Tre Kronor’s head coach seems to be an irritated gambler, writes Lassi Kuisma from Tampere.
The Swedish bench has not been congested so far. Jussi Saarinen
Sweden has started the World Cup with two wins, but it is buzzing beneath the surface.
Tre Kronor played his opening match against Austria on three pitches. On top of all that, the team’s game looked like the boys had left for a street tournament in Tampere.
Johan Garpenlöv, the head coach of Sunday’s Czech game, still got a couple more strikers caught, but waiting for the NHL tsunami has looked bad so far. According to Garpenlöv, he cannot stamp race passes that he might later regretbut the answer behind the crap has repeatedly been no.
Garpenlöv’s speeches were not respectful of those players who might join the team if NHL help no longer comes. It could have been expressed very differently.
It’s also interesting why as many as nine NHL players have told Tre Kronor purely no. Including contractual matters and other understandable reasons, there are as many as thirty refusers.
The Swedish media asked Garpenlöv in Tampere, but according to the coach, the players should be asked.
– I have said from the beginning that if you do not want to come to represent your country and play for Tre Kronor, then you should not do so, Garpenlöv said.
Garpenlöv’s CV currently has an embarrassing qualifier in last year’s World Cup and fourth place in Beijing. In Tampere, the man has looked like an irritated gambler who only trusts success with a staggering NHL bundle.
Sweden currently has seven NHL reinforcements and the wins have come with individual skill. There is potential, however Tre Kronor does not seem to be well managed.