GDT: Gold Medal Game - May 26 - Canada vs Finland

[DoubleGold]

Hope it fuels your engines to win a best on best tournament. Sweden won in 2006. The Czechs won in 1998. Finland is a very good hockey nation, but is always the runner up. I know the truth hurts.

Haven't had a best-on-best in a while (gimmick World Cup doesn't count). Oh wait, we beat you in the U20 tournament on your own soil this year. That must sting!

 

[torniojaws]

And we have 6m pop so we're hitting the same 50%, not 60% or something

Exactly 5 518 393, according to Tilastokeskus:
Tilastokeskus - Väestön ennakkotilasto

 

[RorschachWJK]

Congrats on beating Canada's C or D Team. There would not be tens of thousands of people in the streets of Toronto or Ottawa if Canada had won. Just the reality. A second-tier tournament, on the big ice, which matters to Europeans. Win the Gold Medal or World Cup for once.

I see a salt mine.

 

[DoubleGold]

I love Finland. I always root for you guys, because Finns are very similiar to us Latvians. You guys are like a deluxe version of us.

Thanks bro! Hope you guys pull off a surprise next year!

 

[Nexon]

There are 6 great hockey nations. Not badmouthing Finnish hockey. Just reacting to some earlier posters by pointing out the fact that this tournament means a lot more to Europeans. If Canada or the US had won- there would not be thousands of people in the streets. It is like the Spengler Cup. Great hockey, but not best on best. More like the minor leagues. The reality.

Alright but I’m sure that 6-7 teams would be able to be among better squads even in NHL, first 5 would dominate that league with 3 more on level of better AHL team, so hardLY minor league level.

 

[Loffer]

Lame. Finnish Airforce is so busy at Lapland in Bold Quest -manoevers that they cannot send even a pair of Hawks to the escort duty when our boys and The Boy come back to home. Its tradition (how pompous and expensive it may be) and considering all kind bad publicity around FAF (Lemmenjoki affairs) lately it would be good PR for them. God dammit! If they have no fighters to dispatch into this mission, maybe FAF HQ could just send official request to its Swedish brother Squadrons to help in urgent needs. Even better if they would sent that to Russians too. I'm sure both of those Airforces would at least consider to make that honorary duty, if our own do not or cannot.

Expected nav points:

1.) Helsinki-Vantaa
2.) Rendezvous at somewhere over the Gulf of Finland on the line Bratislava-Helsinki
3.) Escort wing with a pair of fighters to incoming Passenger plane (Designation: FAF 1) to Helsinki-Vantaa
4.) Salute on air with simple 'rolling wing' before the landing of FAF 1
5.) Departure from escorting duty -> Back to the base(s)

Estimated mission time: 1 hour

:|

Ironically Russians dispatched two military cargo planes (almost) to the Finnish air space near Porvoo to make their "homage" today and FAF responded by sending a couple of Hornets to check their intentions. I guess the homage was accepted and acknowledged by rolling wings salute above the Gulf of Finland.

The morale of this little news feed story might be as follows: Ice Hockey/Lions is not a priority in the FAF agenda and there are other games played constantly behind the scenes.

 

[RorschachWJK]

To clarify: very few people in Europe care about the Spengler Cup. Like at all. It is a nothing tourney. Even less important than the world championship European pre-tourneys which are for testing players.

 

[Stubu]

I love Finland. I always root for you guys, because Finns are very similiar to us Latvians. You guys are like a deluxe version of us.

Hope to visit Riga again in near future. In the 1920s it was known as Le Petit Paris among the jetset... how things changed. So happy to see you folks going strong again. The hockey will follow

 

[Ippenator]

My 96 yrs old granny watches every game in these tournaments..

My grandma is 96 years old too and she got really angry when my mom, while she was visiting her, was calling me at the same time when Finland’s game against Denmark was already going on. Grandma got really pissed off, so we had to finish the call quickly. And yes, she also watched every single game that Finland played in the tournament again.

 

[DoubleGold]

I'd be salty too if I noticed that my country's status as a world leader was dwindling and other countries showed more love for the game.

 

[The Cannon of Tesoma]

You need to cool off bud. Do you see anyone here unironically claiming Finland is overall better at hockey than Canada? Just accept the loss and move on.

Unironically I just pull the The Myth of Origin of The Northern Tribes here. In English. Nobody laugh. There maybe more literally correct translations of it available, but our Finnish Bible Genesis translation suffers from same problems. However, this one is the Original, or at least more closely representing what was in the mind of our forefathers and mothers!

Disclaimer: We can spam often what ever might come to our minds, but when it goes to Finnish identity, the last stand of us, ancient knowledge and wisdom, it goes to there. If the game of hockey can be used for spreading any agendas or ideology or faith, or piece of world literature for those who don't understand then it should be done so. In modern world this Fenno-Ugric Genesis isn't killed anyone:

RUNE I.
BIRTH OF WAINAMOINEN

IN primeval times, a maiden,
Beauteous Daughter of the Ether,
Passed for ages her existence
In the great expanse of heaven,
O'er the prairies yet enfolded.
Wearisome the maiden growing,
Her existence sad and hopeless,
Thus alone to live for ages
In the infinite expanses
Of the air above the sea-foam,
In the far outstretching spaces,
In a solitude of ether,
She descended to the ocean,
Waves her coach, and waves her pillow.
Thereupon the rising storm-wind
Flying from the East in fierceness,
Whips the ocean into surges,
Strikes the stars with sprays of ocean
Till the waves are white with fervor.
To and fro they toss the maiden,
Storm-encircled, hapless maiden;
With her sport the rolling billows,
With her play the storm-wind forces,
On the blue back of the waters;
On the white-wreathed waves of ocean,
Play the forces of the salt-sea,
With the lone and helpless maiden;
Till at last in full conception,
Union now of force and beauty,
Sink the storm-winds into slumber;
Overburdened now the maiden
Cannot rise above the surface;
Seven hundred years she wandered,
Ages nine of man's existence,
Swam the ocean hither, thither,
Could not rise above the waters,
Conscious only of her travail;
Seven hundred years she labored
Ere her first-born was delivered.

Thus she swam as water-mother,
Toward the east, and also southward,
Toward the west, and also northward;
Swam the sea in all directions,
Frightened at the strife of storm-winds,
Swam in travail, swam unceasing,
Ere her first-born was delivered.
Then began she gently weeping,
Spake these measures, heavy-hearted:
"Woe is me, my life hard-fated!
Woe is me, in this my travail!
Into what have I now fallen?
Woe is me, that I unhappy,
Left my home in subtle ether,
Came to dwell amid the sea-foam,
To be tossed by rolling billows,
To be rocked by winds and waters,
On the far outstretching waters,
In the salt-sea's vast expanses,
Knowing only pain and trouble!
Better far for me, O Ukko!
Were I maiden in the Ether,
Than within these ocean-spaces,
To become a water-mother!
All this life is cold and dreary,
Painful here is every motion,
As I linger in the waters,
As I wander through the ocean.
Ukko, thou O God, up yonder,
Thou the ruler of the heavens,
Come thou hither, thou art needed,
Come thou hither, I implore thee,
To deliver me from trouble,
To deliver me in travail.
Come I pray thee, hither hasten,
Hasten more that thou art needed,
Haste and help this helpless maiden!"

When she ceased her supplications,
Scarce a moment onward passes,
Ere a beauteous duck descending,
Hastens toward the water-mother,
Comes a-flying hither, thither,
Seeks herself a place for nesting.
Flies she eastward, flies she westward,
Circles northward, circles southward,
Cannot find a grassy hillock,
Not the smallest bit of verdure;
Cannot find a spot protected,
Cannot find a place befitting,
Where to make her nest in safety.
Flying slowly, looking round her,
She descries no place for resting,
Thinking loud and long debating,
And her words are such as follow:
"Build I in the winds my dwelling,
On the floods my place of nesting?
Surely would the winds destroy it,
Far away the waves would wash it."

Then the daughter of the Ether,
Now the hapless water-mother,
Raised her shoulders out of water,
Raised her knees above the ocean,
That the duck might build her dwelling,
Build her nesting-place in safety.
Thereupon the duck in beauty,
Flying slowly, looking round her,
Spies the shoulders of the maiden,
Sees the knees of Ether's daughter,
Now the hapless water-mother,
Thinks them to be grassy hillocks,
On the blue back of the ocean.
Thence she flies and hovers slowly,
Lightly on the knee she settles,
Finds a nesting-place befitting,
Where to lay her eggs in safety.
Here she builds her humble dwelling,
Lays her eggs within, at pleasure,
Six, the golden eggs she lays there,
Then a seventh, an egg of iron;
Sits upon her eggs to hatch them,
Quickly warms them on the knee-cap
Of the hapless water-mother;
Hatches one day, then a second,
Then a third day sits and hatches.
Warmer grows the water round her,
Warmer is her bed in ocean,
While her knee with fire is kindled,
And her shoulders too are burning,
Fire in every vein is coursing.
Quick the maiden moves her shoulders,
Shakes her members in succession,
Shakes the nest from its foundation,
And the eggs fall into ocean,
Dash in pieces on the bottom
Of the deep and boundless waters.
In the sand they do not perish,
Not the pieces in the ocean;
But transformed, in wondrous beauty
All the fragments come together
Forming pieces two in number,
One the upper, one the lower,
Equal to the one, the other.
From one half the egg, the lower,
Grows the nether vault of Terra:
From the upper half remaining,
Grows the upper vault of Heaven;
From the white part come the moonbeams,
From the yellow part the sunshine,
From the motley part the starlight,
From the dark part grows the cloudage;
And the days speed onward swiftly,
Quickly do the years fly over,
From the shining of the new sun
From the lighting of the full moon.

Still the daughter of the Ether,
Swims the sea as water-mother,
With the floods outstretched before her,
And behind her sky and ocean.
Finally about the ninth year,
In the summer of the tenth year,
Lifts her head above the surface,
Lifts her forehead from the waters,
And begins at last her workings,
Now commences her creations,
On the azure water-ridges,
On the mighty waste before her.
Where her hand she turned in water,
There arose a fertile hillock;
Wheresoe'er her foot she rested,
There she made a hole for fishes;
Where she dived beneath the waters,
Fell the many deeps of ocean;
Where upon her side she turned her,
There the level banks have risen;
Where her head was pointed landward,
There appeared wide bays and inlets;
When from shore she swam a distance,
And upon her back she rested,
There the rocks she made and fashioned,
And the hidden reefs created,
Where the ships are wrecked so often,
Where so many lives have perished.

Thus created were the islands,
Rocks were fastened in the ocean,
Pillars of the sky were planted,
Fields and forests were created,
Checkered stones of many colors,
Gleaming in the silver sunlight,
All the rocks stood well established;
But the singer, Wainamoinen,
Had not yet beheld the sunshine,
Had not seen the golden moonlight,
Still remaining undelivered.
Wainamoinen, old and trusty,
Lingering within his dungeon
Thirty summers altogether,
And of winters, also thirty,
Peaceful on the waste of waters,
On the broad-sea's yielding bosom,
Well reflected, long considered,
How unborn to live and flourish
In the spaces wrapped in darkness,
In uncomfortable limits,
Where he had not seen the moonlight,
Had not seen the silver sunshine.
Thereupon these words be uttered,
Let himself be heard in this wise:
"Take, O Moon, I pray thee, take me,
Take me, thou, O Sun above me,
Take me, thou O Bear of heaven,
From this dark and dreary prison,
From these unbefitting portals,
From this narrow place of resting,
From this dark and gloomy dwelling,
Hence to wander from the ocean,
Hence to walk upon the islands,
On the dry land walk and wander,
Like an ancient hero wander,
Walk in open air and breathe it,
Thus to see the moon at evening,
Thus to see the silver sunlight,
Thus to see the Bear in heaven,
That the stars I may consider."

Since the Moon refused to free him,
And the Sun would not deliver,
Nor the Great Bear give assistance,
His existence growing weary,
And his life but an annoyance,
Bursts he then the outer portals
Of his dark and dismal fortress;
With his strong, but unnamed finger,
Opens he the lock resisting;
With the toes upon his left foot,
With the fingers of his right hand,
Creeps he through the yielding portals
To the threshold of his dwelling;
On his knees across the threshold,
Throws himself head foremost, forward
Plunges into deeps of ocean,
Plunges hither, plunges thither,
Turning with his hands the water;
Swims he northward, swims he southward,
Swims he eastward, swims he westward,
Studying his new surroundings.

Thus our hero reached the water,
Rested five years in the ocean,
Six long years, and even seven years,
Till the autumn of the eighth year,
When at last he leaves the waters,
Stops upon a promontory,
On a coast bereft of verdure;
On his knees he leaves the ocean,
On the land he plants his right foot,
On the solid ground his left foot,
Quickly turns his hands about him,
Stands erect to see the sunshine,
Stands to see the golden moonlight,
That he may behold the Great Bear,
That he may the stars consider.
Thus our hero, Wainamoinen,
Thus the wonderful enchanter
Was delivered from his mother,
Ilmatar, the Ether's daughter.

//

/Off-topically topical good mood spam

 

[Loffer]

I see a salt mine.

You fail to realize the beauty of this Great Win, Greatest of All Times perhaps - or the beauty of the subsequent celebration and folk party in Finland (and around). It is only your loss. Maybe lost in translation over the Ocean.

 

[DoubleGold]

Keep spreading the Gospel lads! Miracle on Ice!!

 

[Ippenator]

Too many meaningless games and poor club management tends to show in attendances. Reduce the regular season to around 55 games or closer to 50 and that puts more focus on regular season.

Attendances don’t really tell that much about the popularity of hockey in Finland. Every single Liiga game is available on television, if you buy the channel package that Telia nowadays offers, or go to most of the local sports bars to watch the game.

I for example watch crazy amounts of liiga games per year (something like 100-200 per year), but I haven’t watched a live Liiga game in three years now. I hate queing and being in large crowds, so I’m really happy to watch the games from home, or in a sports bar with some friends. I think that there are a lot of people in Finland that feel the same way.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

There are 6 great hockey nations. Not badmouthing Finnish hockey. Just reacting to some earlier posters by pointing out the fact that this tournament means a lot more to Europeans. If Canada or the US had won- there would not be thousands of people in the streets. It is like the Spengler Cup. Great hockey, but not best on best. More like the minor leagues. The reality for North Americans. That is why sadly- so many Canadian players decline, while guys like Ovechkin and Malkin are the first ones to go.

You're right on many things but it doesn't take away from the beauty of this particular WHC win. A team of 0 NHL players (even barely any KHL players) beating Sweden, USA and Canada in elimination games, all which were stacked with NHLers.

Stuff like this doesn't happen even on WHC scale, underdogs of the same caliber (like some Swiss teams in WHC history) sometimes go deep but never win the whole thing.

There's wasn't a single player on Finland that would even make Canada's C team. Maybe Kakko but in a very limited role.

Sure, it doesn't change anything in the grand scheme of things in the hockey world, but it means a lot to the Finnish people and it's one of the biggest underdog stories in the history of WHC. Got to appreciate that.

 

[Husqvarna]

Keep spreading the Gospel lads! Miracle on Ice!!

Yup ... and a canuck from Toronto is to blame. But of course no one ever will remember x-cept the one from Toronto. Shake for me Canada ...

 

[koyvoo]

For the record there are or were no street parties in Canada for the last two World Cup wins either. Particularly the last one wasn’t really looked at with prestige with the gimmick u23 team and Europe team involved.

The Olympic wins of 2002, 2010 and 2014 saw massive public celebrations though.

The World Cup isn’t looked upon in the same regard since pros were first allowed into the Olympics in 1998.

Losing the World Cup final to the USA in 1996 was definitely seen as a crushing and painful loss, as was losing to the Czechs in the quarter final of the 1998 Olympics. But since then, the World Cup has definitely lost its lustre.

 

[The Cannon of Tesoma]

 

[DoubleGold]

KYLLÄ LÖI!!!

 

[DoubleGold]

 

[Gobben]

Parody of core memes of Finnish "Kalevala Identity".

I can add a Finnish movie

 

[Bruce Granville]

This is on repeat for the rest of the
evening!

Are 10h enough?

 

[Bruce Granville]

Congrats to Finland. Some of you posters though need a reality check. This tournament, like the Spengler Cup is popular in Europe, and means more to Europeans. That is why guys like Malkin and Ovechkin go everytime they ask, and Canada's top players decline. It does not mean much to Canadians also.

Looking at the roster of Canada, only a couple of players might make Canada's Olympic team. If Canada had won yesterday, there would not be tens of thousands of people celebrating in the streets of Toronto or Ottawa. This tournament is a second-tier tournament, since it is not Best on Best. It is the same as the Spengler Cup for me. We win- that is great, if we do not- it is not the end of the world. That attitude is not the same for Europeans, who love this tournament like it is the Stanley Cup.

It is great hockey, but just because you beat Canada does not make you the Best. I am happy Canada got the Silver, since i thought this team would be lucky to make it to the Semis. Finland is a great hockey nation, but you can be the best when you win the Gold Medal or the World Cup.

But why isn‘t Toronto at least interested in the Stanley Cup?

 

[The Cannon of Tesoma]

I can add a Finnish movie

LOL. Love it. Great!

 

[illone84]

Congrats on beating Canada's C or D Team. There would not be tens of thousands of people in the streets of Toronto or Ottawa if Canada had won. Just the reality. A second-tier tournament, on the big ice, which matters to Europeans. Win the Gold Medal or World Cup for once.

As a dual citizen of Finland and Canada, I can definitely sympathize that the average Canuck does not care about the World Championships, however, World Juniors are still very, very, important. Last time I checked Finland was the wjc champion! Canada has all the talent in the world, but they can only ice one team. The next best on best is going to be much closer than it ever has been IMHO. It will be more like 1998 than 2014 where Canada dominated. Finland can win a best on best. Looking forward to it happening one day. BTW, beating Canada's C or D team with a bunch of liiga plugs is a massive achievement. Hopefully you are cheering for the Raptors, bruv!!!