The death of grandfather Frank Moberg shocked HIFK’s power player: “An important person in my life”

On Saturday, November 22, HIFK was at the bottom more than ever before in its unbroken main series streak that has continued since 1967.

The team, which was badly beaten all autumn, was in the last, i.e., 16th place in the SM league and had to return from Kouvola with a horrible 1-8 humiliation.

– Even small setbacks make the game go in the wrong direction for us, HIFK’s head coach Olli Jokinen regretted.

The storm of criticism did not only affect Joki and the team, but the entire club and especially its management, of which the sports director Janne Pesonen had already been allowed to leave.

Turning point

There was no sign of a change of course – on the contrary, the rumors about qualifying against the Jokers started to sound more than a joke.

Until the following Wednesday came, and Luko, who belongs to the top group, had nothing left. It played its worst match of the fall, was completely unmotivated, and HIFK took the points from Rauma by 3–1.

This is how it looked, but maybe HIFK’s goodness was also behind the result.

Since then, it has also brought down TPS, Ässät and most recently Kärpät in Oulu. The overtime loss to Jukurei that fell in between is the only blemish on the clean game, but with the surface removed even from that, HIFK gets to its Wednesday home match against league leader Tappara in a five-game point streak.

And it’s no coincidence, because HIFK won the expected goal in every match.

Defense in order

Suddenly, HIFK is third in the five-match standings, and it has risen to 14th place in the series as well. The playoff spot is not far away.

Talks about qualifying can be forgotten – especially when the League decided not to even play them next spring.

It was certainly a relief for the club, which was under a lot of pressure, and I guess for the team as well, but something else has also happened. What?

– It was really cool to see that we were able to turn around that bad episode a while ago. The main reason is that we have improved the defensive game more, Daniel Mäkiaho answers.

– Previously, it was a bit like watching what the opponent comes up with. Now we take the initiative: defend against skating and try to attack as quickly as possible to get the puck to us and let us attack.

The tight five’s sharpened defense, which if necessary also includes Jokinen’s “hated” midrange trap, has taken away weapons from the opponents.

With good defense, the timing of the attacking game also improves, which enables not only direct attacking, but also the aggressive pressing that is at the core of Jokinen’s game philosophy.

However, posture movement would not be possible with normal game methods alone. Leveling up of individuals is also needed.

– We’ve all gotten on the same page and started doing things properly, says Mäkiaho.

Team spirit

Inconceivable, although typical for HIFK, the number of injuries has taxed the team’s striking ability from the first meters of the season, and the streak of six scoreless games that hit at the end of October at the latest depressed the supporters’ minds.

However, the atmosphere within the team remained good – at least if Mäkiaho is to be believed.

– Yes, I would say that it has been good all along. We were aware of the situation, that the games have not gone well, but the spirit of the team did not go bad at any point, he assures.

– We all knew that nothing else would help here but just keep working and believe that it will turn around – and now it has borne fruit. Let’s hope it continues like this and the direction is upward.

Display locations

Although some patients have returned from illness, others have been admitted there in turn. The list of absentees has only grown as the season has progressed.

In last Friday’s match against Oulun, HIFK signed no less than 20 men out of the lineup, half of whom would be among the team’s key players if they were healthy.

However, the flip side of the setbacks is that many players have gotten the screen spot they wanted.

For example, 17-year-old twin brothers Antoni and Eelis Uronen debut on 21.11. in the HPK–HIFK match, and Anttoni, who plays as a forward, has since established his place in the lineup. Defender Eelis has been on the sidelines after two matches, he too due to injury.

– It’s not an ideal situation for anyone, that there is no competition within the team. The players don’t develop as much as if there were more healthy players than the one group that can be put in the games, Mäkiaho regrets.

– However, it has been cool to see that the team has taken steps forward, when there has been more responsibility than would normally be the case.

My own record

These forwards have included, for example, the goalkeeper loaned from Sweden in October Hugo Alnefeltwhose saves have been the guarantee of the last four victories, as well as the 18-year-old attacker who has scored 3+3 in the last ten games Jere Somervuori.

However, the most impressive breakthrough is made by 24-year-old Mäkiaho, who with 8+14=22 points is the overwhelming number one in HIFK’s internal stock market.

At this point, he has already broken the season record of his sixth consecutive league career, and the steady pace table predicts a 46-point season for him.

– Because of the injuries, I have received a little more responsibility than what was coming at first, and I have been quite satisfied with how I have been able to perform, says Mäkiaho.

– It’s been nice to notice that I can help the team win even with power. Of course, it couldn’t be done without good chain friends, he thanks the centre Petr Kodytek and the pedaling on the other side Jere from Karelia.

A different kind of father

Daniel Mäkiaho feels that he has improved since last season in almost everything.

– There is no one where I have progressed the most. Of course, self-confidence is a big thing, and it has come now that I have been given a lot of responsibility and the result has come.

– I can stay on the puck in the offensive zone and fight better. When you dare to play cheekily, it helps a lot.

This is starting to sound familiar, because Daniel’s father Toni Mäkiaho will be remembered from his long playing career as a merciless power forward who fought dozens of times and also made hard hits.

However, Daniel is a different type and more of a skill player than his father. The boy’s striking strengths are game perception, skating and protecting the puck.

– We’re even made fun of because we’re a little different, Daniel says.

– Faija was a more aggressive and stronger player. I obviously got that calmness from my mother’s side, but faija has only seen it as a good thing and hasn’t tried to change my playing style. He has allowed me to play to my strengths.

“Hit hard”

Mäkiaho is a puck family as well as his mother Nina’s side, because he died last April at the age of 85 Frank Moberg was Daniel’s grandfather.

Moberg, who started at HIFK in 1968, worked at its management level for more than 30 years. He was the CEO of the club from 1987 to 2001.

Mäkiaho says that his grandfather supported him a lot during his hockey career.

– Whenever we saw each other, we talked about hockey and everything. He was an important person in my life.

– It was indeed a surprise and it hit our family and the whole family hard, Mäkiaho says even earlier in the spring about the passing of “Mr. IFK”, who was quite fit.