photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
Finland has done it again. The Finns claimed their fifth IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship title by beating Switzerland 1–0 in overtime.
“I think it starts with culture. I remember when I played my first games for the national team. I was nineteen years old, and we had the previous generation here, with Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. They instilled that attitude in us,” said defenseman Olli Maatta, now 31.
It was something of a comeback story for several Finns, including head coach Antti Pennanen, 2016 World Juniors MVP Jesse Puljujarvi, and, in a more concrete sense, Aleksander Barkov, who missed the entire NHL season because of a preseason knee injury.
Pennanen had previously won World Juniors gold and IIHF World Championship gold as Jukka Jalonen’s assistant in 2016 and 2019, respectively. But in Pennanen’s first World Championship as head coach last year, Finland was eliminated in the quarterfinals when Team USA beat the Lions 5–2.
It was the third consecutive year Finland bowed out before the medal games.
Now Pennanen—and Finland—are back. First, Finland won Olympic bronze in Milan, and in Zurich, the Lions hoisted the championship trophy to the tunes of Queen.
Perhaps those three tournaments can be written off as a blip, an anomaly. After all, before those lean years, in 2022, Finland was world champion.
Maatta has grown up in Finnish hockey culture, having followed the federation’s development path from the under-16 national team all the way to the Olympics and World Championships. The Zurich tournament was his fourth World Championship, and he’s also played in three World Junior Championships and two Olympic tournaments.
The main principle is simple.
“You leave your ego outside the dressing room, and you play a team game. It’s awesome to be a part of it. Nobody thinks about himself. It’s all about the team. It’s special,” Maatta explained.
The same sentiment echoed through the bowels of Swiss Life Arena as the Finns worked their way through interviews and tried to explain the secret of their success.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it. You can feel it in the locker room. It’s something you can’t even describe. You have to experience it yourself. It’s really nice to have those guys in the locker room,” said Janne Kuokkanen, who averaged about four minutes of ice time per game.
Head coach Pennanen gave all the credit to the players. “I’ve felt the support from the players and our great captain, Sasha Barkov. Now I understand why players feel so good being on his teams,” he said.
The Florida Panthers captain was the foundation Pennanen could build his team on.
“Every time you join Team Finland, it’s like joining a family, and this time was no different. I joined the camp at the Euro Hockey Tour in Sweden, and from the first day, I felt like I had been part of the team the whole season,” Barkov said.
“It’s the brotherhood we have,” he added.
Of course, you don’t win with spirit alone. Anaheim Ducks forward Mikael Granlund joined the team three games into the tournament, and a game later, tthe Buffalo Sabres Konsta Helenius, who scored the game-winner in Finland's semifinal against Canada and the golden goal in the final. Barkov, Helenius, and Granluind formed the trusted first line Pennanen needed.
“The atmosphere and team spirit have been great in every tournament, and I’ve played quite a few international tournaments now,” Granlund said before sending some praise back toward the coaching staff.
“The whole coaching staff has been great throughout the tournament, just as they were in the Olympics. They gave us a chance to win, and that’s all players can ask for,” he said.
A strong culture like that also guarantees continuity.
“We’ll try to keep that culture going,” Maatta said.
That is good news for Finnish hockey fans.
“I think it starts with culture. I remember when I played my first games for the national team. I was nineteen years old, and we had the previous generation here, with Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. They instilled that attitude in us,” said defenseman Olli Maatta, now 31.
It was something of a comeback story for several Finns, including head coach Antti Pennanen, 2016 World Juniors MVP Jesse Puljujarvi, and, in a more concrete sense, Aleksander Barkov, who missed the entire NHL season because of a preseason knee injury.
Pennanen had previously won World Juniors gold and IIHF World Championship gold as Jukka Jalonen’s assistant in 2016 and 2019, respectively. But in Pennanen’s first World Championship as head coach last year, Finland was eliminated in the quarterfinals when Team USA beat the Lions 5–2.
It was the third consecutive year Finland bowed out before the medal games.
Now Pennanen—and Finland—are back. First, Finland won Olympic bronze in Milan, and in Zurich, the Lions hoisted the championship trophy to the tunes of Queen.
Perhaps those three tournaments can be written off as a blip, an anomaly. After all, before those lean years, in 2022, Finland was world champion.
Maatta has grown up in Finnish hockey culture, having followed the federation’s development path from the under-16 national team all the way to the Olympics and World Championships. The Zurich tournament was his fourth World Championship, and he’s also played in three World Junior Championships and two Olympic tournaments.
The main principle is simple.
“You leave your ego outside the dressing room, and you play a team game. It’s awesome to be a part of it. Nobody thinks about himself. It’s all about the team. It’s special,” Maatta explained.
The same sentiment echoed through the bowels of Swiss Life Arena as the Finns worked their way through interviews and tried to explain the secret of their success.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it. You can feel it in the locker room. It’s something you can’t even describe. You have to experience it yourself. It’s really nice to have those guys in the locker room,” said Janne Kuokkanen, who averaged about four minutes of ice time per game.
Head coach Pennanen gave all the credit to the players. “I’ve felt the support from the players and our great captain, Sasha Barkov. Now I understand why players feel so good being on his teams,” he said.
The Florida Panthers captain was the foundation Pennanen could build his team on.
“Every time you join Team Finland, it’s like joining a family, and this time was no different. I joined the camp at the Euro Hockey Tour in Sweden, and from the first day, I felt like I had been part of the team the whole season,” Barkov said.
“It’s the brotherhood we have,” he added.
Of course, you don’t win with spirit alone. Anaheim Ducks forward Mikael Granlund joined the team three games into the tournament, and a game later, tthe Buffalo Sabres Konsta Helenius, who scored the game-winner in Finland's semifinal against Canada and the golden goal in the final. Barkov, Helenius, and Granluind formed the trusted first line Pennanen needed.
“The atmosphere and team spirit have been great in every tournament, and I’ve played quite a few international tournaments now,” Granlund said before sending some praise back toward the coaching staff.
“The whole coaching staff has been great throughout the tournament, just as they were in the Olympics. They gave us a chance to win, and that’s all players can ask for,” he said.
A strong culture like that also guarantees continuity.
“We’ll try to keep that culture going,” Maatta said.
That is good news for Finnish hockey fans.