Rough tackles became the topic of conversation of the week. Boston’s tough defender Charlie McAvoy nailed an opponent in the head twice in an outrageous manner in the match against Florida earlier in the week. Even a player without a puck. First Carter Verhaeghea and later Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
A couple of weeks earlier in Calgary Rasmus Andersson had tackled Patrik Laineta grossly in the head in the final moments of the match out of sheer frustration. Laine has not returned to real action after the tackle.
The sportsmen were even a little scared by two dirty episodes.
– Now there were two of these in a row. Let’s take a look at that neck guard thing. It feels like everyone freaked out when a player in England died for lack of it. With these head tackles, do we really have to wait for something terrible to happen before we start taking the subject seriously, Urheilu’s hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen asks.
Lehkonen suspects that the ownership is incapable of understanding the game at the level of the ice, so he turns his eyes to the GM.
– The evolution of the sport is galloping at a terrible pace and it seems that it is difficult for the creators to keep up. The rates are increasing all the time and there are a lot of big players there. There, we collide with enormous forces. The GMs should now sit down and work out the rules of the game. We have to think about what kind of sanctions are given for excesses and star players cannot have their own rules.
– I’m constantly afraid that something bad has to happen before I react to this.
Who surprised?
Vancouver.
On the shores of the Pacific Ocean, there has been reason to be happy for a long time. Few set expectations for Vancouver during the season, but by Rick Toccheth piloted by the Canucks are the hottest topics of autumn. Holy trinity in the middle of the goalkeeper (Thatcher Demko), the first deck (Quinn Hughes) and the number one center (Elias Pettersson) is top class and the collective is otherwise committed.
The Canucks have had an excellent start to their season, and most importantly, through the level of demands, the culture in the club seems to be finally building in the right direction.
– That club was in bad shape for a long time and there were bad values. Even as a player, Tocchet hated losing. Now players can no longer float there. The pipe has now been repaired through the coach and it has freed the young boys to play. Hughes and Petterson show how the boys enjoy playing, says Lehkonen.
On the other hand, on Wednesday morning, two poorly timed ices caused the coach to bench the star striker by JT Miller. The lines are still tight.
– On a general level, I strongly believe that if the team does not commit to common values, then you have to work hard. When values slip, it must be addressed immediately. Juha Mieto once said well that once you give up, it easily becomes a habit. Now that’s where we’re going to put things right, a big appreciation for the coaching.
– Now that Vancouver has joined the fray, they won’t give up their positions easily. They have lived there for hellish years. That is now a team from which points are not easily taken, Lehkonen believes.
Who flopped?
Calgary.
Calgary has to be highlighted this week as well. There are six losses in a row, and eight of the previous nine have ended in defeat. The Flames are an undisciplined, characterless and loose team that doesn’t even seem to get upset about their losing streak. The expression is resigned and even indifferent.
The club’s management has reacted to the fiasco that has been going on for the second year by freezing all further contract negotiations. A total meltdown could be at hand.
– When you think about what kind of media or fan base there is in Calgary, it’s like hell right now. Time will tell if the whole thing will be finished. There are a lot of part-time hockey players there now. One shift is played this way, another shift this way. Some cheat their laziness in defense, says Lehkonen.
Goal of the week
Goal of the week comes from Vegas, where the reigning champion Adin Hill accidentally donated Montreal To Sean Monahan the easiest goal this season is likely to score.
Montreal, which played a solid away game, lost in overtime in the casino city, but has had a very positive start to the season.
– Montreal has played with very good results and the defense, wounded by injuries, has held up surprisingly well. The signs are that there will be a break, but maybe the coaching will use that to their advantage to see what points they manage to score. They have done a good job of getting the team to play within their limits, Lehkonen praises.
What next?
One of the talking points in the coming weeks is sure to be Winnipeg’s crowd numbers. A few years ago, Winnipeg sold out 332 consecutive home games, but now they can’t sell out a single one. For home games against Los Angeles, Vegas and St. Louis, it couldn’t even sell 12,000 tickets to its 15,300-capacity home arena.
After serving as the captain of the Jets for a long time Blake Wheeler returned to Winnipeg for the first time in a Rangers jersey on Wednesday morning, the number of spectators was once again below 12,000.
– When you told me about this, I thought it was a Halloween joke that you were tricking me. After all, on the Canadian side, this is a national shame and really worrying. When Winnipeg got the team back, they promised the hall would always be full. Now even the return of the former captain cannot sell chairs. Winnipeg is a hockey city, but this is embarrassing, Lehkonen blocks.
A new episode of the Ikan änäri podcast is published every Thursday. You can find all episodes here.