On Saturday night in Luleå, Tappara will try a trick that no ice hockey team outside of Sweden has yet succeeded in this season: knocking out Luleå in the ice hockey CHL.
On the other hand, while Tappara is struggling for domestic medals at the second place in the standings, Luleå’s season on the fields of its home country of Sweden has gone poorly – it can only be found in tenth place in the standings.
It also enters the CHL final with a loss, when it lost at home on Thursday 3–4 to Leksandi. Tappara, on the other hand, claimed a 2–1 victory in the SM league top fight against Lukko.
– We have been waiting for this match for a long time. Yesterday was a good preparation for us and we know that tomorrow will also be a tough game. We have to work hard and skate a lot, head coach Jussi Tapola talked at the press conference before the final.
Read also: Tappara’s key players are taken to the national teams in the middle of a huge match rush – a tough schedule before the Champions League final
The CHL matches and the events at Tampere’s new arena have meant quite a rush of matches for Tappara. Last week, the team played four matches in the SM league, and in addition, four of its players were involved in the national matches of the weekend. In total, in a couple of weeks, Tappara will be seen in the rink seven times.
– We have fought with the lineup, but now I feel that we are ready, Tapola assured.
Cut it out
Tappara is not playing for the CHL championship for the first time. It has been in the competition every time since 2014, but the first time it was seen in the final was last season. In that case, the Swedish Rögle took the tight final 2–1.
The Tappara pilot believes that the reason for the success can be found in the team’s hard work ethic.
– Hard work is the key. We have a good organization and we work hard together. Of course we have good players, and good players are easier to get when you are successful. The direction is always right.
In December, the captain of the axe-breasts was injured Otto Rauhala admitted that last year’s final loss left a dent in his teeth.
– It has left me hungry. However, it was so small. But the game was great and so was the experience. Yes, it will definitely give you extra power, there is a desire to show off and a hunger to win, Rauhala assured.
Unlike the semi-finals and semi-finals, the final is played in one part. Even on the way to Lulea, according to Aftonbladet, up to a thousand Tappara fans (you switch to another service) – some of whom had bought a ticket to the Luluaja supporter’s stand.
– Mixing supporters is prohibited in all situations, so their tickets must be redeemed, CEO of Luleå Stefan Enbom opened according to NSD.
The 500 tickets given to Tappara were sold out, so Tampere fans who were left without tickets decided to buy tickets on their own.
CEO of Tappara Mika Aro it’s a pity that the final will not be played in Tampere, but in the home hall of Luulaja, which did better in the preliminary round. Luleja’s home hall can accommodate around 6,300 spectators, while the new Tampere arena has a spectator capacity of 13,300 for ice hockey matches.
– If the final had been played in Tampere, we would have sold out the hall, Aro assured Aftonbladet.
According to Aro, CHL, Luleå and Tappara bought the tickets back from Tampere fans who redeemed their tickets at the wrong place, and they have received new tickets.
Six Finns in Luluja’s ranks
Finns in Kaukalo are not only found in the ranks of Tappara, because the Home Team also has a strong Finnish representation. Juhani Tyrväinen has been his team’s best scorer in the CHL. Powers 4+9=13 have been created in ten matches.
In addition to Tyrräinen, Luleå also plays in the ranks Leo Komarov, Julius Honka, Joonas Rask, Olli Nikupeteri and moved from the Czech Republic to Sweden in the middle of the season Tomi Sallinen.
The most efficient Finn in the SHL has been defender Honka, who has scored 10+14=24 in the 41 matches he has played.
The CHL final starts on Saturday at 17:20 Finnish time.
The Champions Hockey League is a tournament intended for European men’s hockey teams, where the unofficial European club team championship is played.
Almost 3.5 million euros in prize money is distributed in the CHL. The champion will receive up to 720,000 euros.
The current CHL has been played since 2014. In the 2014–2015 season, there were 44 teams from 12 countries and the championship was won by Luleå.
The predecessors of the current CHL are the European club team competition of the same name, which was played in 2008–2009, and the hockey European Trophy, which was played in 2010–2013.
This season there were 32 teams, four of them from Finland. Tappara has played in the CHL ever since the 2014 relaunch.
From Finland, only JYP has won the CHL championship, which succeeded in the trick in 2018. In addition to Tappara, Kärpät has also played in the CHL final.
The most successful club in the CHL is the Swedish Frölunda, which has won the competition four times: in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020.