WJC: Finland Coaching Staff Fired Mid-Tournament. Jussi Ahokas Now Coaching

[Hagged]

You've educated me now. You think that is an excuse for this?

It's bush league.

Their options were bush league, or division 1. Finland took the bush league route.

 

[FiLe]

You've educated me now. You think that is an excuse for this?

It's bush league.

Well, I frankly don't care whether you think it's a valid excuse or not, because you obviously don't know the half of it.

It was the right move. Period.

 

[TheFinnishTrap]

It's a down year for Finland after last year, but the drop-off in player material isn't big enough to warrant a relegation round.

 

[jj cale]

Well, I frankly don't care whether you think it's a valid excuse or not, because you obviously don't know the half of it.

It was the right move. Period.

Yeah sure, the right move.

Continue not caring what I think because I am gonna continue thinking it's very low class.

 

[Hagged]

Yeah sure, the right move.

Continue not caring what I think because I am gonna continue thinking it's very low class.

Low class or division one. Finland chose low class.

 

[jj cale]

Low class or division one. Finland chose low class.

I think the already bad vibes for this Finnish team is made even worse by doing something such as this.

It could backfire big time.

 

[ijuka]

I think the already bad vibes for this Finnish team is made even worse by doing something such as this.

It could backfire big time.

Not changing the coach could backfire big time.

 

[Tulipunaruusu*]

It could backfire big time.

Already at the next olympic tournament our stars could after two games take the easy looking way out, coming out with performance that looks good but allows the opponent easy goals and control.

 

[jj cale]

Not changing the coach could backfire big time.

What specifically were they doing that was so wrong that the replacements will fix all of?

 

[jj cale]

Already at the next olympic tournament our stars could after two games take the easy looking way out, coming out with performance that looks good but allows the opponent easy goals and control.

There are usually always things a team could do better but I just think this wasn't their year.

It happens.

 

[FiLe]

What specifically were they doing that was so wrong that the replacements will fix all of?

Maybe they didn't do anything wrong. One reason for this outcome could be as simple as personality issues. A more charismatic coach could possibly have sold these kids the exact same ideas the sacked coach tried to do.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that the old management lost the bench. And the federation had the opportunity to bring in an accomplished junior coach the players actually respect. Because they didn't want to leave nothing in retaining the next year's elite division spot to chance, at least nothing they could help, they took that option.

 

[jj cale]

Maybe they didn't do anything wrong. One reason for this outcome could be as simple as personality issues. A more charismatic coach could possibly have sold these kids the exact same ideas the sacked coach tried to do.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that the old management lost the bench. And the federation had the opportunity to bring in an accomplished junior coach the players actually respect. Because they didn't want to leave nothing in retaining the next year's elite division spot to chance, at least nothing they could help, they took that option.

After watching Canada's coaching failures last year I can certainly understand a coach being a main reason for team failures.

I just don't think this is something that can be done, not for a WJC.

 

[FiLe]

I just don't think this is something that can be done, not for a WJC.

Well, it just got done.

 

[jj cale]

Well, it just got done.

That is has, good luck.

 

[RorschachWJK]

The bush league move was to hire the idiot Rautakorpi in the first place. The [MOD] bush league move was not to fire him sooner.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Complain about the hire all you want but an in tourney firing is not very becoming of a federation as respected as the Finnish one. Be thankful you are playing a 2 out of 3 against the Latvians, a team that plays a rambunctious style like the Finns but with much less skill and overall attention to detail.

 

[Voight]

.... they couldn't wait another week?

 

[Lempo]

We're closing on the edge of the parody horizon now: according to the Finnish media the Montreal Canadiens organization has had to loan spare skates for our new head coach so he gets on the ice.

In NHL at least they have spare skates, and spare skates for spare skates.

 

[Loffer]

We're closing on the edge of the parody horizon now: according to the Finnish media the Montreal Canadiens organization has had to loan spare skates for our new head coach so he gets on the ice.

In NHL at least they have spare skates, and spare skates for spare skates.

Great new. Adds another reason to like the team of the town Mount Real. Go Habs go!

 

[The Cannon of Tesoma]

We're closing on the edge of the parody horizon now: according to the Finnish media the Montreal Canadiens organization has had to loan spare skates for our new head coach so he gets on the ice.

In NHL at least they have spare skates, and spare skates for spare skates.

Indeed, but aww.... how cute. Nobody could script better plot detail. Ahokas' re-assignment came behind the tree for himself too. Hockey TV-Commentators seldom need their own skates with them in an overseas tournaments.

What the classy move by Montreal Canadiens. Finnish Hockey Federation saved one day or so from Fed-exing a pair of skates to it's coach.

Propagandistically it cannot go more deep then this.

 

[BB88]

How many 1st rounders plus 2017 1st rounders are in this team Finland? Like 7. Then there's many 2nd rounders. Only Canada can challenge that kind of pure talent level when looking at the paper. When so many talented guys under-perform it's usually the coach who takes the blame. A bit weird to fire mid-tournament though.

That was part of the problem.

This is u20 tourney not u18. We can't expect 5 17y kids to carry us in this tourney. The vets were garbage this year, all the best ones were lost to NHL/ Saarela to injury.

But with that said the coaching was a mess, and I love that they got fired.

They did lose Laine Puljujarvi Aho Kapanen and Rantanen in a year. Almost two full lines

We lost,
Laine- Aho- Pulju
Rantanen- Hintz- Kapanen
Saarela, basically our 7 best forwards from last year. For us that's impossible to 100% replace.

 

[Lempo]

Only if they were Saku Koivu's old pair, size 11.

Excited to see how this novel out-of-nowhere approach of having an on-ice practice is going to bite.

 

[FiLe]

We lost,
Laine- Aho- Pulju
Rantanen- Hintz- Kapanen
Saarela, basically our 7 best forwards from last year. For us that's impossible to 100% replace.

I think it's a bit silly to be counting the overagers among "lost" players. That happens to everyone, every year. If you wanna play "what if", stick to players who would still be eligible but are otherwise occupied.

Of course, even then it's PuLa-Aho in its entirety + Saarela, and that's a big hole.

 

[The Cannon of Tesoma]

Article from Finnish Tabloid Iltalehti. Rough translation in English:

http://www.iltalehti.fi/jaakiekko/201612312200047761_jk.shtml

"Awful soup! Now speaks the man - Kalervo Kummola - who choose the head coach - points out a contradiction

Kalervo Kummola who made choice for U20-Coach Jukka Rautakorpi wonders what Rauli Urama had business on the bench.

- Kummola cannot understand, what Rauli Urama had to do at the bench
- Jukka Rautakorpi kept his own superior as his assistant coach.
- Kummola wondering, did Urama himself shoehorn himself to the coaching staff.

Kummola acted as the president of Hockey Federation of Finland until end of 2015, when Jukka Rautakorpi was chose the headcoach of U20 National team.

The long time president resigned his enlistment for Harri Nummela. Nummela commented amidst a hulabaloo around national team that he had no part in choosing Rautakorpi or his staff.

Iltalehti's interviewed Kummola doesn't want speculate what all is gone wrong in the tournament.

- I have no better knowledge. Here from a couch at Tampere it's hard to say what happened, - says Kummola.

Ex-President have had followed the coaching staff of national team with wondering. Rautakorpi piled six coaches to his staff.

One of the suits is Rauli Urama who acts also in a role of Finnish Hockey Federation's director of elite sporting ('Huippu-urheilu johtaja').

- In my opinion, Urama's role is contradictory. He should be Rautakorpi's superior and stay at a distance [from coaching staff], Kummola wonders.

According Kummola, he was not choosing coaching team.

- I don't know had Rautakorpi selected Urama or is he himself being intruding to the coaching staff.

Kummola didn't want to take a stance was Rautakorpi's firing right decision from the Hockey federation.

Solmu Salminen
Iltalehti"

...

Seems to me that dirty laundry is already going on. Kalervo Kummola is long term "Iron chancellor" of Finnish Hockey, and usually when he says something... you know.

It looks like they want all wash their hands out from the responsibility. Typical.

(Possible bad English and translation errors mine)

 

[Lempo]

It's really like one of them bleak 1980's sequels. Karate Kid 2 or something.

In "Nevö Foget 95" They Sought After Glory; Now They Have To Fight For Survival!