The best Finnish hockey players of all time. Finnish hockey player teemu villagers: “this is the brightest player in the NHL” - photo. Sergei Shumakov CSKA - Washington

Today the Russian national hockey team will play against the Finnish team at the World Cup of Hockey. The most inconvenient opponent of the national team has already lost its chances of leaving the group, but this season in Suomi is unlikely to be considered a failure. The Finns won three medals at various world hockey championships over the past year, and there are more hockey players in the country than soldiers in Sweden. The sports editors of BUSINESS Online talk about how the system of the future rival of the Russian national team works.

Finland, which is 29 times smaller than Canada and 50 times smaller than Russia, now ranks third in the IIHF rankings. In the nine years that this list has existed, Finland has never left the top 4. But in 2009 Erkka Westerlund, at that time the coach of the national team, considered that it was worth paying attention not to the rating, but to the fact that the adult team had not won major tournaments since 1995. At Westerlund's initiative, a summit was convened: all the leading coaches, agents, scouts, players and general managers were called to a sports institute funded by the Finnish Hockey Federation to brainstorm.

In 2009, the foreign press paid absolutely no attention to this summit. They began to write about the meeting only this year, when the Finnish team collected gold medals at the U-18 and U-20 World Championships and received “silver” at the adult World Cup. Even taking into account the imminent departure from the World Cup, this season is extremely successful for Finland, a small country with a population of 5.5 million people.

THE FEDERATION PAYS CHILDREN'S CLUB COACHES

One of the results of the summit was that the federation was convinced to hire the coaches of all national teams on a permanent salary. Previously, officials wondered why pay a specialist all year who actually works only 40 days a year. But at the meeting they quickly came up with what to do for the remaining 320 days. All national team coaches began to travel to clubs (sometimes abroad), where their players played, and communicate with club specialists, give and receive advice.

True, Finnish clubs already feel involved in the federation and the national teams controlled by it. In 2012, the FHF generously shared the proceeds from the World Cup with the SM League (approximately 8.2 million euros). In 2013, clubs were given money to hire coaches for children aged 10 to 14 years. Now the federation covers a negligible percentage of the salaries of children's coaches (4%), but no one refuses 30 thousand euros.

Also in 2013, Finland saw a massive influx of Russian investment. According to TV channel estimates Yle Uutizet, Russian companies (for example, Lukoil, Norilsk Nickel, Gazprom) have invested about 12 billion euros in the country’s economy. Again, exactly in 2013 Gennady Timchenko, Arkady Rotenberg And Boris Rotenberg bought a stake in Jokerit and Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. Now Jokerit plays in the KHL, which also helps Finnish hockey.

11 GOALEEKS IN THE NHL

Last season in the NHL, 11 of 92 goalies (12%) were from Finland - the country matched the 2009 record. In addition, seven goalkeepers played in the KHL. According to the NHL, no one in the world has produced as many goalies for the league as Finland. We are talking about the period from 1970 - before, only American players existed for the NHL.

The main factor in the success of goalkeepers is that they were taken care of even before the historic summit in 2009. Kari Lehtonen from FC Dallas says he has been working with a goalkeeping coach since he was seven years old. "Lukko" from Rauma and other clubs fully pay for the equipment of their goalkeepers. Assat Pori has 18 goalkeeper coaches for 12 teams of different ages. By the way, in Ak Bars Kazan the goalkeeper coach is also Finnish.

“I always recognize the Finnish goalkeeper,” says ESPN Pekka Rinne. - Of course, now everyone has their own characteristics. And that is great. But Finns tend to have tenacious hands. When I was little I always played catcher in pesapallo ( finnish baseball, – edit.)».

Another goalie who credits baseball for helping him is Tuuka Rask. “I only played pesapallo in school,” he says. – But this is an important factor. Look at Rinne, he's a great catcher. Baseball develops eye motor skills well: you need to quickly calculate the trajectory of the ball. In hockey, a goalie has 0.3 seconds to react to a shot. There's no time to see the puck."

In fact, if we talk about what happens to goalkeepers in school, we need to remember the Finnish leadership in the field of education. In the country, they are required to teach children to play a musical instrument and try to develop both hemispheres of the child’s brain. Finland is also considered a leader in innovation. This is not surprising: anyone will be looking for new points of development in a situation where Nokia covers 13% of the country's exports and pays only 100 million euros in taxes.

THREE PLAYERS IN THE TOP 5 DRAFT

At the 2016 NHL Entry Draft Patrick Laine, Esse Pulyarvi And Olli Juolevi were selected second, fourth and fifth respectively. If we leave Juolevi's season with the London Knights out of the equation, all the players spent their development years in Finland. To go abroad, Finnish players need to go through the seven gates of hell - parents, agents, club managers must try very hard to convince the federation of the advisability of the trip. “American leagues can take players from all over the world,” says the journalist Pekka Jalonen Finnish newspaper Iltalehti. – If a hockey player stops developing, he is simply replaced by another. We need to work with every player."

It is difficult to retain young talent in a Finnish league with high taxes and small salaries. But even this disadvantage can be turned into a plus. All high-level foreign players left the championship in Finland - some went to Sweden, some to Switzerland, some to the KHL. Clubs have an urgent need for their players. Soon the Finnish league, which plans to expand, will simply be short of personnel. But this is a temporary problem. In Finland, with a population of 5.5 million people, 76 thousand hockey players are officially registered. Competitor Sweden, by comparison, has a worse picture: for 9 million people there are 15 thousand players. By the way, in Sweden the army consists of 16 thousand people, which is five times less than the number of hockey players in Finland.

It’s interesting that few people previously took the Finns as serious competitors; yes, there were stars, but there was no flow of strong players. The foundation of Finnish hockey was laid by Soviet specialists who traveled to Suomi and taught local coaches. Now the time has come when the Russians should learn from their northern neighbors, besides, Finland is Russia’s most inconvenient rival, and remember at least the Olympics in Sochi. To continue the fight at the World Cup, the Russian team today needs any victory over the Finns, who have already lost their chances of leaving the group. The match starts at 22:00 Moscow time.

NEWBY

Last December, the Tampa forward turned 26 years old. This season was his first full season in the NHL, and he still qualifies as a rookie. Over the course of several years in the lower leagues, Gourde gained strength, learned to effectively counteract older hockey players with his small size, and rose to become the Lightning’s main roster. In the current championship, he is playing so well that the club’s management did not regret sending him to the Rangers as the most important part of the compensation for the defender and striker. Gourde can play both in the center and on the wing, fitting perfectly into the concept of the head coach, who values quick decision-making in any situation. A beginner has no problems with this, as well as with his hands. In the game against Florida, he scored three points, including two goals. Thus, the forward repeated the club record for goals for newcomers. He now has 24 goals. There is plenty of time ahead to establish a new achievement. Perhaps he will even beat the striker in the fight for the title of best newcomer.

NUMBERS

3 minutes and 28 seconds - that’s exactly how long it took the hockey players to score four goals against Carolina at the beginning of the second period. This is the club's best performance in history. The Savages had never scored more than four goals before.

9 won matches in a row - this is a club record.

10 The winning goals this season were scored by Tampa Bay forward Brayden Point. The best club result - 12 goals in the 2011/12 championship - belongs to.

"Chicago" - "Colorado" - 2:1 OT (1:0, 0:1, 0:0, 1:0) Goals: Gustafsson - 2 (Toews, Saad), 5:08 - 1:0. MacKinnon - 32 (bol., Barry, Landeskog), 36:18 - 1:1. Toews - 18 (Kane, Keith), 60:09 - 2:1. Goalkeepers: Berube - VARLAMOV. Fine: 6 - 4. Throws: 27 (12+7+7+1) - 34 (9+18+7+0). Our: Anisimov (16:37/1/0) - Zadorov (23:36/3/0), Yakupov (9:38/2/0).

Nashville - Dallas - 2:0 (0:0, 0:0, 2:0) Goals: Hartman - 10 (Watson, Sissons), 45:33 - 1:0. Bonino - 10 (p.v.), 59:46 - 2:0. Goalkeepers: Rinne - Lehtonen (58:39 - 59:12, 59:24 - 59:46). Fine: 10 - 12. Throws: 34 (9+14+11) - 26 (9+7+10). Our: Emelin (19:16/0/0) - Radulov (19:47/2/-1).

"Minnesota" - "Carolina" - 6:2 (1:0, 4:0, 1:2) Goals: Staal - 35 (bol., Suter, Zucker), 4:35 - 1:0. Niederreiter - 16 (Spurgeon, Koivu), 20:23 - 2:0. Parise - 6 (bol., Koivu, Spurgeon), 22:23 - 3:0. Vinnik - 6 (Brodin, Damba), 23:36 - 4:0. Staal - 36 (Suter, Granlund), 23:51 - 5:0. Di Giuseppe - 2 (van Riemsdyk, Skinner), 49:23 - 5:1. Cullen - 9 (Coyle), 54:46 - 6:1. Ryan - 13 (bol., Rask, Hanifin), 58:19 - 6:2. Goalkeepers: Dubnyk - Ward (Darling, 23:36, 57:24 - 57:34). Fine: 6 - 4. Throws: 31 (9+15+7) - 31 (11+9+11).

Tampa Bay - Florida - 5:4 OT (2:1, 2:1, 0:2, 1:0) Goals: Gourde - 23 (Shustr, Stolman), 10:38 - 1:0. Miller - 15 (Gourde), 12:51 - 2:0. Bjugstad - 12 (Ekblad, Barkov), 18:23 - 2:1. Gourde - 24 (Miller), 21:27 - 3:1. Bjugstad - 13 (DADONOV, Yandl), 33:35 - 3:2. Killorn - 13 (Stamkos, KUCHEROV), 36:07 - 4:2. Bjugstad - 14 (Matheson, Barkov), 40:21 - 4:3. Trocheck - 25 (bol., Yandl, Barkov), 45:25 - 4:4. Point - 27 (Strolman, Johnson), 62:49 - 5:4. Goalkeepers: VASILEVSKY - Luongo. Fine: 9 - 5. Throws: 33 (9+12+11+1) - 49 (18+14+16+1). Our: Kucherov (18:12/3/-1), Sergachev (17:29/2/3) - Dadonov (23:49/3/2), Mamin (11:20/2/0).

Boston - Detroit - 6:5 OT (3:2, 2:2, 0:1, 1:0) Goals: Circle - 12 (Holden, Marchand), 0:37 - 1:0. Debrusk - 14, 0:52 - 2:0. Nielsen - 14 (bol., Zetterberg), 2:16 - 2:1. Green - 7 (Athanasiou, Manta), 7:53 - 2:2. Circle - 13 (bol., Marchand, Pastrnak), 13:48 - 3:2. Marchand - 26 (bol., Krag, Pastrnak), 23:27 - 4:2. Manta - 22 (Green, Bertuzzi), 32:05 - 4:3. Marchand - 27 (Pastrnyak, Rai. Nash), 33:18 - 5:3. Manta - 23 (Abdelkader, Larkin), 35:50 - 5:4. Frk - 11 (Bertuzzi, Manta), 49:46 - 5:5. Marchand - 28 (Krug, Rai. Nash), 60:34 - 6:5. Goalkeepers: KHUDOBIN - Koro (Howard, 23:27). Fine: 17 - 15. Throws: 37 (14+10+11+2) - 35 (9+14+12+0).

New Jersey - Montreal - 6:4 (4:0, 2:2, 0:2) Goals: Noesen - 10 (Butcher, Zajak), 8:25 - 1:0. Coleman - 7 (Butcher, Boyle), 16:33 - 2:0. Zeyjak - 9 (bol., Palmieri, Vatanen), 18:08 - 3:0. Zeyjak - 10 (bol., Hall, Vatanen), 19:48 - 4:0. Gallagher - 24 (Petrie, Byron), 30:27 - 4:1. Maroon - 15 (bol., Hall, Palmieri), 31:36 - 5:1. Boyle - 12 (Coleman), 36:14 - 6:1. De la Rose - 2 (Dano, Benn), 39:46 - 6:2. De la Rose - 3 (E. Shaw, Reilly), 54:40 - 6:3. Frase - 3 (Carr, Reilly), 59:01 - 6:4. Goalkeepers: Kincaid - Lindgren (59:10). Fine: 6 - 12. Throws: 33 (17+7+9) - 33 (5+16+12). Our: - - Shcherbak (14:27/2/0), Valiev (16:42/1/0).

Columbus - Vegas - 4:1 (1:0, 2:1, 1:0) Goals: PANARIN - 21 (Atkinson, Dubois), 0:16 - 1:0. Khaula - 24 (Perron, Tak), 21:30 - 1:1. Werenski - 13 (PANARIN, Dubois), 28:01 - 2:1. Cole - 4 (Savard, Wennberg), 29:47 - 3:1. Dubois - 15 (p.v., PANARIN), 57:39 - 4:1. Goalkeepers: Korpisalo - Fleury (57:03 - 57:39). Fine: 6 - 6. Throws: 21 (9+5+7) - 38 (19+12+7). Our: Panarin (16:39/5/3) - -.

Rangers - Winnipeg - 0:3 (0:1, 0:1, 0:1) Goals: Laine - 36 (Stastny, Baflin), 19:04 - 0:1. Laine - 37 (Chiaro, Morrow), 31:01 - 0:2. Laine - 38 (p.v., Wheeler), 59:26 - 0:3. Goalkeepers: Lundqvist (57:00 - 59:26) - Mason. Fine: 7 - 9. Throws: 31 (9+10+12) - 34 (16+12+6). Our: Namestnikov (17:33/1/0), Buchnevich (14:52/2/0) - Kulikov (22:46/1/0).

"Anaheim" - "Washington" - 4:0 (2:0, 1:0, 1:0). Goals: Henrik - 20 (bol., Rakell, Getzlaf), 1:24 - 1:0. Lindholm - 10 (Manson, Silverberg), 13:15 - 2:0. Raquel - 28 (Getzlaf, Manson), 25:37 - 3:0. Ritchie - 6 (p.v., Henrik, Bexa), 58:34 - 4:0. Goalkeepers: Gibson - Holtby (Grubauer, 25:37, 57:21 - 58:34). Fine: 8 - 4. Throws: 18 (7+7+4) - 36 (7+14+15). Our: - - Kuznetsov (16:57/3/-1), Ovechkin (24:38/2/-2), Orlov (24:18/2/-1). March 7. Anaheim. Honda Center

Good afternoon

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Can the Finns not allow a car that participates in car audio in St. Petersburg (a bunch of speakers and a subwoofer) and has a sticker on the windshield? Or just prepare answers to what all “this” is for

What is the procedure for transporting a drone by car across the border? Do I need to declare? Will there be any problems if you leave and arrive at different posts?

The rule is usually that you can ride on spikes for a week after Finnish Easter, this year it turns out it was possible until 29.4. Now it's only summer or no thorns.

Tell me, until what date can I enter Finland on studded tires? Thank you!

Hello! Please tell me how much cooked pig meat I can take with me, what is the fine for bringing pork sausage to Russia from Ukraine?

Please tell me, a dog died in Finland, what needs to be done to bring it back to Russia?

Good afternoon, a dark sun strip made of film 14 cm wide has been glued onto the windshield of the car. Will there be problems crossing the border with a stripe on the windshield? Thank you.

Hello, the couple is traveling to Finland by car. The car belongs to the wife, the husband will drive. MTPL for both spouses. Do I need a power of attorney from the owner for the driver? And who is the Green Card issued to? Please tell me who knows.

Good evening! Does anyone know if studded tires are already allowed in Finland?

The question is certainly interesting)) what kind of passport do you have? Eurocitizen? then of course there is no need.

Do you need a visa to Finland for a 3-day trip?

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Guys, Good afternoon. Tell me, until what date can I enter Finland on studded tires?

vassi, after 20.00 it is possible. On Saturdays and Wednesdays.

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They'll kill you, or maybe they'll leave you

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It was absolutely impossible to choose just five of the top Canadian players of our time, but ten positions are clearly not enough to rank the best Canadians. The captain of Pittsburgh and the national team, Sidney Crosby, clearly stands out among his compatriots. By the age of 30, Little Sid had amassed an impressive collection of team and individual prizes: Crosby has two Olympic golds, three Stanley Cups, as well as two each of Art Ross, Hart Trophy, Maurice Richard and Conn Smythe. Another Canadian prodigy, Connor McDavid, is rushing towards these heights at full speed, becoming the most valuable and productive hockey player in his first full season in .

Among other Canadians, we note the living legends of their clubs: the reliable support of Montreal Carey Price, the captain of Anaheim Ryan Getzlaf, one of the symbols of Chicago Jonathan Toews, the main assistant in the history of San Jose Joe Thornton. The league's best shooting defensemen also come from Canada: Thornton's teammate Brent Burns, Blues man Alex Pietrangelo, and members of one of the biggest trades in P.K. Subban and Shea Weber not only score tons of points for performance, but are the defining players for their teams. .

The most productive and goal-scoring forwards, the most reliable defenders, impenetrable goalkeepers and simply an unreal number of talented players of different ages - this is the composition of the hockey wealth of the country of the maple leaf.”

The names mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg; the list of cool Canadian players can go on for a long time. And looking at such a variety of talents, once again it becomes incredibly unfortunate that the league will not let any of them go to the next Olympics.

Legionnaires in the KHL: 46 Canadians, 40 Finns, 24 Swedes and an Israeli

Canadian snipers, Czech goalkeepers, versatile Finns and quality Swedes - we are studying the international KHL.

USA – 193 players

Top 5: Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary), Patrick Kane (Chicago), Auston Matthews (Toronto), Kevin Shattenkirk (Rangers), Ben Bishop (Dallas)

The United States is in second place in terms of representation of its players. There are also many brilliant masters among the Americans, leaders of their clubs. The one that stands out is Patrick Kane, who was selected by Chicago with the first pick of the draft 10 years ago and has been playing for the Black Hawks ever since. Kane is the most decorated active American hockey player, with three Stanley Cups, an Olympic silver, and several individual prizes to his name.

Two dozen hockey players traded the KHL for North American hockey in the offseason. This is one of the highest figures in the domestic league in recent years. Moreover, if previously it was mostly young people who left, now they are often mature masters. In our ranking of the main losses of the KHL, ex-SKA defender Vyacheslav Voinov is missing, since there is no clarity on where he will continue his career.

Ilya Kovalchuk now pleases Los Angeles fans with goals and assists. PHOTO Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire/Imago/IconSMI/TASS

10. Egor Yakovlev
SKA - New Jersey

For the 27-year-old hockey player, this was perhaps the last chance to play in the best league in the world. He is still quite old for a defender. Yakovlev signed a two-way contract with New Jersey as a free agent, since he was not selected in the NHL draft. However, he did not play a single match for the main team. Nevertheless, his chances of being there in the near future are good: in four matches for the Devils farm club, the defender scored five points.

9. Sergey Shumakov
CSKA - Washington

The latest transatlantic crossing, because it was forced. The striker finished last year's regular season as one of CSKA's top scorers, but during the playoffs, or rather in the finals, the Muscovites removed the striker from the squad for violations of the rules. Shumakov was offended and pre-season training was held separately from the team. The club, of course, did not remain in debt and began to look for exchange options. However, in the KHL there were no people willing to pull Shumakov’s serious contract, and CSKA was forced to sever relations, and the hockey player himself had the opportunity to sign a bilateral agreement with the NHL champion. Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin played an important role in this. For now, however, the 25-year-old hockey player plays in the AHL, where after five matches he has a modest two goals.

8. Ilya Lyubushkin
"Lokomotiv" - "Arizona"

The move of one of the toughest defenders was obvious. If only because in North America it’s easier to open up with this style. There they don’t charge you two minutes for tough but pure power moves. Lyubushkin signed a contract with Arizona for $925 thousand as a free agent. The coaching staff trusts him, immediately launching him into the crucible of the NHL. Another thing is that the team itself does not shine: three defeats in four matches.

7. Pavel Francouz
"Traktor" - "Colorado"

This summer, the goalkeeper was called to SKA to replace Mikko Koskinen, but the Czech chose the NHL. A year ago, he was faced with a dilemma - KHL or NHL, but stayed in Traktor for another year and left the KHL with a prize for the best goalkeeper of the season. But even the best Kaheelov players are not guaranteed a place in the NHL team. Colorado, far from being the best team in the NHL, is still relying on the proven team of Semyon Varlamov/Philipp Grubauer. Francouz, on the other hand, is getting used to the North American style a league lower.

6. Valery Nichushkin
CSKA - Dallas

Two years ago, the forward, tormented by injuries, was traveling in the opposite direction - from Dallas to Moscow. One of the brightest and most promising strikers, whose calling card is solo runs across the entire court along the right side, seemed to have stopped developing, so the Dallas bosses let him go to CSKA with peace of mind. Not to say that he shone in a new way in the capital’s club, and the style of play of the Moscow army team in recent years has not been very favorable to creative people, but Nichushkin returned to the NHL. It's still a mystery what will happen next.

5. Jan Kovar
Metallurg - Islanders

Sergei Mozyakin’s long-time partner in Magnitka’s strike team decided to try himself in the NHL at the age of 28. “We wanted to extend the contract with him, but Kovar has a dream - the NHL. If it doesn’t work out, our doors are open for him,” commented the vice-president of Metallurg, Gennady Velichin, on the transition. So far things are not going badly for Ian overseas. Even the frankly weak Islanders sent the two-time Gagarin Cup winner to the farm club, and then to the waiver draft, from where any NHL club could take him for free.

4. Eeli Tolvanen
"Jokerit" - "Nashville"

When one of the most gifted Finnish forwards did not make it to the NHL on his first try, he moved to the KHL (which, by the way, is rare for young European talents), signing a contract with Jokerit. Tolvanen immediately became one of the best in the domestic league, rewriting numerous records for 18-year-old players during the regular season. However, in Nashville they expected more from him, since during the playoffs, closer to the start of which Eeli returned to the NHL, he was placed on the bench. The current attempt to conquer the NHL cannot be called successful either - for now Tolvanen plays exclusively in the Nashville farm club.

3. Mikko Koskinen
SKA - Edmonton

Having won two Gagarin Cups with SKA, Koskinen, who for the most part, by the way, shone in the playoffs, needed a new challenge. Nine years ago, the goalkeeper already tried to catch the goal of the Islanders, but the attempt, which lasted for three seasons, did not work out. Now Mikko has returned to the NHL as an experienced 30-year-old master, but so far he is completely losing the competition to Cam Talbot. The Canadian played all three of Edmonton's matches in the regular season, losing two of them. Koskinen was trusted with the last line only in exhibition matches. But this, presumably, is a temporary phenomenon.

2. Bogdan Kiselevich
CSKA - Florida

Kiselevich never had crazy performance, but he had competent positional play, which only got better over the years of frantic competition in CSKA. “Over the years, there are no more offers - and I’m already 28. I had to either go now or close this topic. But I didn’t want to close it,” the defender himself commented on his decision. His career in Florida began, however, with a broken jaw and 40 stitches - a puck hit him in the face during an exhibition match with Tampa. But just two weeks later he made his NHL debut, spending almost 17 minutes on the ice.

1. Ilya Kovalchuk
SKA - Los Angeles

With the departure of the forward, the KHL lost not only in quality, but also in popularity. This hockey player knows how to put on a show both on and off the ice. Five years ago, he just as loudly broke his 15-year contract with New Jersey, declaring that he wanted to play in his homeland. While playing in the KHL, Ilya won two Gagarin Cups, gold at the 2018 Olympics, and now the two-time world champion has returned to the NHL for the only award that he has not yet won and without which he cannot enter the “Triple Gold Club” - the Stanley Cup. At the start of the NHL season, Kovalchuk is good: 4 (2+2) points in six matches for Los Angeles, of which, however, only two were victories.