Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
I don’t know if the saying is true, but it came to mind when the Lions World Cup team was announced.
Exactly five years ago, the national men’s ice hockey team went to the World Cup tournament in Slovakia with a team made up of Championship league players, as total underdogs.
This spring’s group has a lot in common. Olli Määttä and Mikael Granlund are the team’s only true NHL confirmations. Those equipped with NHL status Valtteri Puustinen and Jesse Puljujärvi are very interesting players from a Finnish point of view, but far from the level that can be found in the ranks of the opponents.
There may still be reinforcements from the Dallas NHL team in the group, but even that won’t change the setup in a big way. When the puck hits the ice in the Czech Republic on May 10, the Lions will enter the tournament from a long way behind compared to the other top countries in the sport. At least on paper.
The coaching staff is familiar with the situation. The Lion King Jukka Jalonen know how to play the underdog. The most masterful example of that is the 2019 world championship.
At that time, the Canadian, Swedish and Russian teams were chasing NHL stars, but Finland, which was dubbed as the worst Härmä team of all time before the tournament, defeated those three teams in the follow-up games and won the gold.
Lightning struck hard. Finland got a new national hero. The rascal punched in.
Now it would take at least two more so that the miracle could happen again. And on the finish line Harri Säterin or Emil Larmin should fend off pucks like never before, as well as Kevin Lankinen five years ago.
Opponents boo NHL players
Canada brings to Prague a quality team made up of 99% NHL players, with the biggest focus on a young superstar to Connor Bedard.
Sweden’s team this spring is also made up almost exclusively of NHL players. For the World Cup, it’s a frighteningly tough bunch from the opponents’ point of view. Included are, among other things Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, By Jonas Brod, Adrian Kempe, Erik Karlsson and Lucas Raymond.
Russia has been excluded from the games, but the USA team is tougher than ever in these roughs. GM of the Yankees by Bill Guerin already announced a few weeks ago that this spring you should answer his call if you want to participate in next year’s four-country top tournament and thus the 2026 Olympics.
The tournament hosts can thank the NHL that this tournament is of exceptional interest to top players. When the inclusion of NHL players in the Olympic tournament to be played in two years was confirmed, the annual “Skoda Cup” of the ice hockey club became several degrees higher in quality.
In addition to Sweden, Canada and the USA, the Czech Republic also has a credible team in the home games.
That famous need for achievement
The lions’ breathtaking streak of success was broken last year at the World Championships played in Tampere. At Manse, it seemed at times that the Lions’ food had been beaten down to the last bone.
Kaukalo should now conjure up something new, something that the opponents cannot expect. Jalonen’s golden game recipe is already known to everyone.
It should be obvious that Jalonen still trusts his own way of playing, which brought championships. Finland’s chances of surprise are now based on the fact that the team has been renewed significantly from the last few years.
There are no more saccharine, teemuhartikais and harripesos. And not Mörkö. That is a positive thing for Leijon.
No, I don’t mean that they aren’t still tough puck players at the international level. They just had time to win everything possible in Leijon. Even less will fill your stomach.
A team with that famous need for achievement is skating to the Prague arena. And that, if anything, is a tickling starting point for Jalose.
Patrik Puistolaonly 17 years old Konsta Helenius, Oliver Kapanen, Arttu Hyry, Juha Jääskä… I take my hat off to Jalonen’s brave choices.
Jalonen stands so high on top of the nation’s cabinet that new podiums have had to be built there many times. Olympic gold and world championships have made puck-crazy people think that a place in the final is the minimum requirement.
This time, it’s an almost impossible task. But as stated, a perfect setting for Jalose, who is coaching Leijon in his last spring.
If the head coach of the national team was anyone else, one could loudly announce that Finland will not advance to the medal games this time.
But Jalonen has once managed to make the impossible possible with such a group of underdogs, so lightning might strike twice in the same place after all.