The Great Shame

I was thinking, which one was better, Ice Hockey Championship 1995 or 2011... But now, thanks to the people of Finland, it is quite clear; 1995. For what has happened in Finland, and unfortunatelly also in Sweden, is a shame for the whole country. It is understantable to celebrate, and hard, because we don't usually win anything. But I don't know why, maybe it's because the right wing anti-foreigner party won the elections a month ago or the new generation (oh I feel old) is just missing a few brain cells. I wanted to go to streets at night and yell victory and how happy I am, but the celebration should be positive. However, it seems that Finns have been going around beating foreigners and Finnish-Swedish, who are Finnish (Swedish is with Finnish our official language). What is worse, it seems that some Finns went over the border to Sweden and started beating people and driving them over with cars and burning Swedish flags! I've been taught that a flag is sacred, and I just can't understand that kind of hatred. Come on, it was just ice hockey! I totally understand the Swedish who now swear they will come here next year to burn our flags. Luckily some people made an appeal to the hockey team to speak against racism and they spoke.


Picture in Swedish newspaper before the game...

There has always been a bit of a fight between Finland and Sweden. For me it has been like between sisters (or brothers). Like we argue and want to be better, but in the end it's better for Sweden to win if we can't. But, the sport matches between us two are always many times more agressive than against anyone else. For me I've thought it as funny thing, until now... You see above a picture in Swedish newspaper about their opinion of Finnish team before Sunday night, and below a picture on Monday. In Swedish newspapers they agree that losing to Finland is worse than losing to anyone else. The same thing happened in 1995, when we were in Stockholm Sweden, before their home audience, and they lost to us. We even stole their team song, sang by Swedish ice hockey team. That was the first swedish song I could sing... On the other hand, we have lost to Sweden soo many times... according to Wikipedia in finals 2 times. Next year the games are divided between Helsinki Finland and Stockholm, so it seems our nation has caused us a war in 2012. Thank you!


...and after.

Another thing which has been criticised has been the state of the players. They were so drunk they couldn't stand! I actually understand it, they are young men, but honestly speaking not very good role models for young kids, who are told to look up athletes for their healthy lifestyle...Actually the head of Finnish Ice Hockey was given a lecture from minister of sport! It was sooo amaizing to win the championship, and that's why it's sooo awful to say that we shouldn't have won. Unfortunate amount of people share this opinion. We Finns are famous of our bad self esteem and humbleness, but it seems that when we finally are better than anyone else, it's not pretty. We are not good winners (any more).


Celebration, Finnish style; pathetic