Pekka Virta nails his opinion on the big talking points of the league fall.
Iltalehti bundles the topics of discussion in the SM league, when a little more than half of the regular season has been played as the turn of the year approaches.
There was almost a consensus regarding HIFK’s position as the number one favorite in the season previews, and Ilves was raised as its worst threat over double champion Tappara, who was thought to be suffering from growing pains brought by the new way of playing with the change of head coach.
How do you see the power relations of the tip?
– It is interesting that all three mentioned teams are still at the top and they all play slightly different hockey. Tappara has relied on the game identity brought by a new coach, Iltalehti’s expert Pekka Virta gives recognition to the Swedish pilots at the top of the league To Rikard Grönborg.
– If something needs to be changed, then we dare to do it. Ilves has also improved the five-man game a lot since last season. I can’t say which of the people from Tampere is stronger. IFK comes as a challenger and a bit unlucky, as there have been many setbacks. It hasn’t been allowed to play as healthy and hasn’t been able to put together a five-man game quite as strongly, but for top individuals it is still a factor to consider.
Two sacks
The league jumbo SaiPa has suffered from negative publicity, and the Kohuts have also touched league leader Tappara. Mikko Lieri / AOP
Aces was already declared the autumn sensation, but at least alongside it, Jukurit, who is at the top of the flat middle caste, has emerged as the most positive surprise, in fourth place.
Instead, Kärpät and JYP thought they were such bad underachievers that they gave their experienced head coaches (Lauri Marjamäki and Jukka Rautakorpi) fired.
Do you think the decisions were justified?
– In terms of gameplay, they were not sufficiently justified. What has happened inside – if personal chemistry has been inflamed or something else – is something that others know. I maintain that there must be something of that type out there. Otherwise, such radical solutions would not have been made.
– Many teams have had difficulties. Often, those who rock the boat in the storm the least and prepare to operate in the Pacific time reap the fruits.
What did you get from autumn in terms of games?
– The trend is that there are more different ways of playing in the League. It still doesn’t mean that a bag of new ones is better than a good old one. At the beginning, there are many new companies, but after that, the spoon has been taken beautifully.
The lions spoke
In September, there was a discussion about who would follow From Jukka Jalo As the head coach of the Lions, until the Ice Hockey Federation made Ilves Antti Pennanen with a 2+1-year contract starting next season.
Was the choice right?
– In my thoughts, it was the clearest option. That path has been created for a long time. It is also clear that what the current team has given opinions is of great importance.
Another topic related to Leijon was playing league matches on top of the EHT tournament.
How should the matter be resolved?
– So that they are not played on top of each other. The number of games seems to be a way to make money in the SM league, but nowhere else in Europe are there as many matches played in the regular season as in Finland.
Economy and Mestizo
News of financial difficulties has been heard especially from the direction of Hämeenlinna, Mikkeli and Lappeenranta, and Liiga-SaiPa Oy has started change negotiations regarding permanent staff.
Are the differences in resources getting too big?
– After all, they are the result of new, wonderful circumstances. That’s why the series reform should be thought about much further and with bigger changes than what has been thought about now.
Another ongoing topic has been the League’s series system and the promotion projects of the three Mestis clubs. The qualifiers will return in the spring of 2025, but Jokerit announced that it will not apply for a league license then. Kiekko-Espoo received a conditional license already for next season, and Tuto, whose application was rejected, plans to appeal to the Sports Legal Protection Board. Confusion has been brought to the process by the League’s fast-paced decision-making and the uncertainty about the price of the league license.
What does the future of the League look like after these events?
– This is a great opportunity to make sensible decisions in the long term. The conversation has never been this open before. The whole thing has to be rethought so that Finnish ice hockey wins and grows in the big picture.
– When there are super halls and teams with clearly bigger budgets, what’s the point of playing in one series when there are 2-3 basket organizations?
Nasty cases
Iltalehti expert Pekka Virta piloted Rauma Luko to the Finnish championship in 2021. PASI LEISMA
The fall was overshadowed by rape scares, when Tapparan Top Rönni got charged and JYP Severi Lahtinen a prison sentence, which, however, is not legally binding but will proceed to the Court of Appeal. Kohu news were also Luko’s two players’ tube trip and Tarmo Reunanen suspension for inappropriate language.
What kind of dent did the image of the species take from these incidents?
– I don’t want to take a position on these. Those are things that need to be dealt with in the right instances and someone else needs to take responsibility for them.
TPS star Markus Nurmi brought to light a disgusting phenomenon, i.e. rude messages received by players on social media.
How serious is the phenomenon?
– I’ve been able to be involved as a player and coach for quite a long time, and that’s a big change. There should be a limit somewhere, because it’s about people after all. Criticism and vomiting are possible when you hesitate before examining and reacting with emotion. There are no rules of the game, so it increases all the time. It’s a wild jungle.
– Maybe there would be a place for training in the League as well and advice should be given to the players.
Just before Christmas, SaiPa’s leadership fell into the trap of foreign scammers last year. Since then, he has moved from the position of CEO of SaiPa to the sports director of the League Jussi Markkanen said that he had repaid the club all the money he had transferred to the foreign scammers.
What thoughts does the case evoke?
– I have collaborated with Jussi, so I am a bit bad at answering this. It’s a sad and regrettable thing, but I don’t want to draw bigger conclusions without knowing about it.
Positive too
The traditional subject of noise, which has not been talked about much this fall, is Tackles to the head and the long bans that result from them.
What does this say?
– There was a big change in the rules, that the responsibility of the tackler is also emphasized. If a pure Tackle hits up, it doesn’t automatically bring a big penalty anymore. The issue has also been discussed in style for five years, and now the series includes players who have grown from juniors to adults during that discussion. There has been a lot of discussion about the tackler’s responsibility and the players’ respect for each other, and the result has come with a delay. Education is good medicine.
Despite all the negative uproar, the Liiga’s audience has increased by 8.8 percent since last season, and the average audience for the matches is the highest in ten years.
What is it about?
– From the Nokia Arena. Good that conditions are improving. The sport itself is still attractive, and a consistent series is the best selling point. The game programs should still be put in such a condition that it would be an even bigger trump card and there would be no throws of three or four games.