There are two topics of discussion in the finals of the Ice Hockey Championship League. Both come from Lahti, that is, from Lahti.
The first one is Ben Blood“Veri-Pena”, hated by Tappara fans and adored by Pelicans supporters.
Blood is exactly the kind of story that a playoff spring climax needs. Think how much emotion, buzz and talking points from the finals would be lost if Blood didn’t lute in the defense of the Lahti people.
Blood’s importance was summed up on Saturday in the Tampere Areena with one stoppage in the game, when he smiled widely, flashed his off-white Toothguards on the huge media cube and enjoyed the whistle concert he received.
During a break in Puhe’s final tour interview, Blood told how “everyone loves him”.
Another topic of conversation is the head coach of the Pelicans Tommi Niemelän gag.
The final series wouldn’t have needed that story.
Niemelä has made the same point many times in interviews after the games. According to his own understanding, he must not speak a word about the judges. And when Niemelä has been asked why, he has said that “There is such a thing in Finland that I am not allowed to comment on these things”.
Tommi, you can comment on “these things”. There is no such thing in Finland. You get to speak exactly the same way as your colleagues Jussi TapolaTappara’s head coach.
Tapola demanded a clearer line of judges after the third final. He spoke quite harshly about exactly “those things”. Criticize the choices made by the judges.
Niemelä has made it clear that the gag placed on his lips was made at the SM league office. According to Urheilu, this is not the case.
Suukapula originates from Lahti. It is the Pelicans’ internal policy, or a strange interpretation of what the CEOs of the SM League have collectively agreed upon.
Over the course of the season, Niemelä has made statements to which the SM league office has not reacted particularly kindly. But none of the gags designed for the playoffs have been sent to Lahti.
A framework has been agreed upon for evaluating refereeing, within which the clubs and coaches are committed to act. The frames could be summed up in one expression: gentlemanly. Criticism is allowed, but manners should be kept in mind.
In addition, the same alignment has been used in the main ice hockey league for years.
I don’t know what kind of broken phone can be found in the Pelicans office, but now it needs to be unplugged.
And then we get to the pathetic phenomenon mentioned in the title of this comment. It is connected to both Niemelä and Tapola.
The performances of the referees can and, if necessary, must be criticized. It should be obvious to everyone.
But the constant criticism of the work of the judges, the endless nagging and repeated chit-chat is ridiculous, downright pathetic. We’ve seen way too much of that in this final series.
You’ve surely noticed which team’s coach mumbles at the referee’s line in the finals – or mumbles into his imaginary gag.
Yes. The coach of the losing team.
Part of the Tappara coaching group Tuomas Tuokkola briefly showed in the final series a model of how the judges’ whistles should be treated. At the end of the second final played in Lahti on Friday, Tappara was given a penalty, which was not accepted in the axe-breasts’ camp.
Almost all of Tappara’s players and head coach Tapola protested the verdict fiercely. What did Tuokkola do? Beckoned to the players and also to Tapola to calm down, don’t get stuck in this, let’s move on. Whistle, what whistle. Let’s focus on the essentials.
Or at least that’s how I interpreted it when I watched Tappara’s players’ bench from a close distance.
Niemelä and Tapola should keep a few things in mind, even if the rut of the finals takes them away from time to time.
First of all, what Tuokkola underlined with his behavior: focus on the essential. Focusing on judges is far from it.
Second, the fact that none of the games in this finals series have been decided by the whistles of the referees. Of course, that can happen, because referees are people just like the players. They make mistakes in every match. But more and more they make the right decisions, in accordance with the rules and the spirit of the game.
In addition, coaches and everyone else should remember that the level of hockey referees in Finland is really high.
If you don’t believe it, then you can see it with your own eyes in May in Tampere at the world championships in ladle. It can hold many kinds of bagpipes. And look, the most high-class judges come from the hoarfrost once again.
The blue and white striped jerseys would have whistled many World Cup finals in both men’s and junior tournaments over the past years, if Finland did not play for gold repeatedly.
So, as the final series continues, I humbly ask: dear coaches, focus on what is essential, i.e. coaching your team. Supporters do take care of the booing and canning of the striped shirts with the factory’s guarantee.
And Tommi, you can criticize the referees after the games if you feel like it. You can do it in the style I already thanked you for.
The gag has now been removed.