WC: 2016 Team Finland Pt. II

[snipes]

Good luck to you too. Just you though, as you always seem like a cool guy.

Snipes is the typical Canadian. Too nice!

Canada will come guns blazing. If Finland can handle the pressure that Canada puts on in the first period and doesn't fall 2-0, I think Finland will take it.

Talbot is really weird. He lets in some stinkers but makes really nice saves. Which Talbot will we see more of tomorrow?

Will Koskinen be able to handle the pressure of a gold medal game against Canada?

Let's see what happens! Not making any goal predictions here but I hope Finland wins it. They have been the best team in the tournament.

Thanks guys

Sucks to see this tournament end, I'm going to miss talking hockey with you guys. We have the World Cup and WJC soon enough though. I hope to make it to Suomi sometime for a WJC, beers an saunas await.

Good luck tomorrow, hopefully we see a good Gold medal game.

 

[mattihp]

Just bet 168 euro of Finland in the final.

Go Suomi!!!

/ A Swede who's sick of his own national team

Swedes are really turning around. Even Wennerholm is realistic nowadays

And sometimes the papers actually write that Finland won a game!

 

[Sharppi]

Things happen in hockey games. Ask Telegin who has a fractured ankle and possibly his fibula too. If a Canadian did that he would be under attack by everyone. Better relax. Try decaf.

According to this article, Telegin is playing today in the bronze game. What a magical healing event from a fractured ankle and possible fibula! Other teams really need to figure out what those Russian team doctors are doing right as they can heal such serious leg injuries in a day or less.

Source (in Finnish): http://www.iltalehti.fi/mmjaakiekko-2016/2016052121601441_jj.shtml

 

[mattihp]

According to this article, Telegin is playing today in the bronze game. What a magical healing event from a fractured ankle and possible fibula! Other teams really need to figure out what those Russian team doctors are doing right as they can heal such serious leg injuries in a day or less.

Source (in Finnish): http://www.iltalehti.fi/mmjaakiekko-2016/2016052121601441_jj.shtml

Yeah it is not many years ago that a russian player seemed to die but played the next game...

 

[Stoat]

According to this article, Telegin is playing today in the bronze game. What a magical healing event from a fractured ankle and possible fibula! Other teams really need to figure out what those Russian team doctors are doing right as they can heal such serious leg injuries in a day or less.

Source (in Finnish): http://www.iltalehti.fi/mmjaakiekko-2016/2016052121601441_jj.shtml

Good news for Telegin. As I saw from the TV, it seemed that he was paralyzed.

- Stoat

 

[Gaps]

Regardless of what happens tonight, this team has done amazingly well and shown heart and courage in tight spots. The youngsters and veterans have come together and learned from each other, which is what we will need to succeed in future tournaments as well.

That said, I will throw up in my mouth a little if I have to watch Perry raise the cup.

 

[BB88]

I've had my issues with Jalonen but have to give helluva amount of credit to this team, this team has shown they can beat talent playing as a team, and that sisu is beating talent.

Our defense has made ton of mistakes, but the other 4 guys have been covering for those, and no player has played his own tourney, every player has played for the team.

I'm glad Jalonen broke the Koivu line and brought up Rantanen to lineup, I doubt without those moves we'd be in the finals.
Still would love to see Laine on the Lw in the finals, he just plays his best shifts there and stop using Hietanen as a shooter.

 

[JJTT]

As expected PP sucked when it mattered the most.

Also playing Laine at RW, when it's clear that he can't play there was idiotic.

 

[kelsier]

As expected PP sucked when it mattered the most.

Also playing Laine at RW, when it's clear that he can't play there was idiotic.

He needed that one shot on the PP but Hietanen, again, shooting blindfolded. Cannot believe they couldn't get the powerplay fixed. They didn't even seem to try to. Kj is just incapable of making decisions and finding the flaws. Why even play Laine on the wrong side in the begin with?

 

[Gaps]

I can't be all that disappointed. The NTs had an amazing season and 2nd place was the absolute best this team could do, there's nothing to be ashamed of. The key to success for Finland is getting the absolute best out of the material you've got (taking into account the current condition of the players), and that goal was achieved. KJ's still not my favorite NT coach, but he can leave with his head held up high IMO. Sorry, but this team didn't lose because Laine played the wrong wing.

The D didn't have enough hands in general, which made it difficult to get out of the defensive zone (in the final in particular) but there's nothing KJ could've done about that. Perhaps things would've been different if Lindell had played the way he did in last year's tournament, but "what ifs" are useless.

 

[snipes]

Thank you for the game Finns. Congrats on the Silver, there is no shame in winning a silver medal, you should be proud of your guys.

I want to thank you guys and the many classy posters giving us congratulations after the game. You guys have my full respect.

Until we meet again friends .

 

[ijuka]

I actually am very happy that Kari Jalonen got exposed in the gold medal match.

I've criticized him the entire time. Even when Finland has won, his offensive game plan has been WEAK and shallow. It often is a slow start but the forwards are effectively standing still when they get the pass. When they get pressured here, they cannot do anything. This means that they make bad passes or chip it into the opponent's side of the rink and into a corner battle. Throughout the tournament, Finland often lost the puck in the middle of ice, even against WEAK teams. This was evident in game 1 and was never fixed.

As long as the forwards are pressurezed properly here, his game plan has absolutely nothing. There's nothing to get past the mid ice trap. And it's not a proper slow start with the speedy forwards attacking, the forwards are effectively standing still so this doesn't get going. Even in Finland's 9 matches that they won, this never was good, even if they did score goals. Finland's offense has been extremely reliant on getting a few lucky chances / bad goals off stupid mistakes and reliant on PPs. When Finland doesn't get those, Finland has nothing. There's no offensive game plan to get around a simple defense. Finland was losing or even in offensive chances vs many significantly weaker teams, even if Finland did win those games. This just shouldn't happen.

Of course, my criticism doesn't end there. The decision to have Patrik Laine play his wrong wing, the decision to have Lindell be the leading defenseman despite making 5000 mistakes with the puck per match, the extreme weakness to forechecking that was exposed against Hungary and never was fixed, the low winger defense that exposes the blue line, causing the opponent to essentially be able to play on power play on 5v5... Which is accompanied by the boxing defense, additionally allowing the opponents free reign along the boards. It's like the entire game plan is to play to survive instead of actually playing to win the game.


I'm happy that next season we'll get an actually competent coach. It honestly is a miracle that we got to the finals but I'd have to say that it's most likely due to the individuals carrying. There is no offensive game plan to speak of. There never was.

 

[LOFIN]

I've got to give credit to Jalonen, 2nd is still a good result. Even with the material we had, the Canadians and Russians still had teams as good or even better, and finishing 2nd is not that bad of a result.

Still, I'm pissed for some of the decisions he made during this tournament.

- Pulkkinen. The best goalscrore in the pre-tournament games. Given a role in the 4th line. Yes, if he had been good enough he would have done better than he did, but it wasn't exactly laid out to him.

- Bringing in Rantanen so late in the tournament, and giving him a small role. He had been great in the pre-tournament games. Also a great season in the AHL. U20 gold. And when you brought him in, place him on the 4th line. Well, fine. He can do that as well and did, but we could have got so much more out of him if he had been there from the start. I understand Jalonen not making changes to the lines half way into the tournament, but Rantanen should have been in from the start.

- Placing Aho with Granny and Koivu. He did change it in the end, but one should see even without any games that these type of players together are not exactly the way it should be done.

- Adding to that, Jalonen admitting he allowed the star players to have a say in the lineups. WTF? Do you have any authority at all?

 

[NCoRe]

I think ya can't critize KJ that much ! You have valid points, but still only team who capitalized it was Canda in the finals. We beated them, Usa, Slovakia & Russia because our system and individuals played well. What I didnt like in the finals was inability to be braver in the final minutes and our pressure was nowhere to be seen.

 

[ijuka]

Got to give credit to Jalonen? Perhaps if you only look at the results. He certainly was a better coach than Znarok in semis but that doesn't take much. As you could see, he just doesn't have an offensive playbook.

These things were analyzed after matches 1-2, they never were fixed.

But which system of Jalonen's do you think was especially effective? I'm curious. Finland was struggling against HUNGARY of all teams. Against simple forechecking. So what about Jalonen's system was good? Something specific please. I guess the PK and PP, huh? But that goes back to the reliance of actually getting penalties. The 5v5 is anemic.

 

[Mahonkinen]

Got to give credit to Jalonen? Perhaps if you only look at the results. He certainly was a better coach than Znarok in semis but that doesn't take much. As you could see, he just doesn't have an offensive playbook.

These things were analyzed after matches 1-2, they never were fixed.

But which system of Jalonen's do you think was especially effective? I'm curious. Finland was struggling against HUNGARY of all teams. Against simple forechecking. So what about Jalonen's system was good? Something specific please. I guess the PK and PP, huh? But that goes back to the reliance of actually getting penalties. The 5v5 is anemic.

Wasnt Ville Peltonen in charge of special teams?

 

[Gaps]

I've got to give credit to Jalonen, 2nd is still a good result. Even with the material we had, the Canadians and Russians still had teams as good or even better, and finishing 2nd is not that bad of a result.

Still, I'm pissed for some of the decisions he made during this tournament.

- Pulkkinen. The best goalscrore in the pre-tournament games. Given a role in the 4th line. Yes, if he had been good enough he would have done better than he did, but it wasn't exactly laid out to him.

- Bringing in Rantanen so late in the tournament, and giving him a small role. He had been great in the pre-tournament games. Also a great season in the AHL. U20 gold. And when you brought him in, place him on the 4th line. Well, fine. He can do that as well and did, but we could have got so much more out of him if he had been there from the start. I understand Jalonen not making changes to the lines half way into the tournament, but Rantanen should have been in from the start.

- Placing Aho with Granny and Koivu. He did change it in the end, but one should see even without any games that these type of players together are not exactly the way it should be done.

- Adding to that, Jalonen admitting he allowed the star players to have a say in the lineups. WTF? Do you have any authority at all?

Well, according to every player who was asked about it, that's not entirely true. KJ suggested and the players simply nodded.

 

[LOFIN]

Well, according to every player who was asked about it, that's not entirely true. KJ suggested and the players simply nodded.

Ok, so the media misinterpreted his words when he said Koivu and Granlund wanted to play with Aho.

Well that's a first in Finnish media history, especially with sports hah!

 

[BB88]

Thank you for the game Finns. Congrats on the Silver, there is no shame in winning a silver medal, you should be proud of your guys.

I want to thank you guys and the many classy posters giving us congratulations after the game. You guys have my full respect.

Until we meet again friends .

I can't stand that feeling but the right team won, Canada had easily better roster and tonight it was too much for us.


Pretty damm great that Laine wins MVP and we had talks in Finland that should he make the team, he locked himself into World Cup team.

 

[ijuka]

Wasnt Ville Peltonen in charge of special teams?

I see... that explains that. My bad giving Jalonen some credit.

It's been so long since there actually was a coach I respect coaching team Finland. I dislike Jukka Jalonen's naive hockey even if it did win a world championship and that still didn't change my opinion. I disliked Erkka Westerlund(outdated, shallow) and especially Kari Jalonen's coaching the most of all(Extremely weak offensive playbook, underdog hockey, anti-Finnish game plan).

Marjamäki should be awesome if these kinds of coaches can have such results.

 

[Gaps]

Ok, so the media misinterpreted his words when he said Koivu and Granlund wanted to play with Aho.

Well that's a first in Finnish media history, especially with sports hah!

Yeah, I got the impression that it was KJ's idea and the boys just said OK.

 

[snipes]

I can't stand that feeling but the right team won, Canada had easily better roster and tonight it was too much for us.


Pretty damm great that Laine wins MVP and we had talks in Finland that should he make the team, he locked himself into World Cup team.

The Finnish team was very good lots to be proud of.

Laine for sure will be on the World Cup team. Hopefully some Finnish fans can make it to Toronto, go have some drinks with Canadians and talk about our shared game.

 

[Gaps]

I can't stand that feeling but the right team won, Canada had easily better roster and tonight it was too much for us.


Pretty damm great that Laine wins MVP and we had talks in Finland that should he make the team, he locked himself into World Cup team.

Laine wasn't even the best player in his own line. Of course he had an amazing tournament, especially for an 18-year-old, but his MVP prize was just as deserved as Teemu's in Sochi (= undeserved). Well, the media always goes with the hype and for the player who's given them the best story of the tournament. That said, yes, he's probably going to get a spot in the World Cup.

 

[LOFIN]

Yeah, I got the impression that it was KJ's idea and the boys just said OK.

Well, in this case it just makes me question KJ more because why would you wan't to put together a line with these type of players?

Anyhow, it wasn't the worst tournament in Finnish hockey history. I think KJ made some bad decisions, which might have cost us the gold medal but he also made some decisions that people (including me) questioned but turned out to be good ones (trusting in Koskinen!).

 

[Opak]

Jesus ****ing Christ KJ, you are an absolute idiot.

You had 40 minutes to make adjustments and lineup changes, yet you did nothing. It was evident that rolling all four lines wasn't going to work this time, but apparently he was the only one, who wasn't able to figure that out. Bill Peters completely wiped the floor with KJ, absolutely humiliated him.