ZOH 2022: Long decades awaited the Olympic triumph, the experienced Finns did not find a conqueror in Beijing – ŠPORT.sk

In the final duel in Beijing, they were not stopped even by a conceded goal in the 8th minute.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Sakari Manninen, with seven Canadian points (4 + 3) the most productive player of the Finnish team at the Beijing tournament. “There are so many feelings in me, they can’t all be described in words, but the main ones are that it’s something amazing. We worked hard and we finally won this gold medal.” cited the IIHF 30-year center website.

The Finns benefited from a wealth of experience, with up to 15 in their 30s in coach Jukku Jalonen, with an average age of 30.5 years. The team did not break anything and in the final, in bad weather, the certified leaders raised their flag. Defender Ville Pokka was able to answer the leading goal of Mikhail Grigorenko in the overtime in the 24th minute, and the winning goal was taken care of by veteran Marko Anttila at the beginning of the third period, whose shot was directed by Hannes Björninen. “After the second period, we said in the locker room that we needed to shoot more and push into their goal. Björninen was in the right place, it was an important goal for us,” described the victorious intervention experienced by Anttila.

The 36-year-old forward was the hero of the 2019 World Championships in Slovakia, where he significantly helped the Nordics to win their third world title. At the championship, he shone mainly in the elimination part and in the final he knocked down Canada (3: 1) with two goals.

Coach Jalonen also relied on his experience in Beijing, but at the beginning of the Olympic tournament he could not count on a robust hockey player. Upon arrival in China, Anttila had a series of positive coronavirus tests. Darmo objected that Covid-19 had overcome a month ago and had no symptoms, he had to spend six days in an isolation hotel until he showed negative results: “I was alone in a hotel room. It wasn’t easy. It was a boring experience, but it’s history.”

Anttila joined the team before the second match in the group, finally he managed to collect three points (2 + 1) in five duels. “I had the impression that we could achieve something great here. I did not know how I would feel after isolation. The goal was to get on the ice as soon as possible, enjoy it and fulfill this dream,” said the Finnish “field”.who was one of Captain Valtteri Filppul’s assistants.

The respected leader scored right in the first match after his return, added another hit in the quarterfinals against Switzerland (5: 1) and had a significant share in the winning goal in the final. “He scored important goals. It’s unbelievable. He was a huge leader of this team, everyone follows him and thanks to him we managed this success,” said Sami Vatanen defender Anttilu. General Manager “Suomi” Jere Lehtinen, who represented the Finns at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, where they had last advanced to the Olympic finals, praised Antilles’ uncompromising approach to training.

Thanks to it, it is kept in excellent condition even in old age. “He works very hard on himself and that’s why he can still play at such a high level. You don’t get tired of him.” Lehtinen noted.

Coach Jalonen knows Anttila very well, he has been training him for over a decade and the veteran’s performances at the 2022 Olympic Games did not surprise him. “There is a very strong individuality mentally. We knew when he returned to the team that he had enough time to get in excellent physical condition,“said Jalonen, who added another valuable success to his collection.

At the 2011 and 2019 World Championships, which took place in Bratislava and Košice, he led the Finns to world titles. Now, thanks to him, players from the land of thousands of lakes are celebrating Olympic gold, which they have been waiting for a very long time. Finland became a member of the IIHF in 1928, premiered at the World Championships eleven years later in Switzerland, and made its Olympic debut in 1952.

70 years have passed since then, during which the Norwegians have been growing in hockey, but so far they have not climbed to the highest podium under the five circles.

“We achieved what we came here for. We fought hard and won the first Olympic gold medal in Finnish hockey history. It’s something special, no one will ever take it from us again.” TASR quotes Vatanen’s defender’s words.

The Finns have been close to Olympic gold several times, but they have never finished their fight. At the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, after a 2: 1 triumph over the USSR, they finished second in the final group and took home silver.

In Turin 2006 they played even finals with the Swedes, but Nicklas Lidström’s goal in the third period decided the triumph of the age-old rival and another silver medal for the Finns. In addition, they won four Olympic bronzes (1994, 1998, 2010, 2014).

Now they have finally given a successful ride a golden dot. In Beijing, they did not find a winner in any of the six matches, and on the way to the title they defeated the Slovaks twice – in the basic group 6: 2 and in the semifinals 2: 0. According to Filppul, Jalonen, who already led the country to bronze at the 2010 Olympics, has a large share in the success.

“The numbers say for him. They’re impressive.” Filppula said of the 59-year-old coach. “He built a system that works. He has a lot of experience. He was able to keep our heads cool, even in difficult moments we didn’t panic and believed in the system.”

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