Another coach fired

Janne Karlsson takes over at Linköping. They have been very inconsistent this year not only from match to match but even during matches. Their last game against Frölunda they were playing well, dominating their opponent and posting a 2-0 lead through the first half of the game. Then suddenly a goal goes in, they lose all their self-confidence, and two more goals go in. Its 2-3 at the end of the second period and the games ends 2-7. Ouch. No wonder they fired the coach.

Swedish nationalism rears its ugly head

Sweden is no exception when it comes to nationalism. Swedes like to think of themselves as not nationalistic, at least not in the same way as Americans are, but they just have a different way of showing it. One of those ways was published today in a major newspaper by a columnist calling for an end to foreign players in Sweden.

There is no reason to end or even put a quota on foreign hockey players in Sweden. Furthermore it is against EU regulations, but nobody in Europe really cares about that. Here are some of the reasons why a ban is stupid and dangerous for Swedish hockey;

• Foreign players show Swedish players new techniques and styles, this helps develop Swedish players.


• Swedish international hockey won the two biggest competitions in the world last year, having foreign players is obviously not hurting Swedish hockey


• Young players forced out of the Eliteserien get more ice time in Allsvenskan allowing for greater development


• Because of the high quality of play in the Eliteserien, NHL teams feel confident letting their prospects develop in Sweden, keeping them in Sweden longer before leaving for the NHL
  

By any measure, Swedish hockey is doing really well. It has a deep
pool of talent, a large fan base, international success, and lots of
promising young players. One example of this is the level of talent of
the goalies playing currently in Sweden. Sweden has never really produced
great goalies like Canada, Russia or even the Czech Republic. Now that is
no longer the case. There are lots of good young goalies in the NHL from
Sweden and there are more young Swedish goalies in the Eliteserien than in several years. Why? Because increased competition develops competitive athletes.

The ban proposal is clearly without merit and not based on any serious study of the state of Swedish hockey. As such it is clearly a product of a biased commentator who finds all these foreigners somehow unworthy of the honor of playing in Sweden. On the contrary, he should feel honored because of all the foreign talent choosing to play here instead of Russia for example, or Switzerland, where they may earn more money. Because this proposal is so far off base and without factual support, we must conclude that this is pure nationalism speaking here; "Bevara sverige svensk!" (Keep Sweden Swedish) in other words.

What a disgusting sentiment and a downright shame for Sweden.

Mid-season report card

A little late this year, but hey, this is a blog. :)

Teams are listed in order of number of points so far this season.

HV-71 - A
Just like last year, they play well, have lots of talent and good leadership but one wonders if their goalie can help them through the playoffs. Excellent player in captain Johan Davidsson, he is scoring goals as well. Still, they could go out in the first round if they play Frölunda for example.

Färjestad - A+
Another great year from the leading hockey dynasty. The people in Karlstad love hockey, they have just built a new arena and it still is full. They know hockey in this town and they made some interesting moves in the off-season like bringing in Esa Pirnes. Though they are in second place, it does not matter, they are a different team in the playoffs. They will go to the finals for the seventh straight year and win for the second straight year.

Modo - A-
Niklas Sundström from Modo should still being playing in the NHL, he is a consumate two way player. They have a star goalie and will be one of the toughest teams to play in the playoffs. They have a chance at winning it all, but not a big one.

Timrå - B-
An exciting young team, in contrast to last year. Their goalies have been excellent and the team is solid defensively, Hedström has played well. But they are starting to tire and have fallen from first to fourth. They will fade and disappear in the first round of the playoffs.

Brynäs - B-
They have held their own. Blessed with the great hockey talent of Niklas Bäckström, who everyone here compares to Peter Forsberg for his hockey vision, Brynäs has been good and placed in the middle of the table all year. If they face Timrå in the playoffs in the first round they will finish them off, this is a solid playoff team.

Linköping - C+
It has been an odd and inconsistent year for a team that went deep into the playoffs last year. They lost some players but should be higher in the table. New coaching has made for a lot of turbulence and they cannot find a groove. Dangerous in the playoffs though.

Djurgården - D
Young with some talent Djurgården should be a solid playoff team, but they are not. In fact, they are in real danger of having to qualify to play in the Elitserien next year. Fredrik Bremberg is talented but I am not sure he is enough for the Stockholm team. No playoffs for you!

Luleå - C
Modig is a good young goalie, and he has made the difference between mediocrity and misery. But this team is not good. They have a decent first line and some decent backs but outside of that this is not really an Elitserien team. They have a playoff spot now, but are only a few points away from having to qualify.

Frölunda - F
Frölunda has it all - high priced players, Tomi Kallio leads the league in points, stellar goalies, and plenty of imported players like Steve Kariya and Martin Cibak. Great seasons from goalie Gistedt and forward Niklas Andersson, yet this team is not in playoff position! Terrible. Coaches have been fired, lines juggled, new players brought in; all are signs of trouble in one of the biggest hockey towns in Sweden.

Skellefteå - B-
Surprising season so far, though it looks like they are fading. They have played well with the players they have, very much a team enterprise in the classic Swedish tradition. Yet this team may have to qualify for next year and they may not be successful.

Mora - D+
Yet another great hockey town. They had the Under 20 World Cup there recently and had the best attended World Cup ever. But the Elitserien franchise is in some trouble. They are in the mix for a playoff spot and have the leading goal scorer but there is definitely something to worry about next to lake Sijlian. Lets hope they stay, they have grit and pluck.

Malmö - C-
They have been rather good lately but that cannot make up for the miserable start of the season. They will have to qualify and they probably will fall out though it appears they are determined to stay. A tough few months lie ahead.

Hip check the Tyrant!

Lukashenko

A group of old-timers from Björklöven have decided to go play with a Tyrant in Belarus. What an embarrassment. I think they should stay and live there for a while, maybe they would not be so excited to go next time.

Who will check the dictator? How about a little high-sticking? I dare you. Nah, you Björklöven guys are not tough enough to check a dictator.

Pathetic.

Young goalies from Sweden

Mattias Modig
Sweden has never really been known as a nation that produces stellar goalies. That may be about to change. Yes, Tommy Salo made an impression when he was playing in the NHL, and he has probably the best resume of any Swedish goalie ever, but there are some goalies who might challenge him and in the meantime change the perception of Sweden as a hockey nation - for the better.

Firstly there is the crop of Swedes currently playing in the NHL, led by Henrik Lundqvist. Henke of course is the star second year goalie on the Rangers and has proven himself helping the Rangers last year into the playoffs and winning some impressive international tournaments last year. But there are other good goalies as well, like Johan Hedberg in Atlanta, Johan 'Honken' Holmqvist for the Lightning, and Mikael Tellqvist in Phoenix. While the other goalies have not had a breakthrough like Henrik it certainly is possible, especially for Homlqvist who has been so rock solid in his years in Sweden. He has a winning record with the Lightning and he is capable of standing on his head as they say.

There are some good young goalies coming up in the Swedish league as well. One to mention is Joel Gistedt. Gistedt is only 19 and is the first goalie for Frölunda in front of Tommy Salo. He will be in net for Sweden in the Under 20 World Cup that will be played this month in Sweden. But another that deserves mention is Mattias Modig. He has played brilliantly for Luleå helping them into a playoff spot. His goals against average is the best in the league (and this is a league with Karol Kristan, Tommy Salo, and Roman Chechmanek). He will not play in the World Cup this year, but he will be there eventually as well as the NHL.

Euro Hockey Tour continues . . .

But nobody cares. If you want to see how the second installment of this years European hockey tour ends up you can check out their official web site. Oh wait, there is no official web site, so you are basically outta luck. Try wikipedia instead.

Article on Odyua

Here is a good article on Johnny Oduya who is now playing for the Devils.

Outstanding players of 2006

The first half of the year is almost done, the season almost at the half way point and it is time to take a look at some of the stars so far this fall. This list is of players that have made a difference to their teams as well as produced impressive individual stats.

The most important player in this years Elitserien (The Swedish Hockey League) is clearly Niklas Bäckström. He leads the league in points and has made his team, Brynäs, a team to contend with. Last year they were looking like they might have to qualify to play in the league again. But Bäckström has anchored the team and they are surely a playoff team. Bäckström has the rare ability to read the play that Peter Forsberg has, you can see that in the high number of goals and assists Bäckström has, opposed to the number two points leader Pavel Brendl who has double as many goals as assists, yet his team is next to last.

Niklas Sundström is my pick for the second most important player this fall. He still has a lot of hockey in him and I am surprised he is not playing in the NHL. He got off to a slow start this year but he has been leading the way for his Modo club and they are now in second place this is no small part due to Niklas.

Tomi Kallio from Frölunda is third in point scoring list and has been on a tear. He uses his speed so effectively and has amazing strength and balance. He holds onto the puck so well, mostly by playing his body against the opponent, he sees the ice well as the high assist tally indicates. He has been hot on a team that has been cold most of the year, without him Frölunda would not stand a chance.

Other guys that deserve mention are, Timrå players Jonathan Hedström and Johan Backlund who have been excellent. Hedström brings NHL experience and strength to a young team and Backlund has been solid in goal. Malmö also has Carl Söderberg, drafted by St. Louis, and a young, strong prospect. This kid will play in the NHL, he has all the talent needed and leads a team that is struggling. Roman Cechmanek has been excellent in goal for Linköping, and Tony Mårtensson has also been brilliant for Linköping despite the fact that the team has somewhat under-performed this year.