Your comment on Finnish players.

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Shack

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Aug 25, 2004
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I think there are alot of finns on this board who would like to share their toughts about our team after this terrible game against Latvia and after this terrible tournament (which still might continue).

All are welcome to comment.

Here are my rankings.

Top players or big surprises.

1. Ossi Väänänen. (Definetly our best d-man and he has kept his level from game to game. Hard hits at Canada game and solid game all around)

2. Jarkko Ruutu. (Jarkko has done just the job he was meant to do. Alot of forechecking and he was maybe the best player against Latvia. Helping our defence all the time)

3. Niko Kapanen. (He sees the ice well and creates alot of changes for his wingers and for the d-mens. With a little more better shot he would be awesome)

4. Timo Pärssinen. (He's lost a little bit of his level, but great guy to steal the pucks and drive on net)

5. Lasse Kukkonen. (I didn't even expect this guy to play on this tournament, but he's played very solid games. Nothing special, just his stuff)

6. A-J Niemi. (He has scored 2 goals and has been solid at own end.)

7. Niklas Hagman. (He's quick on skates and does alot of job. Saddly he uses much of his energy on wrong things. Still our 3rd best offence player)

8. Jukka Hentunen. (Import goal against Canada, but has been a little bit lost. He's doing alot of job at his line, but he should score more.)

9. Jere Karalahti. (I did except a few goals more, but he has been strong at own end. Nothing to complain)

Sh*** department.

1. Ville Peltonen. (Definetly the biggest zero, does he even have points??)

2. Olli Jokinen. (Our "1st" center. Really lost but he still helps alot at the d-zone so points from that)

3. Tomi Kallio. (This completes the mocking of our 1st line. Miss Kallio fears to take hits and can't score at important places)

4. Kimmo Timonen. (I waited some goals, but he has only 1, also problems with strong players at d-zone)

5. Jani Rita and Riku Hahl. (Both were meant to skate, hit and score, but they only skated. Usually at the wrong places)

They were ok.

1. Nummelin
2. Saravo
3. Söderholm
4. J. Jokinen
5. Petri Pakaslahti (Important guy at faceoffs)
6. Mikko Eloranta
7. Jari Viuhkola
8. Our goalies. (Haven't been at their best, but alot of goals have just been marking mistakes)

Conclusions

We have decent defence and decent goaltending, but our offence sucks alot. We need more guys like Selänne, Koivu who can score when we need goals. Hopefully at the next tournament, but we will see. Until then, I wish you luck Sweden.
 

Dominus

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Nov 5, 2004
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I pretty much agree with your choices.

Shack said:
Top players or big surprises.
2. Jarkko Ruutu. (Jarkko has done just the job he was meant to do. Alot of forechecking and he was maybe the best player against Latvia. Helping our defence all the time)

Ruutu has been my favourite player in this tournament. I've liked him in every game, even against Sweden and Latvia, but he is -2... So, I don't know. Maybe he's just ok.


Shack said:
Sh*** department.
1. Ville Peltonen. (Definetly the biggest zero, does he even have points??)
2. Olli Jokinen. (Our "1st" center. Really lost but he still helps alot at the d-zone so points from that)
3. Tomi Kallio. (This completes the mocking of our 1st line. Miss Kallio fears to take hits and can't score at important places)
4. Kimmo Timonen. (I waited some goals, but he has only 1, also problems with strong players at d-zone)

Peltonen has 1+1, but I agree with you on these guys, and also on Rita and Hahl. I kinda feared that Kallio would flop, but Jokinen, Peltonen and Timonen were huge disappointments. Maybe they should have mixed the lines even more, when it was obvious that OJ's line wasn't working.

I'd also like to add Nummelin and Pakaslahti to the mix. Nummelin should score. If he doesn't, he's useless, and he hasn't. Pakaslahti's skillset is just not enough for these games. Maybe he would make Team Belarus, but he should not be in Team Finland. It doesn't matter if he can win a faceoff every once in a while.

edit:
Oh btw... Jokinen, Peltonen and Timonen are all suffering from some kinda injuries, so that may explain something, but if their injuries are so severe that they cause their level to drop like this, then why are they playing in the first place? I guess Kallio has no excuses?
 
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Epsilon

#basta
Oct 26, 2002
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Give this team Jacques Lemaire as coach and one of Finland's real goalies (Lehtonen, Kiprusoff, etc.) and they'd probably be a pretty good NHL team. It would be some of the most boring hockey imaginable though.
 

Foppa

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Feb 27, 2002
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Good to hear Vaananen continue to develop. I've said it since he was a rookie in Phoenix - he has the ability to be a top pairing defensemen in the NHL. His size, strength, positioning and smarts plus his endurance and a bit of nastiness thrown in make him a guy you can throw out there against the league's best power forwards for 25+ minutes a game.
 

wassup77

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Nov 15, 2004
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Ruutu is my favorite player! and his statement after the Sweden game shows that he has some comedian talent too. What a guy :handclap:
 

f1nn

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Jan 12, 2004
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I have been so diaapointed so far in the play of team finalnd, that all the negatives are clouding any of the positive aspects of play I have seen.... I haven't seen motivation or any sisu, I also havn't seen the offensive talent that you need in order to compete against the best in the world, I think the coaching is in a large part responsible, but also the players for not going on the ice ready to play and give it their all as I am used to seeing suomi do... I think the biggest forwards on our team really need to step up, as they have all been dissapointing, and what makes it even worse is we do not have a very deep team this year meaning everyone should be stepping up and playing the best hockey they possibly can, and that is not happening.
 

Raimo Sillanpää

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Pakaslahti has not been a disappointment, hes been one of our best surprises. He definetely needs to be on the ice for more faceoffs, especially ones in our own end. Who cares what lines is on at the time, Pakaslahti in to win the faceoff and then to skate for a change,

Jussi Jokinen - what a waste on the 3rd line. Kallio to the third, JJ to the first. Jussi has been our most creative forward so far. Great tournament, just missing the points. Boo on Westerlund for not seeing this.

Ossi and Jere - our best defenders now. Need to be the first pairing. Jere is shooting more than our forwards for heavens sakes! Ossi gives the team momentum with his hits.

Eloranta - what is he doing on the ice, the invisble man at these games. Scratch him.

Goaltenders - they havent steppd up, it hasnt been their fault, but they are not game winning goalies.

Peltonen - with this performance, he doesn't have a future on the nation team anymore, neither does Kallio imho. for euro hockey tour yes, but for important tournaments, no. Neither fit into our top 6 now or into the top 6 when at full strenght, and they arent useful on the bottom 6. Thank you for your efforts over the years.

OJ - He's tried, I'll give him that. But he's not at 100%, he should have been rested for the first 3 or so games. Maybe then he'd be in top shape now, now OJ's playing with an injury because he certainly doesnt look like our good old chief out there. Should wear the C, was a mistake to give it to Peltonen. OJ is better at motivating his teammates, and is a sharper captain. His maturity is incredible.

Kukkonen - pleasant suprise. Any Chicago fan watching will be pleased to see that hes matured into a full blooded NHL defender now.

Pärssinen, hmm, he's done good, but I still wonder would we have been better off with Hullu Hannes Hyvönen. Who can hit, shoot, fight and irritate the opponent. Every team needs a Hyvönen, was a mistake to leave him out. Besides, imho he'd suit the Teletappi line better than Pärssinen these days. Good games by Pärssinen, but for a "sniper" he needs to score.

Hagman, Hentunen - Hagmans doing Hentunens job, of skating hard, using a lot of energy to almost create things, but liek earlier said, he's wasting his energy. He lacks the top notch offensive skill to use his energy better. He does provide the team with an extra oomph that it needs, Hentunens not been at his best, but when he is, he's great.

With hindsight: Peltonen, Kallio, Pärssinen, Norrena and Saravo out.
Lepistö, Hyvönen, Kuhta, Nurminen and Miettinen from the AHL in.

not that Saravo has been bad, he just hasnt given the team anythign special. Others who have been overlooked for too long: Ari Vallin, Ilkka Mikkola (<- with 6 sm liiga golds in 6 years, how is it possible he hasnt dressed up for Leijonat yet???)
 

Shack

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Aug 25, 2004
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Foppa said:
Good to hear Vaananen continue to develop. I've said it since he was a rookie in Phoenix - he has the ability to be a top pairing defensemen in the NHL. His size, strength, positioning and smarts plus his endurance and a bit of nastiness thrown in make him a guy you can throw out there against the league's best power forwards for 25+ minutes a game.

Yes, I think he is one of the best defensive d-man at this tournament. He is really sure at his own end and really gives some hard clean hits.
 

Shack

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Raimo Sillanpää said:
With hindsight: Peltonen, Kallio, Pärssinen, Norrena and Saravo out.
Lepistö, Hyvönen, Kuhta, Nurminen and Miettinen from the AHL in.

Miettinen and Hyvönen would be worth of try, but I think Kuhta doesn't have anything to give to this team. Even tought he has been good scorer at SM-league, he still might be same kind like Kallio.
 

Raipe

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May 25, 2004
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wassup77 said:
Ruutu is my favorite player! and his statement after the Sweden game shows that he has some comedian talent too. What a guy :handclap:

It seems that jarkko gave you a life time trauma. :)

Ossi Väänänen has been best dman.
 

Dominus

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Nov 5, 2004
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Raimo Sillanpää said:
Pakaslahti has not been a disappointment, hes been one of our best surprises.

He's been surprisingly good at faceoffs even at this level, but how can he be a pleasent surprise if he can't do anything else? He can't score or make plays, but of course that's not his job, his job is to win faceoffs and play 0-0. He wins faceoffs, but he has the worst +/- (-3) in the team with Peltonen and Kallio. He might have been better than some people expected, if they expected nothing, but he doesn't have good enough overall skills to play in the national team.
 

Shack

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Aug 25, 2004
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Lappeenranta
Now after our tournament is over, I still have to agree with my choices. Tought Viuhkola was one of the best against Russia. And Pärssinen was playing the game of his life, if he just could score :(

Well, I hope we have new coach next year and some better forwards and we have a change. Also more solid goalie is needed, but we have Kiprusoff for example.
 

Shack

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Ville Isopää said:
I just hope this was the last time we saw Bäckström as a starting goalie in the national team...

Me too. Neither do I wan't Norrena. Nurminen with his raging attitude would have been great. Or Lehtonen if we could have got him.

Well, I think it's something like Karri Rämö etc. next year :)
 

Dominus

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Nov 5, 2004
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Bäckström was horrible in that penalty shoot-out, though otherwise he played a pretty good game. He just froze completely. Too much pressure maybe? Have to admit that our goalies were not on their own level. Before tournament I was pretty sure that they do just as well as our NHL-goalies. Well, Norrena and Bäckström are hopefully out now. Who's the next victim? Lassila?
 

RorschachWJK

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Dec 28, 2004
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Ipa said:
Bäckström was horrible in that penalty shoot-out, though otherwise he played a pretty good game. He just froze completely. Too much pressure maybe? Have to admit that our goalies were not on their own level. Before tournament I was pretty sure that they do just as well as our NHL-goalies. Well, Norrena and Bäckström are hopefully out now. Who's the next victim? Lassila?

Goalies sucked. Saravo was in over his head, but the other Dmen were at least passable, some actually pretty positive surprises like Kukkonen, Karalahti, Niemi and, to a lesser degree, Söderholm.

Kallio and especially Peltonen sucked, as did Eloranta. O.J. wasn' impressive either, although he apparently played with an injury. Hahl and Rita did not do much. Kapanen, Hentunen and Pärssinen were pretty good, and so were J. Jokinen and Viuhkola.

Westerlund sucked ass. Stupid choices for the lines in the last game, as well as in some of the earlier ones. Seems to also lack authority. Bring in Jortikka!
 

Raimo Sillanpää

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Mar 11, 2003
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It was obvious to everyone that Kallio and Peltonen didnt belong on the first line. In the game against Russia, it was apparent too. Towards the end, erkka should have completely mixed his lines, something like Hagman-Jokinen-Jokinen, teletapit, hagman-jokinen-viuhkola, etc etc, and call a time out after the 2-1 goal to quite things down, it was apparent the team was in a panick.

But he did nothing, just like Ara. We need a coach who can do something in the necessary moment.
 

Jokerit Wasp

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Mar 8, 2004
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My ratings Out of 10 (10 being the best!)

Norrena - 6
Backstrom - 6

Niemi - 7
Karalahti -8
Vaananen - 9
Nummelin - 7
Timonen - 5
Kukkonen - 6
Soderholm - 7
Saravo - 6

O.Jokinen - 5
V.Peltonen - 5
T. Kallio - 5
Hentunen - 6
Kapanen - 7
Parssinen - 6
Hagman - 7
J.Jokinen - 7
Viuhkola - 6
Ruutu - 6
Pakaslahti - 7
Hahl - 5
Rita - 5
Eloranta - 5
:cry: :shakehead
 

Pekka Lampinen

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Feb 27, 2002
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Fredrik Norrena

Could be the starter on a year when he manages a strong spring season and playoff run. After anything but a career season chances are 60-80% he has to be replaced during the tournament.

Niklas Bäckström

Three great seasons in SM-Liiga, dragged around EHT in hopes he'd play well for once for the very same three years. Now, without proper indication, it was expected that he'd turn the tide. Suffers from improved competition more than any Finnish goalie at this level. Very possibly the worst shootout performance I've ever seen. No draft pick in sight, the EHT-rally is likely to go on ad infinitum, hopefully without the consequence of another WC roster spot.

Kimmo Timonen

He used to underachieve in Lion jersey until the last few years, but this is a new low.

Jere Karalahti

The experience shows, never panicked. Hopefully we'll see a Jere like this in future tournaments.

Ossi Väänänen

Sometimes witnessing goals against but mostly due to other players. Even better in small rinks. A top pairing d for Finland in the future with Pitkänen until the next talent shows up, and I'm fine with that.

Lasse Kukkonen

Managed to cut down on mistakes, couldn't have played much better considering the situation and his season.

A-J Niemi

Has never disappointed in the WC and didn't start now.

Petteri Nummelin

Worst defensive and offensive performance by Nummelin ever, although just the worst, not catastrophic.

Toni Söderholm

Ditto on Kukkonen.

Pekka Saravo

Simply put, we need better defensemen.

Olli Jokinen

Played so poorly that he has to be broken. Thanks for coming, though, and welcome again.

Tomi Kallio

Coming off a great season? Didn't look like that. Worst Kallio ever.

Ville Peltonen

Hasn't been this weak ever since reached the top of Europe. Disappointment in Lugano had something to do with this? Has to bounce back right next year to make good use of his remaining good years.

Niko Kapanen

The best forward. Keeps securing future WCH and Olympic roster spots even without proper NHL credentials.

Timo Pärssinen

Kept disregarding his linesmates, but somehow got it working.

Jukka Hentunen

Nowhere as good as last year but still effective.

Niklas Hagman

This is probably what kind of a player Hagman ended up as, including the poor start and the strong finish.

Jussi Jokinen

Blissfully oblivious to the team's problems. The best puckhandler on the team. In hindsight could've used another player like him on his side, e.g. Filppula. Very positive performance.

Jari Viuhkola

Too slow to score on this level, which will also maim a possible NHL career. Tried to overcome that commendably, but the obstacle was too high.

Riku Hahl

How wrong does a player like Hahl have to go to be scratched? Needs the NHL to start again.

Jani Rita

Completely lost his effectiveness along the way. I still have hopes for an elite checker in the future.

Petri Pakaslahti

Showed glimpses of the effectiveness in EHT that got him the job but could've been a lot more consistent.

Jarkko Ruutu

Terrible against Sweden, very solid in the remaining games.

Mikko Eloranta

Once a great checker, now knocked off the lineup without a second thought.


And a shadow Team Finland:

Lehtonen
Kiprusoff
Markkanen

Lydman - Salo
Pitkänen - Numminen
Niinimaa - Boumedienne
Lehtonen

Lehtinen - S Koivu - Selänne
T Ruutu - M Koivu - S Kapanen
Nieminen - Immonen - Miettinen
Salmelainen - Filppula - Hyvönen
Kuhta
 

Ola

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Apr 10, 2004
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Jarkko Ruutu, Riko Hahl, Jani Rita, Jari Viuhkola and Petri Pakaslahti are hard working complimentary players. But what da heck are all of them dooing on the same WCH team? :)

There are a ton of smart finnish hockey players out there and I can't for the love of god understand why only two of them made this roster... :shakehead
 

Chaos

And the winner is...
Sep 2, 2003
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Pekka Lampinen said:
Jussi Jokinen

Blissfully oblivious to the team's problems. The best puckhandler on the team. In hindsight could've used another player like him on his side, e.g. Filppula. Very positive performance.

Good to hear...I dont suppose you'd have an explanation as to why he didnt get more icetime on a scoring line and a chance to show what he can really do.
 

RorschachWJK

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Dec 28, 2004
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Chaos said:
Good to hear...I dont suppose you'd have an explanation as to why he didnt get more icetime on a scoring line and a chance to show what he can really do.

Yes we have: piss-poor coaching. :(
 
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