War of words with the referee – Maso Lehtonen, did you lie at the Liiga press conference?

– Another head referee came to announce how bad a hockey team we are and how badly we play, Matias Lehtonen said at a press conference.

Acting as the main referees of the match Antti Boman and Jukka-Pekka Koistinen.

– I’m really upset that Maso shot like that at the press conference, Koistinen wonders in an interview with Ilta-Sanomi.

Koistinen says in a good spirit that he threw to Lehtones that “Was the whistle at the level of the Tampere tournament again, or something that makes you smile?”

– Maso stated that “that’s exactly what it was”. I replied with a twinkle in the corner of my eye that “aren’t we really on the level of the game?” To that Maso replied that “yeah, we’re shit, but so are you”.

“Evil banter”

– He has his own point of view, and in my opinion it didn’t quite go that way, Lehtonen says to Iltalehte.

– In that, our level was mocked a bit, jokingly. When I asked if we were idiots, they just laughed and nodded and continued on their way. After that, in frustration, I yelled after you that you are too.

– Yes, it was a mistake, and there was a mistake on my part as well, Lehtonen admits.

– Communication is always a two-way street.

“The players were stunned”

It inevitably comes to mind that the incident could have been caused by a so-called broken phone, that is, that in an emotional situation the coach misunderstood the referee’s message.

In any case, Lehtonen strongly denies that he lied at the press conference.

– I have by no means lied. This is how we experienced it and this is how our players experienced the situation.

The HPK players heard the exchange of words.

– They were dismayed by it yesterday on the way home and even today that they were spoken to and towards them in a somewhat demeaning manner. They felt that they were barked at and their skill level and playing were laughed at, says Lehtonen.

– It is difficult for us to put ourselves in another person’s shoes, to see what they feel. For young players, those are bad places.

An important conversation

Lehtonen wants to raise the case to a more general level as well.

– Who said and what, it doesn’t matter so much to me now. Rather, I think it’s important to have a discussion about how we should all behave at a sporting event.

– Yes, our coaches also need to be able to behave and communicate significantly better during game events, Lehtonen admits.

– We cannot behave as we have done in the worst examples.

Lehtonen does not mention names, but he will at least mention Tappara’s head coach Rikard Grönborgin to last weekend’s low-style rant, for which the League’s discipline would punish the Swede with a contract fine of 10,000 euros.

The league is investigating

The league is investigating the background of the Oulu incident, but at least Lehtones will not be sanctioned immediately.

– I don’t really have a position on it, and it’s not really my business either, the League’s sports director Jussi Markkanen states.

Any punishment would be imposed by the disciplinary delegation.

– I have spoken with Mason and received a report from the judge’s side, Markkanen says.

– Let’s sort things out calmly and go through this internally first. Those concerned can also go through this with each other.

Markkanen wants the coaches and judges to have a good conversational connection.

– Let’s try to understand each other. Referees are an important part of this game. We want them to be appreciated and for the appreciation to be mutual – as it usually is.

In ice hockey, emotions are on the surface, especially in spring when the stakes increase.

– Of course, the passion is at its peak, but we try to ensure that respect is maintained on both sides.

Tight economy

Lehtonen, who has been working as a head coach in his first season in the league, has survived his debut season at least decently.

This can already be mildly praised, even though HPK is stuck in second last, because the starting points were not easy.

The last fiscal year brought a loss of more than 822,000 euros, and it was clear that the club would not last another similar season. The economy’s austerity curve was visible in the narrowness of the lineup and even in the preliminary estimates that claimed the jumbo position.

The season started according to general expectations, when the opening win was followed by a seven-game losing streak.

– Extremely difficult beginning, but then we got the hang of the plot. Halfway through the regular season we were very much on board and even after that we were still competing for playoff spots, Lehtonen times.

– However, the bad start meant that we had to chase those in front for a long time. We had to take everything out of the machinery both mentally and physically. Night after night, the top players had to be burdened, many of whom are currently injured.

Clearance sale

The camel’s back broke in January, and the team suffered 13 straight losses.

– With the coaching, it was not possible to find ways to change the direction, says Lehtonen self-critically.

– In the end, a decision was made to do financially sensible tricks, he refers to the so-called clearance sale after the playoff seams evaporated in the winter winds.

The list of departures quickly grew: Danick Martel, Antti Pihlström, Markus Nenonen, Jere Henriksson, Aleksi Mustonen.

HPK made up for the lack of composition mainly with young and still unknown acquisitions to the general public.

– Now the team has a very positive mood. The decisive power is narrow, but the aim is to defend unitedly and take all possible joy out of the remaining games.

Face wash

Last Saturday, HPK got their first reason to be happy on the scoreboard in a long time, when they took a 2-1 home win from KooKoo with winning shots. As a follow-up to that, the loss of a goal in Oulu wasn’t a sign of failure either.

– Of course we go every night to get a win. Everyone takes pride in working in this organization, assures Lehtonen.

– At the same time, we are investing in the fact that many young players will continue with us next season and we will be able to develop them already for the fall. You don’t want to waste a single day.

Lehtonen will also continue his work in Hämeenlinna. HPK announced in December that the entire coaching team will continue with the company next season as well.

– A good motivator is that we never want to be a club in this situation again. We have a terrible desire to raise the bar and wash our faces in a sporty way.