If museum suspicions are shaken off, more and more hockey players will be able to get the right kind of instruction in the most important skill in the future, writes Jussi Paasi.
Jussi Paasi sports reporter
16:27•Updated 16:38
The ice hockey round is heard live on Radio Finland on Wednesdays and on Areena on Fridays and Saturdays. Today the broadcast starts at 18:00.
Yes, the title is harshly provocative, but it contains the truth.
Ice hockey players can’t skate.
That was said out loud at ‘s Ice Hockey Tour.
I said it Ismo Lehkonen said that. Mika Saarelainen had said the same thing out loud for the first time on a puck round already fifteen years ago. At that time, the long-time hockey coach who was in the studio with Saarelainen had managed to pull Saarelainen into a turd.
Already at that time, more than a decade ago, it was revealed what it was all about. The dog started when the chalice fished. Of course the lads now know how to skate! Don’t you figure skating girls come here to teach us!
If someone doesn’t happen to know who Mika Saarelainen is, let me tell you: he is one of the world’s most respected figure skating judges. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, he served as the ice dance chief judge.
When Saarelainen, who unexpectedly stopped judging this fall, talks about skating, you should listen to him. And we listened.
Lehkonen said he was a fan of Saarelai. And no wonder. Lehkonen has worked with figure skating coaches for a long time. And fortunately, many hockey coaches and teams already do that.
Hill jumping style is a safety hazard
Let’s go back to the title claim.
Ice hockey players can’t skate. What does that mean now?
The fact that hockey players can’t skate nearly as well as they could.
What causes it?
The long-standing ossified attitudes, of which the above-described outburst of the unnamed coach speaks volumes.
When Saarelainen co-hosted Radio Finland’s Ice Hockey Tour with me this week, I asked him to observe the skating of the SM league players and tell me where there could be improvement.
Saarelainen immediately saw many “ski jumpers” on the league ice, whose skating position was completely wrong. The body must not be “crossed” in the middle, Saarelainen said. That is, the upper body should not be folded forward from the hips and the back side should not be out from the rest of the body.
Posture. Everything in skating starts from that, the figure skating expert underlined.
Lehkonen reminded that there is also quite a safety risk in the wrong skating position. The player is not able to protect his head from contact if he cools down on the ice in a forward bend.
It was really confusing and at the same time eye-opening to listen to Saarelainen’s talk about skating and think about what hockey players could do differently. And how it would make their job easier.
One of the biggest considerations was related to the economics of skating. In their movements, figure skaters strive to consume as little energy as possible.
The sense of hearing reveals everything. Lehkonen told how the figure skating coaches who worked with him have taught ice skaters that there should be no noise from skating. The movement should be as smooth as possible, no ice-crushing pedaling.
As stated, many top players and the most advanced hockey teams have already understood where the essence of skating skill lies.
Yes. About figure skating. Even Johan’s name says it. Skill and skating. Skating skill.
The evolution of ice hockey in the 2020s relies heavily on skating skills. You can no longer become an elite level player if your skating skills are lacking. This is emphasized more from season to season.
If – hopefully when – the museum suspicions are finally shaken off, in the future more and more hockey players can get the right kind of instruction in that most important sport skill from a young age.
Ice hockey clubs, now to hire those figure skating coaches!
Expert Top Nättinen and editor Jussi Paasi are fed by the hottest topics of the ice hockey SM league once a week. Watch the latest episode of Paasi ja Nättinen: 5 minutas in the video below.