The final series between Djurgården and Modo has been eventful – and messy.
Now SVT expert Jonas Andersson rages against Johan Garpenlöv and Djurgården.
– It’s silly and ridiculous, he says.
It was after the first final match between Modo and Djurgården, in the series that determines which team will play SHL hockey next year, that the Stockholm team was mad at the referees. There were harsh words about how few expulsions the team got, and people even went so far as to call for SHL referees to step in.
Great criticism
The words came from management as well, from KG Stoppel, but also from coach Johan Garpenlöv. In the second match, the criticism from Hockey Sweden that the referees were too harsh on Modo, and some have believed that Djurgården was heard for their harsh criticism, rather shifted.
Now the club’s actions are severely criticized by SVT’s hockey expert Jonas Andersson, who is not a fan of what Djurgården is doing.
– I think they crossed the line calling the referees rubbish… beyond all reasonableness. It was KG Stoppel who did it, and also Garpenlöv, he says.
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“Tricky and ridiculous”
Jonas Andersson believes that there is a lot of emotion during a playoff, and especially in a match series of this importance, but that it is still not okay.
– I don’t know, is it because he is stressed in the heat of the moment? Or is it because he is trying to influence the judge?, he says.
Andersson does not hope that Garpenlöv is so harsh in order to get more verdicts in his favor, but believes that it is appalling if this is the case.
– I can only speculate, but if it is the case that he is trying to do this to his advantage, then it is very smart and ridiculously done, if it is deliberate. And if it’s in the heat of battle, it’s not that much better. In the heat of battle you’re emotional, you’re on and you say stupid things, but I think Djurgården would have taken a much, much greater distance from this. Instead, the word almost like they have done more on the other option, to actually try to influence the rest of the match series, he says.
The score between the teams is 1-1 ahead of Friday’s third final match, when two straight home matches await for Djurgården.
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