Finland's WJC wins

[Canuckistani]

Was just looking over Finland's history of gold medals at the WJC (third all-time now behind only Canada and Russia). They sure like to win dramatically...

1987: Claimed gold on the final day with three straight goals in the third period, two by Pekka Tirkkonen, for a 5-3 win over the Czechs.
Canada could then claim gold with a four-goal win over the Soviets, but was instead disqualified for the infamous punch-up in Piestany (while leading 4-2 in the second). Players include Jukka-Pekka Seppo, Janne Ojanen, Markus Ketterer.

1998: Niklas Hagman scores at 13:41 of OT to beat Russia 2-1 for gold in Helsinki. Team includes Mika Noronen, Olli Jokinen, Niko Kapanen.

2014: More gold medal OT heroics, this time from Rasmus Ristolainen to beat the Swedes 3-2 in Malmo. Also on the team is Teuvo Teräväinen, Esa Lindell, Ville Pokka.

2016: Again in OT as Kasperi Kapanen scores on a wraparound to win 4-3 vs Russia again on home ice. Andrei Svetlakov had tied it for Russia at 19:54. Jesse Puljujarvi, Sebastian Aho and Patrik Laine lead the offense.

2019: A fluky last-minute reprieve against Canada, an OT penalty shot save, a broken Canadian stick on an open net followed by a Finish winner, then a game winner in the final with only 1:26 on the clock.

Click to read more...

 

[vivalavili]

I dont really understand what you're going after with this post. If you're trying to say that our wins have been flukes then let me explain a bit. This year Finland decimated the Swiss and beat the US fair and square while dominating most of the game. The Canada game was a difficult one but DiPietro's great game was the only thing that kept Canada in the Game. Had he not played that well, we would have rolled over Canada as well.


2016 we had a forward core better than any other Finnish Juniors team ever had and we dominated all tournament.


2014 we played a similar game to what we played this year. Head coach Kivi played a more defense oriented game and it payed off even though the homer refs in Sweden almost managed to destroy the dream. I'm too young to know about the 1998 tournament and especially the 1987, but this decade's wins have all been fully deserved although a bit dramatic.

 

[Star Ocean]

I dont really understand what you're going after with this post. If you're trying to say that our wins have been flukes then let me explain a bit. This year Finland decimated the Swiss and beat the US fair and square while dominating most of the game. The Canada game was a difficult one but DiPietro's great game was the only thing that kept Canada in the Game. Had he not played that well, we would have rolled over Canada as well.


2016 we had a forward core better than any other Finnish Juniors team ever had and we dominated all tournament.


2014 we played a similar game to what we played this year. Head coach Kivi played a more defense oriented game and it payed off even though the homer refs in Sweden almost managed to destroy the dream. I'm too young to know about the 1998 tournament and especially the 1987, but this decade's wins have all been fully deserved although a bit dramatic.

Homer refs? Sweden was the best team that tournament

 

[NyQuil]

If you're trying to say that our wins have been flukes then let me explain a bit.

I don't see where he's saying that at all.

He said dramatic and they all seem pretty dramatic.

2010 Olympic Gold for Canada - dramatic.
2014 Olympic Gold for Canada - not very dramatic.

It doesn't change the quality of the accomplishment.

 

[SotasicA]

Jesse Puljujarvi, Sebastian Aho and Patrik Laine lead the offense.

Don't forget Mikko Rantanen.

 

[Sam of Montreal]

Not sure why you felt attacked like this.

I enjoyed OPs post. Especially reading further on punch up in Piestany.

 

[Sam of Montreal]

Don't forget Mikko Rantanen.

What a crazy, stacked team that was.

 

[IceHockeyDude]

Top talent, sisu (mental strength), coaching and a bit of luck = 3 gold medals from the last 6 tournaments.

 

[Old Watcher]

Congratulations to Finland!

Well played tournament. Outstanding goaltending.

Canada wasn't really ready for it.

 

[TheTwelfth]

Homer refs? Sweden was the best team that tournament

Yeah, Sweden was by far the best team (Forsberg, Lindholm, Wennberg, Burakovsky, Wallmark) while Finland had the best player (Saros) and coach (Kivi).

 

[Husqvarna]

But anyway and anyhow no one ever has more luck than the Swedes in every tournament there ever was. In hockey that is.

 

[Husqvarna]

To rub it in for sure ... so you don't forget it in the first case the rest o' the world:



Finlad knows how to party - when they wanna!

 

[Husqvarna]

"Worlds most dangerous occupation - Lion tamer" (the banner at the end!).

So there you go ...

 

[canswetoxic]

geeez, lets the Finns enjoy their Gold, although a win with flukes goal or lucky goal they will claim they're still the best.

 

[Husqvarna]

This time around Finland naked divers did dive into the Havis Amanda in the center of Hells ...oops Helsinki! (to protect your own security - or rather your eyes!) so no pics! Sorry. And anyway the divers were all male ... and sorry about that too!

Havis Amanda (Helsingfors, Finland) - omdömen - TripAdvisor

 

[Husqvarna]

geeez, lets the Finns enjoy their Gold, although a win with flukes goal or lucky goal they will claim they're still the best.

Only the best of the lot three times last six tournaments that is, so not that bad at all me thinx. And not only me.

 

[NyQuil]

geeez, lets the Finns enjoy their Gold, although a win with flukes goal or lucky goal they will claim they're still the best.

You could argue that Crosby's goal in 2010 was kind of flukey.

I really dislike the argument that "you didn't win convincingly enough" or "by enough goals" to matter.

We have created a sport where winning by one goal awards you the victory. Those are the rules that everyone has agreed to.

If you had to win by 2 or 3 goals, the game would be a lot different. But it isn't, so why does it matter what the goal differential is?

Winning is winning. It is half of a binary condition - winning or losing.

I dislike the shootout because in my mind it takes away the "team" aspect of the sport, but as it is apparently here to stay, it counts too.

 

[FinPanda]

Our young guys have grown up winning and they have mental strenght to play their best when it matters. Combine that with our player development and skills coaching and more individual approach without losing that willing to play for the team.. We can see the results and we aren't finished yet.

They don't have the burden of losing which our older guys have.

 

[Star Ocean]

But anyway and anyhow no one ever has more luck than the Swedes in every tournament there ever was. In hockey that is.

Yeah how lucky losing 11 wjc finals...

 

[Past Considerations]

I like that all of the three past golds have come in different ways.

2014 - defence-first, not much offence besides Teravainen. Big ice.

2016 - all-offence. Big ice & home tournament.

2018 - problematic start, but then scoring the right goals and winning the right games. And finally, a result on the small ice.

Also behind the funny fact that the only medals have been all golds (plus one relegation round) is that the at least a couple of the recent tournaments were wasted on atrocious head coach choices - just bad coaches with little to no merits or good coaches with merits but not right ones for juniors and short tournaments. Remember that in the 2017 tournament the original head coach was fired mid-tournament and the now gold-winning Jussi Ahokas was appointed as the savior just before the relegation round.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I like that all of the three past golds have come in different ways.

2014 - defence and team play oriented, not much offence besides Teravainen. Big ice.

2016 - all-offence. Big ice & home tournament.

2018 - problematic start, but then scoring the right goals and winning the right games. And finally, a result on the small ice.

Also behind the funny fact that the only medals have been all golds (plus one relegation round) is that the at least a couple of tournaments were wasted on atrocious head coach choices - just bad coaches with little to no merits or good coaches with merits but not right ones for juniors and short tournaments.

2018 was a shootout loss and Luukkonen was kinda nervous. I think Kotkaniemi should have been in the team also over Innala and Jääskä. Turkulainen left out was a bummer also.

 

[schmiedi]

2018 was a shootout loss and Luukkonen was kinda nervous. I think Kotkaniemi should have been in the team also over Innala and Jääskä. Turkulainen left out was a bummer also.

 

[Eidyia]

It's a short tournament with a best-of-1 knock-outs.

There's always luck involved.

For example: Last year Finland absolutely dominated the Czechs in the quarter-finals but eventually lost in the shootout. Coach Ahokas was massacred both in traditional and social media.

This year Finland scored a lucky deflection goal against Canada in the last minute of QF and everyone knows what happened in the overtime.

They went and win it all eventually, and now Jussi Ahokas is praised in media as a wizard and the breaker of the curse in a North American ice.

 

[FinPanda]

Q&A: The architect of Finland's golden generation explains...

The reasons behind our rise. Good read, on mobile you can read some articles for free (monthly) so I recommend this. I'm not sure if I should've made a new thread about this but I think this is a good thread.

 

[Canuckistani]

I dont really understand what you're going after with this post. If you're trying to say that our wins have been flukes then let me explain a bit.

Are you serious? I'm just pointing out that Finnish wins have been notably exciting. At no point did I even imply that a gold is of less value if you win in OT instead of 6-0.