Sverige vs. Suomi
Laid Off Dad | February 26Holy friggin’ crap, what a game.
Ice hockey is easily the world’s most exciting sport. (Where else can ten 200-pound guys hurtle around at high speed, in a confined space, with knives on their feet?) And Olympic hockey, with its larger rinks and intolerance of thuggery, provides the best forum for the world’s elite players to showcase their talent. Throw in two countries–Sweden and Finland–with a healthy rivalry and a long, rocky history, and you have the makings of a classic.
[Frankly, all hockey games are enhanced when Finland plays, so the brilliant Mike Emrick can tantalize us with calls like: “Timonen, over to Väänänen, leaves it for Jokinen who passes to Kapanen, through Lehtinen to Peltonen, across to Kapanen, who finds Laaksonen, back out to Miettinen, over to Numunumemenenenen, shot–SCOOOORE!” At which point he pauses to ice his tongue.]
The action was crisp and exciting, and after a flurry of late-game activity Sweden hung on for a 3-2 win and the gold medal. So congratulations to AD and Woodge, the two Swedish meatballs in the Blogfathers’ gravy. May your countrymen avoid frostbite as they joyfully streak across Stockholm.
my husband so wanted to see that game but is not a late night/way early morning person to see it on tv. I kept getting it wrong on who won. He was so confused.
Useless info for the world to see.
Well, what can I say… Us Swedes and the Fins have a healthy rivalry going back for ages. Every time we compete against each other in hockey it’s life and death. It doesn’t matter if it’s a practice game or the Olympic finals. Still the same intensity. The rivalry only applies to hockey simply because the Fins kind of suck at all other sports (they used to be good in cross country skiing but got killed by doping scandals).
I watched the game at a friends house and the guy happens to be Finish. There are few events more pleasurable to watch for a Swede than Finland losing in hockey. As soon as the game is over the text messages start coming in making fun of the poor Fins. The guys turn white in the face and are unable to speak. Only large amounts of Koskenkorva Vodka can help in that situation. The best part is that I now have the pleasure of making fun of the Fins at work for another four years.
AD
Hey AD, do you chant “You are FINNished!” over and over again to your Finnish friend? I know I would.
Personally, I was mesmerized by curling this year…couldn’t break me away from the TV when curling was on.