Pekka Virta reveals the keys to the surprises of small countries.
Germany won silver and Latvia won bronze at the World Hockey Championships in Tampere. Not many people would have believed that.
Germany in particular has raised its profile in value competitions in recent years. In 2018 the team won Olympic silver, in 2021 it finished fourth in the World Championships and now that ranking has improved by a couple of notches.
In the case of Latvia, we are talking about a much bigger bang when the bronze medals were hung around their necks on Sunday. Still, nothing taken away from the game performances – the team played excellent puck in the tournament.
Iltalehti’s ice hockey expert Pekka Virta has noticed that the playing of smaller puck countries has made great strides forward recently.
– Every country is starting to have quite strong tactical skills, says Virta.
The background is the spread of expertise across national borders. Ice hockey is becoming international all the time.
– The coaches have changed countries and consult each other. Through that, the game – if it hasn’t changed quite the same now – contains strong fives game principles in every country, Virta sees.
With a strong team game, the margins in the rink decrease and the readiness for surprise increases.
– If we go head to head, the stronger individuals usually win.
Finland also needs to be alert now. In Europe, good work is being done to develop smaller hockey countries.
– This must challenge and inspire Finnish manufacturers to find competitive advantages to enter the market next. Now, when others start to learn these older things, then the top has to go away again, Virta says.
Latvian players rejoiced at the first World Cup medal in the country’s history. PASI LEISMA