|
Sept. 4th was a day
where much of the hockey world was talking
about
historically bitter and eternal rivalries. Canada
was playing the Russians in hockey's classic grudge
match. But the definition of eternal rival and
classic grudge match is not shared in Scandinavia.
Sweden and Finland have their own rivalry that is
every bit as heat and forever.
On this Saturday
night, the two archrivals came together in a clash
that developed into arguably the best game of the
tournament. The game ended as a fitting 4-4 tie. The
tie was enough for the Finns to finish first in the
European pool, and they will now face Germany in the
quarterfinals in Helsinki on Monday. Sweden has the
unenviable task of facing the Czech Republic.
Finland jumped out to
a 2-0 lead early in the game and led 3-1 before
Sweden manage to tie - and that was all before the
end of the first period. Olli Jokinen put the Finns
in front with a second period goal and Sweden tied
the game with 10 seconds to play.
The game had it all
-- a home team, cheered on by great fans, that took
the charge and grabbed an early 3-1 lead, only to
have the hated enemies make an amazing comeback. The
home team would regain the lead and fiercely defend
it, only to have the improbably come back completed
in the dying seconds. There were hard hits, after
the whistle scrums, spectacular saves and special
teams.
Sweden and Finland
have a history of great games, and hockey fans in
both countries like to remind each other of them.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the game against Sweden
used to be the most important one for the Finns. It
almost didn't matter how the rest of the tournament
went, as long as they could beat the Swedes. More
often than not, however, the Swedes have prevailed
in the important game.
"This was a
great victory for Finnish hockey," said head
coach Raimo Summanen, and then corrected himself.
"It was a great tie."
Swedish coach Hardy
Nilsson agreed the game was a classic.
"For a hockey
fan, this was a great game, with two teams playing
offensive hockey."
|
