The first broadcast of the ice hockey round will be heard on September 13 on Puhee and Areena. The round of six matches will be followed from 17:45.
HIFK’s star player Leo Komarov the expected return to the rinks of the SM League is delayed. On August 22nd, Komarov was injured in a training game against HPK, he will undergo surgery and will be on the sidelines for about four months.
HIFK announced the matter on Monday.
– A very sad situation for Leo. This is the dark side of the sport and injury is always the result of chance. Having learned “Leksa”, he will surely return to the rink even stronger and full of energy next year, comments HIFK’s sports director Tobias Salmelainen.
Urheilu’s ice hockey expert Top Nättinen estimates that Komarov’s injury may have the biggest impact on the team’s mental side.
– It can be a really hard crash. Sami Lepistö already had to end his career. Of course he was patched up With Petteri Lindbohm, but already another big fish like this has been away for longer. How it is handled within the team and in the club management, I think that is the biggest question, says Nättinen.
In Nättinen’s papers, HIFK still remains one of the championship favourites. Big clubs must not collapse due to the departure of a single player.
– Of course, if the spiritual leader and winning type bought with big money drops out of the group, it can be the missing piece. But if he returns to the team during the regular season, he will have time to help the team. The journey is perhaps a little more difficult without Komarov, but HIFK’s championship will not depend on him.
The impact of the injury on the 36-year-old Komarov’s own career is still unclear. According to Nättinen, a lot depends on the quality of the injury.
– If the injury bothers him even a little bit at that age, I’m not saying he’ll stop because of it, but the thought can creep into the back of his head that I can fight through this if it bothers him.
– On the other hand, Komarov seems like a winning type who leaves everything on the field. He doesn’t stop playing. It may happen that he shows the whole world that nothing can stop him.
Komarov, who returns to the SM League after 14 seasons, has been one of the most interesting names at the beginning of the season. According to Nättinen, the star’s absence can affect the interest of HIFK and the SM league.
– If a person normally seasoned with salt and pepper, Leo Komarov would have chili powder on top. Yes, people still go to see the team and the SM league is interesting, but it would have been a good spice. People who follow sports understand this, but maybe casual viewers and those who follow less puck are affected by such individual characters, stories and phenomena, but I don’t think dramatically.
HIFK is not going to make new acquisitions for the team.
– The team is built on the principle that if someone gets injured, it opens up an opportunity for other players. We want to see internal growth during the season, which in part pushes the whole group forward, Tobias Salmelainen said in the club’s press release.
Long career in KHL and NHL
Komarov’s transfer to HIFK was reported on August 23.
– When I came here, I realized that we want to win (the championship). There’s no need to cover it up, but it won’t come off by snapping your fingers. No matter where we go, we are always a big scalp for others. At least for me it’s just a nice thing. I already told the guys that there will be writers and stories about whoop whoop, Komarov told during the season.
Komarov left the SM League for the world after the 2008-2009 season and played in the KHL for Moscow Dynamo and in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders.
In the NHL regular season, Komarov netted 63+107=170 power points in 491 games. In the KHL, he played 228 matches and collected 48+68=116 performances. Komarov has won the world championship in 2011 and Olympic gold in 2022 in the lion shirt.
In the 2021–2022 season, Komarov played for St. Petersburg SKA, but left the club after Russia invaded Ukraine. Last season Komarov represented the SHL club Luulaja.
HIFK starts its season on Friday when it meets the reigning champion Tappara in Tampere.
The first broadcast of the ice hockey round will be heard on September 13 on Puhee and Areena. The round of six matches will be followed from 17:45.