The speeches by Rene Fasel and others who criticized the Lion get a complete knockout.
Experienced Russian coach Pyotr Vorobyov comments on the Russian-Finnish Olympic finals, which the Lions won 2–1 and won a historic gold medal.
– Our players tried and gave their best. In the end, the Finns turned out to be stronger. Finland had an experienced team and the Lions was a favorite before the tournament, Vorobjov told RB Sport.
Among other things, the former chairman of the International Hockey Federation IIHF Rene Fasel criticizes the way the Kites play. According to Fasel, who was recognized as a fan of Russia, Finland only defended and won happily.
Vorobyov knocks out such claims bluntly.
– It is completely nonsense to claim that Finns play primitive hockey! They don’t splash the puck. See how they keep the puck in their territory. Finns play patient hockey. If someone thinks they can win just by hitting the puck out of the area, he makes a mistake, Vorobyov said.
“Hard to win”
The Lions was by far the best hockey team in the Beijing Games. EPA / AOP
Vorobyov reminded that Finland has won Russia many times in important places.
– The Finns have studied us well. They’ve taken something from both our and Canada’s hockey. Now it is very difficult to beat them. We lose to them at the World Cup, the Sochi Olympics and the Euro Hockey Tour.
– Russia tried to turn the final in the final round with a loss of 1-2. The result was only three shots per Finnish goal.
Vorobyov is a long-standing coach who has piloted Dynamo Moscow in Germany, Frankfurt Lions, Torpedo Yaroslavl, Lada Togliatt, Himik Mytishtsh and Nizhni Novgorod in Germany and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Lada Togliati in KHL. At the SKA in St. Petersburg, Vorobjov has worked as a coach for the junior and farm teams and as an expert in junior training.
Vorobyov has on several occasions served as the head coach of the Russian national team under the age of 20, as the assistant coach of the A national team and also as the head coach of Latvia at the World Championships.