Tappara’s championship can be a significant example for Finnish ice hockey, writes Urheilu’s Simo Arkko.
Simo Arkkourheilhu journalist
Urheilu followed all the final matches in this article. There will also be playoffs after Tappara’s championship is secured.
TAMPERE. Tappara celebrates the Finnish ice hockey championship.
This sentence is repeated for the third spring in a row. The last time the triple championship was achieved by TPS in 1999–2001.
Tappara did the same trick in 1986–1988.
Then the legendary cooled down in defense Timo Jutila and in attack as captain Timo Susi. This time the stars of Tappara were Anton Levtchi and Christian Heljanko.
Although the series was tougher in terms of games than in previous years, Tappara won the championship again with a 4–1 victory.
The value of Tappara’s dominance in recent years is enhanced by the fact that the club turned its back on the style of play for this season. Although Jussi Tapola activated the style of play in his last season, was a change to Rikard Grönborg significant.
Tappara’s pace impressed me already at the beginning of the season. There were also chaotic features in the game, when the super active hair-raising game produced goalscoring opportunities at both ends.
However, the opponent often punched the ragged five in a brutal way. For example, according to advanced statistics, Tappara won more matches in the early season than he deserved. The team managed thanks to its excellent goalkeeping and high scoring efficiency.
After the Christmas break, Tappara was in big problems for a long time, when the players could not perfectly implement the demanding game style. At the end of the regular season, Tappara sharpened his style of play more defensively, and there were not as many dangerous counterattacks.
In the end, Tappara managed to create a new kind of winning combination that also worked in the finals. It showed Tappara’s tight defensive game and Grönborg’s ideology.
This was also strongly visible in the decisive final. Heikki Liedes struck from a quick counterattack and Levtchi with the upper hand. The defense did its job.
Tappara’s championship can be a significant example for Finnish ice hockey. When a more active and aggressive way of playing produced the championship, it can attract other clubs to change their playing style.
Finnish hockey is also used to trying to copy the recipe for success. When Jukka Jalonen achieved the world championship in Leijon with our game, many started to follow the gaming trend.
Many clubs played in the same fashion for a long time. That is why it is even a salvation for Finnish hockey and especially for the public that Tappara hired Grönborg and Jukurit back in the day Olli Jokinen.
Tappara in particular showed that even playing more entertainingly can make it and succeed in Finnish rinks. The sport can be played in a different way, through opportunities.
In an ideal situation, the example of Grönborg and Jokinen can also solve the big problem of Finnish ice hockey at the moment, player production.
In the 2020s, Finland has only three NHL first round reservations: Anton Lundell, Joakim Kemell and Brad Lambert. Of them, only Lundell has been permanently promoted to the NHL.
Alexander Barkov, Sebastian Ahon and Roope Hintz one could only dream of such stars.
If the game is activated and radiates over time also up to the juniors, it can develop Finnish player production. The active and forward skating style of play forces young players to come up with faster and new solutions.
Already in Jukurei, it has been seen how players can make tremendous progress in a few years at their best. One example is promising Konsta Heleniuswho will be reserved for the NHL in the first round next summer.
I don’t mean that We have to give up the game. However, it is important that Finnish ice hockey becomes more diverse and that the SM league succeeds in other, new ways as well.