Riku Isokoski
Fear gripped the people of Ilves, writes Riku Isokoski from Tampere.
After all, the lynx mascot appears regardless of the situation. Mika Kylmäniemi, AOP
Supporters are measured the most when the team really needs them.
Tampere Ilves supporters chose cowardice on Monday, when perhaps the club’s most important match of this millennium was ahead.
This is proven by the fact that the Nokia Arena was severely underfilled in the sixth match of the semifinal series hosted by Ilves. Visually estimating the audience for the match will be around 8,000 spectators.
Now there’s no need to worry about ticket prices or Monday’s challenge on game day.
Basically, the phenomenon is about the fact that a large part of the Ilves audience had thrown their ax into the well and didn’t want to be dragged there to witness the disappointment every spring.
The attitude is like that of Aimo Nivaska, the puck coach known from Kummel: “We have lost this game.”
Now the disappointment would hit particularly hard, because if Tappara wins on Monday, it would advance to the finals after initially losing 0–2.
However, after the opening set, it looked very unlikely, as Ilves ran wild to score 3–0.
The fundamental problem of the Ilves club community is this: in the regular season, the yellow-green family eagerly makes the biggest fan trips in Finland, and the club gets to boast of the most impressive feeling videos in the country.
But when it really comes down to it, supporters freeze and faith in feats crumbles all too easily.
This is one essential reason why Ilves hasn’t celebrated championships in forever.
