New head coach Antti Pennanen has already had discussions with NHL stars.
Sakari Lund,
Jussi Saarinen
Antti Pennanen has started in a demanding and highly followed position as head coach of the Finnish national ice hockey team. The boots are tough to fill, as the previous head coach Jukka Jalonen led the Lions to three World Cup and one Olympic gold.
Pennanen, who last coached Ilves in Tampere, knows that the expectations in the national team are high. Preparation is already well underway.
– I have had discussions with the previous head coaches of the national team. I have also tried to take a vacation and recharge my batteries, Pennanen said.
The top event of the next season is the four-country tournament in February, where Canada, the USA, Finland and Sweden will participate with all their NHL superstars.
– Yes, it’s expected, it’s been a long time since the best in the world get to play against each other. Ice hockey as a sport has needed it. There are four countries where anyone can win. As we get closer to February, we will see threats of power.
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Pennase has a vision of how to win the tournament. The same things apply to all teams.
– Excellent goalkeeper play is the number one thing. You also have to take care that the opponent doesn’t get free goal chances. Efficiency in the goal posts is also important.
Finland has several star players in the NHL Alexander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Ahon under. Pennanen has been in contact with NHL men.
– There have been 25-30 meetings related to the Four Nations. I have met the top players in person. They have been very fruitful discussions. It has been intended to understand more about what their world is like.
The World Cup has been difficult in the last two seasons
The second main event of next season is, of course, the spring World Championships. In these, Finland has done poorly in the previous two seasons.
– There is no unequivocal answer as to why this has happened. The same things are important that I already mentioned. You can’t give away goals and you have to work on efficiency. You also have to be committed to the team.
It has also been asked whether the SM league produces enough quality players for the World Cup.
– It is not only the league’s responsibility, but also quite a few years before it is affected. At the moment, however, it seems that the top players for the World Cup come from Europe’s top leagues.
Trust and legacy
Pennanen highlights, among other things, trust as one of the values that guide operations.
– Jukka Jalonen’s time inherits the fact that when it’s time to do something, then we do it. When there isn’t, then we trust people.
Another significant thing is the history and legacy of the Lions.
– There, those raimos and sakus and jerets and timots are watching how we move the flag forward.
Last spring, when he was coach of Ilves, Pennanen got into turbulence. Ilves’ season ended with a heartbreak when they lost to KalPa in the quarterfinals. Pennanen didn’t shake the hands of KalPa’s players and coaches after the last match.
– Since then, I have been able to go in front of a mirror. I have made mistakes and I wanted to learn from them, Pennanen said.