WC: Finland vs USA semi final!

[mattihp]

My trust in Jalonen is so high that I essentially can't stress about games involving Team Finland. I had no doubt Finland would win, even after the US took the early lead.

Frankly, it has taken 5% joy away from watching the game, but I get 95% extra when watching the results..

 

[llwyd]

Well, you can always trust a Jalonen team. We might easily lose in a best of one game, but we won't be disorganized or easy to defeat, always fighting, skating hard, always coherent and tight. He is quite a coach.

 

[AB13]

Well nobody supports them outside of Norway.

Bad example then. We don’t support Danish footballers. But we support Danish hockey players. We don’t support Finnish hockey players. But we support Finnish footballers. Same principles, it about rivarlies.

 

[karhukissa]

I hope that Czechs win Canada. Canada is our cryptonite..

 

[SanDogBrewin]

Congrats to the Finns. They finished there opportunities. That backhand goal was a laser beam. 5v5 I didn‘t think the US played too bad. US plays for another Bronze.

 

[FinPanda]

USA played an amazing game though. They could've easily won this with full lineup. Just a great game from them.

 

[AB13]

I hope that Czechs win Canada. Canada is our cryptonite..

Canada is everyones cryptonite mate. Well, aside from the US who tend to beat them.

 

[FinPanda]

I hope that Czechs win Canada. Canada is our cryptonite..

I don't think we have ever beaten the Czechs in the finals. We have beaten Canada though.

 

[karhukissa]

Canada is everyones cryptonite mate

Yeah but that's our only cryptonite.

 

[Jarvinen]

I hope that Czechs win Canada. Canada is our cryptonite..

Canada is everyone's cryptonite. Except Denmark's.

 

[canswetoxic]

Jukka Jalonen record during his latest stint with the Finnish national team: 4 international tournaments, and in each of them Finland goes to the finals. 2 golds so far (and hopefully 3 tomorrow).

If he can't get a shot in the NHL even as an assistant coach after this, I call it a criminal offence.

His coaching styles suit Flyers, and the Flyers definitely needs a new coach.

 

[IceHockeyDude]

Of course we don’t. You think we support Norweigan skiiers?

Yeah, I've bee told that so many times but don't really see that manifesting into reality.

 

[Lartsaman]

I don't think we have ever beaten the Czechs in the finals. We have beaten Canada though.

Two final losses against the czechs 20 years ago. It would be cool to finally get revenge over them...

 

[llwyd]

I hope that Czechs win Canada. Canada is our cryptonite..

Really? I think lately we have been pretty fine.

 

[mattihp]

Two final losses against the czechs 20 years ago. It would be cool to finally get revenge over them...

I remember when Sihvonen handed them the gold medal like it was yesterday. Even swedes thought we deserved that gold. My classmates were as annoyed as me.

 

[AB13]

Yeah but that's our only cryptonite.

Not really. You just haven’t played good teams with solid NHL players since Covid hit. WCs have been glorified EHT tournaments the past two years because of NHL scheduling. But Canada can ice a solid NHL lineup because of depth in NHL production and therefore can beat you despite your effective well drilled system and long term project with solid Euro players. If Sweden, USA, Russia had normal teams of the level of their 2017-2019 teams, they would beat you too of course.

 

[karhukissa]

Two final losses against the czechs 20 years ago. It would be cool to finally get revenge over them...

Yeah and change would be nice, this would be 3rd CAN-FIN final in a row. Canada also has that winning culture around their team, and that's visible when they are backs against the wall.

 

[MBrodeur]

Frankly, it has taken 5% joy away from watching the game, but I get 95% extra when watching the results..

You're making a good point. I do sort of miss that feeling of panic whenever Finland would make a mistake but these days the mistakes are just not happening

 

[mattihp]

This team afforded to leave Aaltonen and Ojamäki off the team. Quite remarkable to let that kind of talent rest.

 

[IceHockeyDude]

Canada is everyone's cryptonite.

I really REALLY hope for the Czechs to beat them. No more Finland-Canada finals.. it is too stressful.

 

[FiLe]

Two final losses against the czechs 20 years ago. It would be cool to finally get revenge over them...

With truly idiotic two-parter final format in one of those. If the wins were 1-1 after 120 minutes, the gold was decided with single sudden-death overtime. I still wonder what kind of shrooms the IIHF was on for that.

 

[Shocker]

Not really. You just haven’t played good teams with solid NHL players since Covid hit. WCs have been glorified EHT tournaments the past two years because of NHL scheduling. But Canada can ice a solid NHL lineup because of depth in NHL production and therefore can beat you despite your effective well drilled system. If Sweden, USA, Russia had normal teams of the level of their 2017-2019 teams, they would beat you too of course.

Ah, i love the salty tears, please more.

 

[llwyd]

Oh, I would any day take a win with our supposedly "boring" style of play as opposed to losing in an artistically more pleasing fashion...

 

[Elias40]

This idea came to me some time ago and Finland confirms it. Just as Canada is able to dominate the best on best tournament, the depth of its lineup has a fantastic choice for each post and some players are forced to play outside their primary post and still be able to benefit their team in a different role. Such a similar team can build Jalonen with Finland if the competition brings players from the NHL, but they are not among the world's elite. However, Jalonen can add a game system to this and thus compensate for the lower quality of skills of Finnish players.

And even if they get one or two goals, they lose and one thinks they are mentally down, they have a person on the bench who will not allow for a moment that they would lose the match. Finland has great skaters, but they always had them to win tournaments, they often lacked mental resilience and faith in their own abilities. And that's just what Jalonen added, with how well I can skate, how I can block so many of my opponent's passes in each substitution and thus prevent a smooth transition to the offensive zone ... it must leave traces on the opponents. And they don't release a single duel, they still skate back and forth, I practically don't see in their matches that their opponent misses them out of renumbering because the system of the game performs so well that they don't make that mistake. Of course, it can be defeated, opponents can prepare for the style and overcome it. At the moment, however, it doesn't look like that, they look like an invincible machine. But so did the Soviet Union, and sometimes they lost a match.

 

[karhukissa]

Not really. You just haven’t played good teams with solid NHL players since Covid hit. WCs have been glorified EHT tournaments the past two years because of NHL scheduling. But Canada can ice a solid NHL lineup because of depth in NHL production and therefore can beat you despite your effective well drilled system. If Sweden, USA, Russia had normal teams of the level of their 2017-2019 teams, they would beat you too of course.

You can say that to yourself if it makes you feel better that you are out again and choked, it's fine.

You can talk about whatifs and whatabouts. Hockey and professional sports doesn't work like that, you can start scrolling from Sochi, Vancouver or Torino olympics and then re-think your sentence.