Timo Kunnari
The head coach should not be changed in the middle of the World Cup tournament, writes Timo Kunnari from Gothenburg.
Lauri Mikkola’s contract with the Jääkieksoliitto is for 1+2 years. PDO
Finland started the under-20 World Cup tournament with two losses. The loss to Canada is still acceptable, it won’t keep Finnish hockey fans awake at night.
But when Germany ran over the Young Lions on Wednesday, thousands of puck experts woke up again to share their opinions on different channels.
Head coach Lauri Mikkola has been at the receiving end of critics. On the discussion boards, there is even speculation about Mikkola being fired in the middle of the tournament. The general manager of the youth national teams, Kimmo Oikarinen, clipped the wings of the kick-starters on Thursday morning.
The head coach doesn’t change in the middle of the tournament, and that’s fine. That would be pointless hosing and un-Finnish puck management.
The ice hockey association would have had a perfect place for a quick meeting on Wednesday evening. The entire management of the association is present in Gothenburg: chairman Heikki Hietanen, CEO Sami Kauhanen, national team general manager Jere Lehtinen and head coach of the big lions Jukka Jalonen.
This poppoo makes big puck decisions in the league.
Finland is a hockey country. Only wins qualify for the sport’s value tournaments. PDO
Mikkola’s contract is for 1+2 years. According to the information, the option is with the Ice Hockey Federation, which means that the time for conclusions is after the season.
The position of head coach of under-20s is a tricky one. The Ice Hockey Federation does not pay the same level of salary for it as, for example, the top clubs of the SM league pay their coaches.
That’s one of the reasons why in the last couple of years we’ve seen high-profile hunks turn around in their “twenties”.
Kari Jalonen was first hired for the job, who soon continued his journey as the head coach of the Czech national team.
Tomi Lämsä, who had been marinating in the KHL, pulled the age group for one season and left for Lukko.
The ice hockey association was in a way forced to hire a coach with a slightly lower profile in the age group, if continuity is desired. That’s why Lauri Mikkola was the right choice from the union. Time will tell if the man has continuity.
According to the same information from Iltalehti, not all experienced coaches are even willing to accept the job.
The last time the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation threw the puck out in the middle of the tournament was in 2017. It’s good that that series of events was not repeated now.
Jukka Rautakorpi and most of the rest of the coaching group of the Finnish youth national ice hockey team were moved aside during the World Cup tournament in Montreal. Jussi Ahokas was taken in as a replacement in the VPK spirit. That didn’t save Finland’s games eitherbut Nuoret Leijonat had to qualify.
The World Cup tournament in Gothenburg is badly over. By beating Latvia on Friday, the Young Lions will probably push for the next round.
And the playoff world is its own thing.
