It only took one man to show what a soulful player can achieve in the rink, writes Jussi Paasi.
Jussi Paasi
It always hurts and happens.
That’s what Helsinki IFK’s advertising slogan promised twenty years ago.
On Wednesday of this week, it felt like the old slogan had been dug out of mothballs. In the match between HIFK and Ilves, it really hurt and happened.
The cold benches were sometimes so full that not all those who had been punished could sit down.
Juhani Tamminen According to Tami-Passio from 2009: Will the public like this play? Do you want more like this?
Yes and yes.
No, in this comment I am not idealizing the fact that teams get a lot of penalties. I loved the feeling that overflowed in the game from the beginning until the final buzzer.
In the match, there was one ugly overshoot, for which Ilves was responsible Jérémy Grégoire. He created IFK from Iiro Pakari ugly with a stick in his hands. The discipline of the SM League imposed a two-match suspension for the trick.
Almost everything else was what the hockey public craves night after night: a burning sensation.
Without one man, all of that would have been missed.
The show’s Primus motor was Leo Komarov. Uncle Leo.
Opponents on the brink of rage
The cult attacker started the confusion before the game started. Suu went in the direction of the opponents fiercely already in the initial warm-up, where Komarov’s skates could not manage to stay on their side of the red line.
I am absolutely sure that every spectator of the match enjoyed what Komarov offered them.
Circus fun. Have fun.
Komarov grilled the Ilves players from one change to another. In every game situation and also after the situations, he had something to do. Both verbal and physical.
The judges couldn’t bear to listen to Komarov’s shouting throughout the game. He was sentenced to a 10-minute suspension. It did not hinder the pace of the platform. The charring continued.
Before his exit, Grégoire tried to challenge Komarov to a fight. Komarov didn’t play along. He already knew at that point that he had taken care of his own square perfectly. The opponents were on the verge of rage.
In the spring, it hurts and happens
Why was Komarov’s performance such a significant event that it is worth writing about it a couple of days after the match itself?
That’s because the actions of almost all experienced conkers reminded us of what every ice hockey team desperately needs. Soul player.
HIFK’s actions this season have been fluctuating, confused, sometimes even by civil servants. The public has booed and asked where is their IFK?
Komarov brought soul to IFK’s game. In the same way as Jesse Joensuu has brought soul to Pori Aces game.
Komarov is no longer a vital piece for his team. The 37-year-old forward’s pace is – like his peer Joensuu – leisurely. But with the waning speed of skating, he does what he does best.
Confused. By showing what an aggressive personality can create in the rink: chaos for the opponent.
HIFK beat Ilves in a way that didn’t leave a single fan cold. I argue that without Komarov the match would have been completely different.
When the playoffs begin, Komarov’s pace accelerates even more. Opponents don’t have a single easy night ahead of them.
It bodes well for HIFK. In the spring, it hurts and happens.