giant rage
Finland narrowly made it to the playoffs, and Tre Kronor was waiting there directly in the quarterfinals. Sweden had won all the group stage matches, but a defensively strong Finland took the match to extra time, where however Tre Kronor was able to decide. And now comes the next blow for the Finnish national hockey team.
When the new world ranking is updated, it is clear that Finland will lose its second place behind Canada. Instead, it’s Russia(!), which hasn’t played a hockey World Cup in five years, due to Covid-19 and being banned from all competition due to the war of aggression against Ukraine. Despite this, Russia is now passing Finland, which has led to strong reactions.
“Is it a joke?”, writes the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.
The explanation
But according to Anders Larsson, chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, it is natural. Russia and Belarus, both frozen from participating in international tournaments, still receive points for their most recent placings in the World Cup.
– That question is not as simple as one might think at first glance. I am the chairman of the IIHF Competition and Coordination Committee and we are the ones who make proposals in these types of matters. Russia and Belarus are not allowed to participate in the current situation and that with reference to security. A decision Swedish ice hockey fully supports, says Larsson to Expressen.
Larsson thus believes that as long as Russia is “frozen” from participating – and not excluded – you will get points.
– Having said that, Russia and Belarus are not excluded, but rather “frozen” from participating. A nation that is not excluded should gain points in the world ranking somehow. And then we have come to the conclusion that this is the least bad option right now.
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