Puckin' Hell!

Welcome back to Allsvenskan, arsewipes!

2010-09-16T13:52:00.005+01:00

The season is finally underwaty with the first round of matches out of the way. The opening game for former top league team, Rögle, was supposed to be a mere formality as they were hosting Boras. That was a formalty that whacked them straight in the balls! RBK did well to rally back from 0-3 and take the game to extra time where they ended up losing 5-6. Needless to say, their return to Allsvenskan has been greeted in way they did not expect. The other new-commers, Tingsryd, lost 3-1 at local rivals Växjö.

Other notable results was that a new-look Leksand completely thrashed their opening opponents and derby rivals, Mora. An incredible second period saw them score five times and finally take the game 7-1. Almtuna also showed little mercy as relegation favourites Sundsvall was sent to intensive care after losing 6-1at home. A strong looking Västerås team also showed class at they romped home 5-0 against Bofors.

Pre-season starts in Leksand

2010-08-11T06:45:00.004+01:00

After what seems as a short summer break, the hockey season is once again upon us with pre-season games getting under way across Sweden. Leksand is taking on Lillehammer of Norway this evening and the game can be seen on Conny's TV with a 6pm (CET) start. Norway? Bah! Well, in all fairness it would most likely beat the Sweden v Scotland football friendly hands down in terms of entertainment value. Pesonen v Zlatan... Kollar v Svensson... I don't really need to say more, now do I?

Björklöven - the final verdict

2010-07-01T07:19:00.000+01:00

The ridiculously long lasting saga on the Björklöven story has finally reached the end. A few weeks back, the Swedish Hockey Association came to the conclusion that their first decision regarding the future of the Umeå club would have to stand; they were forcibly relegated due to economical problems and although the club has come through them, the relegation still has to stand.

The Björklöven board of course took this through to appeal and the final verdict came the other day: The relegation stands. And rightly so.

Although the club managed to survive, the economical dealings of last year was extremely irresponsible. It must have been clear after the first month or two of last season that the budget was blown out of the water. Instead of consolidating and cutting costs, they did the opposite. With already big debts on board, an increasing wage bill and dwindling crowds, there was only one way it would all finish. It seems the board made the most of it while it lasted by making sure back room staff got more than their fair share of the spoils before the proverbial shit would hit the fan.

Onwards and upwards!

I don't envy the new board, but they should be both glad and proud they have managed to get the club through this and to the other side. A couple of years in a lower division might be what they need to rebuild everything from the inside out. They'll be back soon enough - enjoy division 1 while it lasts.

World Cup intermission

2010-06-30T11:25:00.006+01:00

No one has failed to notice the World Cup in football is on at the moment. I had promised not to write anything about it - there are enough football blogs anyway - but I have been swayed by what happened last night when Spain took on Portugal in the knock out stages.

This is not about the game. This is about my wife. And the teams.

Following the national anthems when the camera shows the close-ups of players singing along - or not as may be the case, Mrs Puckin' Hell, being forced to watch the games unless I disappear down the pub and free up the TV for her, sat up and said 'Spain and Portugal in football seems to be a bit like Sweden and Finland in ice hockey, with Portugal being like Finland' I was well impressed by her sudden knowledge of the sport. 'Not a bad comparison. They are neighbours and the rivalry is massive between the two countries. And as Finland, Portugal is usually at the wrong end of the scoreline.' I addeed. 'Aha...' she said 'I just meant that the Spaniards are quite good looking, whereas the Portuguese are a right ugly bunch.'.

There you go.

She's Finnish by the way...

Part MMCXXVII of the Björklöven saga

2010-05-26T14:38:00.001+01:00

Some fuckers just don't know when to give up. And for that, Björklöven should be eternally grateful. The club has officially managed to avoid being wound up and will continue to exist in its current shape. The question is now Where?

As the club seized trading at the end of the season, Sundsvall was given their spot and was told they'd be playing in Allsvenskan the coming year. Sunsvall has of course been setting themselves a different budget and has been working to a completely different framework than had they not been promoted. It would not be fair or right in this late stage to backtrack and tell them to play in Division 1. This has of course had ramifications throughout the hockey league and it is hard to see where Björklöven will fit in.

There are a few obvious alternatives, all with their pros and cons;

Björklöven is told they can stay in Allsvenskan. The division is extended by one team and more rounds will be played. This will create a scheduling nightmare (the first round has already been drawn) as well as an imbalanced division with an odd number of teams. This will then need to be rectified for next season and there will be another relegation spot.
The club is relegated to division one. The above problems will be shifted downwards one division.
The club is told to start from the bottom of the system. This will in effect kill the club off. The arena, owned by Umea municipality, will be too big to host regional division 4 games and the club will have to find another home. Getting back to a position where they would fill their old arena would take many years.

No doubt the Swedish Icehockey Association will find the most complicated and impractical solution to the problem. I am waiting in anticipation.

But how did this happen. The club was run down completely by the board and incredible amounts were paid out to staff and players in salaries even when it was known within the club that there was no more money to take from. Apparently, the wage bill was 1.4M SEK/month. Even though this is limited to 7.5 months of the year, it adds up to an awful lot of money for this level of hockey. I can see why KHL were flirting with them earlier in the season - at least they are up to speed in how to do it in the board room.

Completely pucked!

2010-05-26T13:36:00.000+01:00

So you knobbers think I'm dead, huh? If only! I must admit of a certain greyish-whiteish paleness, but years of London life generally has that effect on your skin tone. In all fairness, I am currently somewhat of a zombie during the waken hours and could easily be mistaken for dead or at least soon-to-be-dead, but that it all down to work and other things I have a feeling I might get back to in the coming months. Can't be bothered now though.

Anyway, I'll sporadically be posting during the summer but the frequency of the posts will be cut for obvious reasons. I'm not going to indulge too much in silly-season speculation unless there is actually a good reason for it. I suspect there will be a bunch of posts coming either today or during the next few days as I have kept away for a while.

The undeath of a hockey team

2010-05-06T13:55:00.001+01:00

First it was AIK who undeaded themselves by getting promoted to Elitserien, now it seems an outside chance that Björklöven might join the same exclusive club. No, they're not getting promoted. They're trying to undead themselves as well - and by all means, they don't seem too far off achieving it. Puckin' Hell had along with everyone else assumed that Björklöven was not only dead, but buried and slightly decomposed by now. Well, we were all wrong it seems. To paraphrase Mark Twain, it seems the reports of Björklöven's death has been somewhat exaggerated.

Apparently, the club has until May 12th to get their finances in order and businessmen, benefactors, companies and the public has managed to get a large proportion of the money needed for survival. In a last ditch attempt, the club is now issuing share options to get the last money. I will join the rest of all hockey lovers to wish them every success in this campaign.

Something is rotten in the state of Sweden

2010-04-30T13:47:00.006+01:00

Silly season is under way, but I still find myself depressed and downbeat thinking about hockey, so I have stayed away from the blog and all my bookmarked websites for a while. Needless to say, it is impossible to cleanse my world completely from it, as the whacking of a black rubber thingee on frozen water is a fully integrated part of my everyday life. Try and aviod it, and you get caught out with a tackle from behind that knocks you out for twenty. That is just what has happened.

I attended a friends wedding and as the brother of the bride is as much of a hockey fanatic as I am we obviously got into a conversation about the upcoming world championships and the season just gone. He's got it all sorted. Albeit he's Slovakian and usually only have an outside chance of seeing any medals on the international scene (I know, they still manage to beat Sweden every time, so I should keep stumm), his domestic side has defended their title. Košice beat local rivals Bratislava and you could see the excitement and joy in his face as he described the finals in detail.

After he finished he looked at me and told me he'd followed Leksand's results over the web. What is wrong with this Swedish ice hockey? How many years in a row have you won your division - 3? 4? And they still don't let you up? That seems completely fucked mate! I have never heard of a similar system anywhere. Why don't they change it?

As we downed another Sambuca, I nodded in agreement. Yeah, it is fucked. Then was going to explain what went wrong, and after a few seconds I found myself talking about economy, TV money, the struggles of several of the teams in the second tier to stay alive, and that's when it hit me like a face-slap from an over ripe herring. Talking about Swedish domestic ice hockey invariably develops into a discussion of figures and numbers. To talk Swedish ice hockey, you really need a university degree in advanced economics. And as any map will show you, Leksand, Umeå, Almtuna and Västerås is a very long way from Oxford, Cambridge or Yale.

In fact, it has indeed proven way too far away from Umeå, as Björklöven has seized to exist. The Swedish Champions from 1987 has been declared bankrupt. Björklöven fostered players such as Ulf Dahlén and Calle Johansson and I regarded them as one of the original 'Big' clubs with tradition and culture not many can match. It is truly an indication of how bad the state of Swedish ice hockey really is when a club like Björklöven disappears.

As I said, my friend has got it sorted. When he talks ice hockey, it is simply about what happens on the ice. That's the game I grew up with. That's the game I love! Could we have it back please Mr Loob?

Eriksson/Olsson at the helm

2010-04-19T16:51:00.000+01:00

Unsurprisingly, Leksand presented the Swedish Junior Championships gold medal winner, Niklas Eriksson and former assistant coach Christer Olsson as the duo to take the elusive step to the top tier of Swedish hockey. In fact, it seems it was so well known among both journalists as well as the public, that a press conference was not held. The news appeared on the Leksand website without much fanfare. Too right!

The elusive promotion

2010-04-19T12:53:00.002+01:00

From one of my all time favourite shows, The Smoking Room. The similarities between Barry and Leksand are striking.

Ekman-Larsson to Phoenix, Strumpan to Rögle?

2010-04-19T07:55:00.003+01:00

News have come out the Oliver Ekman-Larsson has signed a 3 year contract with Phoenix while Leif Strömberg is linked to the vacancy in Rögle. Two interesting moves in their own right, but that's where the similarities stop. OEL will go over as one of the most promising defenders of his age group. I suspect he'll be told to build up some more muscle and prove himself in AHL, but fully expect him to get an outing or two in the first year across the pond.

Good Luck!

Strumpan will be given a chance to rectify his now dented record of bringing teams through qualification with Rögle. The club will have to rebuild as many players have chosen to leave following relegation and Strömberg will undoubtedly want to populate the team with his type of players. Don't expect to see him signing any players who plays with flair - he prefers players with a minimum amount of skill, but a high work-rate. Undoubtedly he'll set up a team that will be hard to beat, but I am glad to see him head to Rögle and put their hockey fans through the pain of watching crap hockey week in and week out. Expect to see the attendance figures to drop dramatically - even compared to last time they were down in Allsvenskan. Good riddance I say!

Update: Wrong, wrong, wrong! At a press conference today, Rögle presented a trio to guide them back to Elitserien, including Kenny Jönsson as defensive coach.

Managerial merry-go-round is now in full swing

2010-04-17T12:21:00.005+01:00

Here we go again. Teams supposedly failing to hit their targets set out before the season is now getting rid of their managers and the ones having done a brilliant job being lured to greener pastures. So far we have seen the top job being made available in Almtuna, Björklöven, Leksand, Västerås, Rögle and now also Malmö (not sure if I have missed any others). Of course, most of the jobs will go to managers who have previously been sacked/left another team where invariably they have failed.

Almtuna were facing the ungrateful task of replacing Jonas Rönnqvist who was offered the job at Luleå. So who do they get for the job? Bobo Simensen, infamous from his days at Rögle and Malmö. Last year he was safely tucked away at AIKs youth team! But of course someone had to drag him out in from the discarded toys' box. Where is the fucking law that says a coach must be recycled? Well, it was good as long as it lasted, but it's obviously time to say 'Bye bye, Almtuna!'. A bit melodramatic maybe, but it's not going to be any return to Kvalserien for them with him in charge.

Västerås has taken a slightly different route with employing Mats Waltin, a successful player in his day who has been coaching in Austria (AC Klagenfurter) and last heading up the Slovenian national team.

Björklöven has taken Jens Hellgren from Piteå and also see the return of Lars Molin.

In Malmö, the players apparently revolted against the hero of yesteryear, Göran Karlström, who stepped in and steered up the so called Babyhawks when the club was about to go under. I guess Carl 'Crybaby' Söderberg had to blame someone else for their failure to make Kvalserien. And what Calle wants, Calle gets - at least in Malmö. Hence, no more Karlström. The former assistant coach, Robert Olsson, takes over the reign.

Local rivals, Rögle is also on the lookout for a new manager. Rumours are pointing towards Kenny Jönsson who helped the club up to Elitserien last time they went up - but then as a player. Could he do it again as a manager?

Leksand are expected to present their legendary ex-player Niklas Eriksson who has played more games for the club than anyone else. He has also shown his capabilities as a manager taking the Leksand youth team to win the Swedish championships this season.

Going further?

2010-04-17T08:19:00.003+01:00

The worst is over - having failed in my suicide attempts (the closest I got was a severe hangover after trying to pickle my brain in vast amount of alcohol. The way I felt the morning after means I can't have been far off the mark...) I have now decided to move on. In fact, the best for my health as well as of others around me is for me to move on. Literally. I can't see any other possible solution.

London is obviously not far enough to avoid the pain caused by the constant failures of the hockey team in my heart. Why? Well, I get to follow most of the games live. I curse the internet and its founders - look what you have done to me and hang your heads in shame. The UK also having similar-ish seasons. At least so far that you recognise a certain drop in temperature towards the beginning of the hockey season, and this gets worse throughout before it starts improving at the end. Instinctively this is setting off the fog-horn inside my head and the increase in adrenaline and endorphins is creating a euphoria that unmistakably is signalling the start of the ice hockey season. I then have an extended period of time called the 'season' when I feel it is totally acceptable for me not only to behave irrationally and be plagued by a wider variety of, and often more intense, mood-swings than a woman with the worst PMS imaginable.

If you look really closely, you can see the person is actually wearing a Leksand away jersey

Then we have the phenomenon called Kvalserien. My wife knows to avoid me at all cost during these three weeks. And all this usually results in is acute depression, self destructive and aggressive behaviour followed by voluntary isolation and social reclusion. This lasts until the temperature starts falling and the cycle starts all over again.

As far as I can tell, either Leksand has to move on and up, or, filing that, I must move and do everything in my power to get out of this cycle. I understand the temperature goes up during the winter in the southern hemisphere - that's at least a promising start! Then we just need to find a place without internet capability and well past the reach of any Swedish radio broadcasts. In fact, preferably a place with no electricity whatsoever. To be on the safe side, there should be no Swedish Embassy or Council and there should be no communication to any country with a Swedish Embassy or Council, including linking infrastructure such as roads, railways etc. Also, NO BLOODY IKEA.

Once I find this place, my life could possibly get back to normal again.

Any suggestions?

Step 1: Compete

2010-04-13T15:24:00.003+01:00

I have made a plan of how to regain top league status - if it is followed we can't fail! And today there is cause for celebration as Step 1 in my plan has just been achieved; Leif Stromberg has been removed from the dressing room with all his belongings. Now we're talking! Great move by the board room. Now they just need to observe the rest of my action plan and we're sorted!

~~Sack LS~~
Hire good coach who promotes all out attacking hockey - I want my 10-2 results back!
Get rid of some dead wood from the team - some are in dire need of a change of environment.
Move up the best players from the juniors and give ice time to those behind
Bring back players such as Ritola and Hedberg who might well want to put the jersey on again.
Win games
Have fun and eat your greens
Qualify for KS
Qualify for ES

Dead simple. I should be general manager, at least!

Poem for Kvalserien

2010-04-12T06:24:00.006+01:00

Surprise surprise, we missed out again
Not sure how I'll ever get used to this pain
but we always live to fight another year
with new players and plenty more beer
Trying to look back to what went wrong
I see Växjö, Sandberg and the bastard Bång

One day I know we will come back
But first, can we please give Strumpan the sack?

AIK grabs the last straw

2010-04-12T06:21:00.004+01:00

After a very turbulent season, almost an understatement considering all that has happened, AIK grabbed the opportunity presented to them by promotion contenders Leksand and Rögle to take the second qualification spot to Elitserien. They 'only' had to beat Växjö in the last game to secure their advancement, but as always in Kvalserien, the 'onlys' quickly becomes knuckle-biting 'possiblys'.

AIK managed to secure the win (2-0) in a tightly fought contest, with both goals scored in the dying minutes of the game in a packed out Johanneshov, thereby securing vital income to the beleaguered club. This was arguably the last chance for survival for the club with the economy being in tatters. And they took it! Puckin' Hell wants to congratulate AIK and their prominent blogger Black Boris for a job well done.

Another wasted year

2010-04-09T07:17:00.000+01:00

That's that.

The Nervous System

2010-04-08T11:09:00.000+01:00

That's right, everything is affected...

The rock is rolling!

2010-04-07T16:00:00.000+01:00

With two games remaining of the 2010 edition of Kvalserien, the outcome is - as predicted - unpredictable to say the least. Södertälje SK somewhat unsurprisingly leads the way with 19 points and will require one more to secure their participation in next year's Elitserien. They are hosting AIK (4th) tomorrow and on Sunday there will be the show-down with Rögle BK (2nd). The game with AIK is a derby-type affair and the outcome is by no means certain. If they would lose, the one point they require will be hard fought to get at the final away game. They should qualify, but in KS, there is a long history of teams choking when one foot is on the finishing line.

Rögle finds themselves in second place on 14 points with Almtuna (5th) to visit tomorrow before taking on Södertälje. Again, none of these teams are easy to play. Almtuna IS has rattled most teams and are notoriously difficult to play in their rink, and with Rögle only just beating AIS on penalties in the previous game, they will not be taking any points for granted. Two wins are of course possible, but they might as well not get any.

Leksands IF is just one point behind in 3rd place and is said to have the easiest run-in. On paper this is true as they are facing bottom of the table Växjö Lakers away on Tursday and finishes with a visit by Almtuna. Växjö has only managed to get three points, all of them did however come while playing in their Lakerdome home and the hosts won both home games 3-1 during the regular season, so to say these are three easy points would be a mistake. Almtuna on the other hand has been defeated every time this season in Ejendals Arena, albeit the affairs have been tightly fought. Underestimation would however be the biggest risk and you would expect Leksand to bring home at least four points from these games.

AIK equals Leksand's 13 points but is behind by a single goal on goal difference and is in 4th position. If the team can get a win from the derby against top of the table Södertälje, the final game will be at home against Växjö, who might be without their three North American players due to a money saving excercise by the club (they will however feature in the previous game versus Leksand). This might have a decisive influence if the final table is decided on goal difference. The big one is however played tomorrow, and both teams will know the result of this game will decide how their seasons are judged, not to mention the SEK 30.000.000 in money from TV rights and another SEK 20.000.000 in extra ticket sales, sponsorship etc. In short, No Pressure!

Are We Coming Home?

2010-04-06T07:33:00.001+01:00

Take my hand
and I will close my eyes
guide me home
and on the way
I will silently fantasize

its been along time since I've been home
and I hope I am nearly there
no matter how far you are, they say
home knows no race, no distance
home is fair

home is at the end of war
home is in the mornings sun
home is through every door
home is where you no longer have to run

they say you cant buy a home
they say memories aren't for sale
they say heaven is hell if spent alone
they say home is female and male

home is in a Child's laughter
home is in a lovers arms
home is in a new chapter
home is where you make it yours

I am Coming Home, Ayesha Sartawi

Ideal Scenario

2010-04-05T08:40:00.003+01:00

With only three rounds still to be played and the two Elitserien teams at occupying the two top spots, a minor miracle is requested to break the cementation of Elitserien. But with points still to play about, a wild imagination and a pocket calculator, things are far from looking as doom-and-gloom as I first thought.

Round 8
Leksand - Södertälje 3-1
Rögle - AIK             2-3
Almtuna - Växjö       4-1

Round 9
Växjö - Leksand 2-6
Södertälje - AIK 3-4
Almtuna - Rögle 4-2

Round 10
Leksand - Almtuna 3-1
AIK - Växjö           5-2
Rögle - Södertälje 5-3

That would give the following table;
1. Leksand 20
2. AIK 19
3. Södertälje 18
4. Rögle 17
5. Almtuna 13
6. Växjö 3

Back from the Dead

2010-04-05T08:01:00.005+01:00

I am back after vowing not to write again until the end of Kvalserien - we seemed to lose after every post, so I had to take my responsibility and refrain from posting. I am now breaking that vow after yesterday's win over AIK. There are a few things I need to get off my chest:

Christian Sandberg is amazing - I'd make a deal involving my soul to get him over to the white side. Sadly enough my soul isn't worth an awful lot. I am however happy to sell, so any bids are welcome.

Jussi Pesonen is a sniper in a donkey's clothing - he confuses me and I am unsure if him being at the club for another year will change that. But by all means, keep on scoring!

A God? A Daemon? A Genius?

I still dislike the hockey presented by Leif 'Strumpan' Strömberg, but I also acknowledge it might be the type of play you have to play to win the type of games you see in Kvalserien. And in all fairness, it hasn't been as defensive/destructive as in Allsvenskan.

Despite recent results, I fully expect the two teams from Elitserien to retain their status after KS is finished. Not necessarily deservedly so, but as the system is structured like it is they are always going to be in pole position in qualification. And this gap between first and second tier is most certainly going to widen with the increase in TV money received by ES teams from next season. But that's what sport is like in Loob's playground.

I am worried about AIK. Where is the money going to come from? And where are the fans when Leksand is not visiting? Things will have to come to a head after KS and the future of the club will have to be discussed.

Taking it Down a Notch or Two...

2010-03-21T07:02:00.005Z

Remaining in the same geographical place, we're going from one end of the cultural spectrum to, maybe not the other but rather to another end, we find Kompisarnas Kapell. They have made a few brilliant songs, including this one. For today my friends!

Longing for Home

2010-03-21T06:32:00.012Z

Hours before yet again facing the final few battles, I am trying to take a step away from the situation and detatch myself emotionally from this essentially inane thing that is labelled sport. I wonder why these emotional bonds you have for a team are seemingly as strong as or even stonger than bonds you have forged with friends or even family - especially as there is very little feedback/return from your object of affection.

This irrational feeling is a constant. It is transcending class and personal preferences/opinions and it bonds people together from all different walks of life. It seems as if it is as strong as the connection you have to the place you call home, the place where you feel you have your roots. Then it strikes me, it's not a deliberate choice you have made, this connection is there whether you like it or not. Some people just decide not to tap into this as much as others. So our opponents are in fact our brothers, we share more than we care to admit. This is why they deserve our respect and admiration. That we put ourselves in a position where the majority will be left unhappy is just the way we have chosen to live - I for one am used to the constant suffering, possibly even addicted to it by now.

In all this, I recall a poem by Dan Andersson, (aptly from my home town) sadly enough I can't seem to find a translation. That he was killed by those pesky people in Stockholm I hope is in no way an omen of what is about to begin... For those of you who prefer music than poetry; this is definitely a blues track that is shouting out for someone to sing it!

   Jag är trött, jag är led på fabriken,
   jag vill hem till jordhöljt bo,
   till min koja vid Blodstensmyren,
   i de gröna gömmenas ro.
   Jag vill leva på bröd och vatten,
   om jag endast strax får byta
   allt gasljus och larm mot natten
   där timmarna tysta flyta.

   Jag vill hem till dalen vid Pajso,
   till det gräsiga kärret vid So,
   där skogarna murgrönsmörka
   stå i ring kring mossig mo,
   där starrgräs i ånga växer
   vid källor som aldrig sina
   och där växter väva i jorden
   sina rötter silkesfina.

   Jag vill hem till dalen vid Kango
   där ljungen står brinnande röd
   som ett trots i flammande lågor
   framför höstens hotande död -
   där fjärilar, färggrant glada
   på mjöliga vingar sväva
   och tunga, sjungande humlor
   i den svällande myllan gräva.

   Jag vill hem till det fattiga folket
   som svettas i somrarnas glöd,
   som vakar i bittra nätter
   i envig mot köld och nöd. -
   Jag vill dit där molnen gå tunga
   under skyn där stjärnor skina,
   och där obygdsforsarna sjunga
   i takt med visorna mina.

                               Hemlängtan, Dan Andersson

First Round

2010-03-20T08:37:00.004Z

Almtuna took out one of the pre season favourites as they knocked out Malmö in the decisive play off game yesterday. The home team took a comfortable victory leaving the Redhawks facing yet another season in Allsvenskan. The first round in Kvalserien therefore looks like this.

Almtuna IS - Leksands IF

Leksand has had problems with Almtuna throughout the season and has only managed to score once in Gränbyhallen. The games has all been home wins with Almtuna's victories being 5-0 and 3-1. Leksand will have to be on their toes and look to cancel out the attacking threat posed by quick players like Robert Kimby and Jimmie Kraft as Almtuna are lethal on the break. AIS does not spend many minutes in the sin bin and will have to be ground down in 5-on-5 play. Letting the hosts take the lead is usually not recommended as they are incredibly good at keeping hold of the puck and frustrating their opponents. Leksand on the other hand are good at containing teams and will not be exposing themselves in the same way Malmö did. This might not suit AIS and they will be forced to play a different type of hockey than what they have done in the play offs, and as far as I know, Almtuna only knows how to play hockey one way. In this game the first goal will be incredibly important. AIS seem to be in form and should be held as favourites to win on home ice. Leksand with two weeks without competitive games will have to get up to speed quickly. However, Almtuna has played three games in the last week and might their stamina will be tested.

Tip: 3-4 after penalties

Great defending!

Rögle BK - Södertälje SK

The two teams from Elitserien battle it out immediately. Rögle is arguably the weaker side of the two and, according to the experts, the side that could possibly be replaced in the top flight by one of the former AS teams. The home advantage is important and Rögle is renowned for being difficult to beat in Ängelholm - however, the pressure will be on to make it count. Södertälje has welcomed back captain and top scorer Linus Klasen from injury and will be going into this game with nothing to lose. A point would be a bonus and the team can play without pressure.

Tip: 2-3

Växjö Lakers - AIK

Växjö has beaten AIK three out of four times this season and being undefeated by AIK at home, they will be hoping the trend will continue. Key man in AIK will be Cristopher Heino-Lindberg - if he has a good day, he can stop any team on his own. AIK is notoriously difficult to figure out and they are renowned for blowing hot and cold, especially on their trips. However, if I were to be a betting man, I'd go for a home win as I think the consistency of Växjö will prevail. Also, it promises to be an interesting post-game match up between coaches Janne Karlsson (VL) and Roger Melin (AIK). Janne Karlsson is certain to be the winner in this one.

Tip: 4-2

Nordström Out. Malmö to Follow?

2010-03-19T08:03:00.005Z

Leksand's Peter Nordström has been ruled out of participation in Kvalserien due to a ligament problem. The 35 year old was taken off the ice in the last game of the season and after tests the Swedish champion of yesteryear has been told he most likely won't be able to play for the rest of the campaign. 'I'm unable to skate in one direction, and when I fall over it feels as if my foot is breaking off. I have torn a ligament and I'm not entirely sure how long it takes to heal. There won't be any games in the near future, but I hope to be lucky enough to make it back in the later stages of the competition.' he tells Aftonbladet.

Broken

In the play off for the last spot in KS, Almtuna has levelled the series to one game each. The Uppsala outfit lost a hard fought battle in Malmö with the odd goal after Malmö's Robin Weihager scored the decider in the last period while short handed. Ouch! Yesterday, on home ice, Almtuna won with a more comfortable margin of 4-1. All is however still to play for as the two teams battle it out in the decider tonight at 7PM CET in what promises to be an exciting game. If anyone want's to see it for free, contact me and I might be able to provide a link.

Kvalserien - Now at a Computer Near You

2010-03-17T11:01:00.005Z

For once the Gods are smiling at me. Visasatondemand is running an offer on all packages (films, entertainment, documentaries and most importantly sports). The package concerns their web broadcasts and will include the live matches from Kvalserien. The official schedule is yet to be released so it is impossible to say what games will be included, but it will be at least two or possibly all games in every round available on their web service. For SEK99 you can now get this for a period of one month, and as KS only runs until April 10, all rounds are now covered. Considering one game retails at SEK79, this is quite a bargain. You can cancel the service at any time during the first month and not be charged for a second month.

Of course, the service is geographically limited to Sweden due to broadcasting rights. If anyone abroad would be interested in this service I can give a few pointers in how to go about circumventing the geographical IP block. Note that I am in no way endorsing breaching the terms and conditions, merely presenting a technical weakness in their system. But why they are so protective about second tier Swedish ice hockey could be anyone's guess. We only export IKEA, Abba and Volvo - the interesting stuff we keep for ourselves! It sounds like a both likely and valid reason...

Morals? No Thank You, my name is Loob

2010-03-15T12:47:00.005Z

Håkan Loob and Färjestad BK has once again shown their true face. And it's ugly! One year ago, their goalkeeper, Jonas 'the Monster' Gustavsson was being scouted by various NHL clubs during the play-offs in Elitserien. A furious Håkan Loob went to the media and complained about the distraction caused by the scouts. He called for tighter regulation in terms of North American teams scouting and approaching European players.

This is fair enough and I agree with him for once. There should be stricter regulations that state a club can only approach a player through his contracted club - not talk to him behind their back or without their approval until the contract is up. This is in place in other sports such as football and even though it is not in any way a guarantee it will not happen anyway, several big clubs have been convicted for illegal approaches and fined. substantial sums At least they have restrictions in place and they are being enforced.

It looks and behaves like a Penis... but it's got ears...???

Loob apparently forgot to call for similar regulations to be implemented within Sweden, for Swedish clubs approaching players. How odd! No, not really... You might understand better why if I tell you that they at the same time had come/were coming to a verbal agreement with Timrå IK center Johan Andersson although still under contract at Timrå.

Färjestad is the richest club in Sweden and they get whoever whenever they want. And rules are usually just in the way for rich spoilt brats. As they, together with the other Elitserien clubs, decide the rules through Hockeyligan who tells a very weak Swedish Hockey Association what to do, I doubt we'll see any rules like those mentioned implemented.

No too surprisingly, the two faced gutter-spunk from Värmland is now at it again. Leksand's goaltender Joacim Eriksson has been approached by FBK. That it might cause a distraction with the decisive part of the season coming up, is obviously not a problem. At least not for Färjestad. But surely Loob, just back from reporting on what is best for the future of Swedish ice hockey, now has the interest of Swedish hockey at heart and would call for stricter regulations. In fact, I bet you he's on the phone to all the major sports editors as I type this. I'll be waiting in anticipation for tomorrow's papers...

The Anguish of Living Abroad

2010-03-15T08:07:00.006Z

Every year at the start of the hockey season, I find it difficult to come to terms with living abroad. As the season gets under way this only tends to get worse, and by the time of Kvalserien it has become outright painful. This season has been the worst of them all so far. The main reason I believe is that the TV rights have passed over to Viasat - none of the London pubs have access to Swedish viasat, so I have been forced to watch games on the internet. se24 is working for us foreigners, but viasatondemand is not, due to broadcasting rights. I have however found a way around this after spending hours searching for any way to get around the checks done - if you'd need to know how, please contact me.

Another reason for my anguish is that Leksand has been playing such bad ice hockey it has been painful to watch.

Obviously I head back to my old hunting grounds every once in a while, and when doing so I specifically pick dates in order to fit in as many hockey games as possible. This year I managed to get my dose away at Bofors and at home against Borås. Woooo-fucking-hooo! Honestly, we must get back up to Elitserien. I imagine the agony I feel by living here is matched by the agony people feel living at home and having to face these games every week. No disrespect meant for our opponents, but I don't feel we belong here.

Now, with Kvalserien just about coming up, I've had to dip into the funds and make an investment in order to dampen this agony a little bit. I have bought a device that will enable me to watch the games on a TV whereas it's actually on the computer. I know this is nothing new, but as my laptop is not having a s-video/video out and I only possess an old 'normal CRT TV, I've had to find this thingeemajhiggi. I bet it's rubbish, but at least I can feel a little bit more normal screaming at the TV rather than at a small laptop in the corner.

Save me!

Other than that, my jersey is washed, the beer is on the cooling and I have the dosh to splash out on a couple of bottles of bubbly should that be needed. What else have I forgotten?

The Beauty of the Internet

2010-03-13T13:38:00.001Z

Pimp it up for Kvalserien by getting your persona for Firefox here.

Agony Time!

2010-03-08T11:03:00.008Z

Now the final puck has been put in the back of the net in HockeyAllsvenskan for this season. Leksand finishes top for the third time running, AIK is second for the second consecutive season and Växjö pipped Almtuna to the all important third spot. Almtuna, to the surprise of some people, chose Mora as their opponents in the first round of the play-off. I think it is, without a doubt, the right choice to make. Mora is in their worst form of the season, having only won 6 games of their last 19. In the meetings between the two opponents, scores are even with each team having won twice. Notable is that all wins have been on home ice.

That means Malmö is left to take on Bofors, where maybe a bit surprisingly Bofors has the upper hand in the meetings between the two. The Bobcats won the last encounter as recently as on February 17 at Malmö Arena to take the aggregate score to three wins for Bofors whereas Malmö has only managed one win against their play off opponents this season. This makes it a very possible scenario to have a Almtuna v Bofors play off final.

At the other end of the table we see that Björklöven managed to avoid an embarrassing qualification to retain their status as a team in Allsvenskan as they destroyed Mora 5-1 on home ice. Sundsvall and Oskarshamn will fight against the drop to division 1.

Kvalserien to Elitserien does look like many predicted, with Rögle and Södertälje again joining from above and Leksand, AIK and Växjö + one of the play off teams fighting it out for the two promotion spots. The only difference from last year is that Västerås will be replaced - apart from that KS will look the same.

The talismanic Södertälje captain Linus Klasen is however racing to get back from injury sustained in the game against Skellefteå, A SSK without him is a much less daunting prospect for their opponents than one with him. The estimated healing time for his hand injury is 2-8 weeks. In the worst case scenario he might miss the whole of KS. It would really be a shame if a man with his talents will be out of action, but opposing goalkeepers and defenders will undoubtedly let out a sigh of relief. Watch the clip below if you do not know about his qualities.

But for fans of the already qualified clubs, two weeks of pure agony is now awaiting. Men and women around the country will only exist in this parallel reality with nothing but stats, tactic and possible line changes. I will know all opponents and their tactics - I will be able to repeat the names of the pets of the players playing in Rögle's 4-on-3 third line, and I will know what Roger Melin ate for breakfast. Youtube will stuggle to cope with the workload from KS team clips that will be loaded, reloaded and played at all hours of the day. Families will be deprived of any sensible discussion that does not regard hockey and there will be many sleepless nights and uneaten plates of food. Every player, members of staff and journey-plans by your team will be scrutinised. The logic usually applied to your thinking till become scewed and ridiculously complex. Some people will most likely come to the conclusion that the third goalkeeper is the natural player to be on the left in the checking line - and this has been reasoned with the apparent logic of a mad man. And I will not deny that it is true; I and many with me will become mad men/women for these two weeks. And that's for these two weeks running up to Kvalserien. Then it gets worse.

When Sports Take the Back Seat

2010-03-03T13:03:00.011Z

It is now getting rather tiresome this talk of internationalisation of the Swedish ice hockey. The human incarnation of the Devil, Håkan Loob, has now come out to say he will step down from the Medvedev/Gazprom/KHL sponsored committee that is looking into the different options for 'The Future of Swedish Ice Hockey'.

Nice looking chap that Loob

Apparently, they are no longer looking into expatriating the 'top' (read 'economically most successful' or 'potentially economically most successful') Swedish teams into KHL. There has been a change of heart. Why one could ask, but the answer is so blatantly clear it would be a waste of energy to do so; People would not be interested to watch this. In itself, that would not be a problem for Loob and his cronies, but apparently the sponsors and the TV channels would not be as interested to splash the cash if that would be the case.

The latest configuration being looked at is branded EHL. Now, according to Loob, it would be based in Sweden. This would of course make Swedish fans happy; We want international hockey, but fuck having to travel to watch the games. The league would like the NHL be a closed one - entry through application only! Now this is more like it. Loob has always been an advocate for a closed system. Apparently it is too big a risk for a club (or 'profit making limited company' as he most likely would call it) to be relegated. This is of course true (I know, I'm a Leksand fan) - but much more so since he and his cohorts have made the distribution of money in the existing Swedish league so massively scewed that it is near enough impossible for the to HockayAllsvenska teams to compete even with the bottom ones in Elitserien. And this economic apartheid is allowed to grow even more year on year. The difference in TV money alone is next year going to be in the region of SEK 28-29 million - approximately the cost of two average HA squads. On top of that you can add the difference in sponsorship, gate income etc etc. Having said this, promotion and relegation is a cornerstone of any European sport. They did close the Finnish league a few years back, this was quickly revoked as it proved unpopular with the crowds. But the effect of the closed system was interesting, some teams actually took 'sabbaticals' with playing the youth team one season in order to amass enough money to buy all the best players and win the league following. Well, why not? Surely better than mid-table mediocrity year after year

Back to the EHL... Any applicants approved to join have to show a sound organisation and economical environment Again, the sporting aspect is of no or very little relevance. Its is all about the money, and they don't even try to pretend otherwise anymore. Those who are under the impression it's not really have to go and check that their cognitive functions are still intact.

The Future of Hockey - I'll give you £50 if you can spot the puck.

Teams are then supposed to play 60% of the games against domestic opposition, 20% against Nordic opposition and 20% against European opposition. I don't think it's too jumping to conclusions too much if I assume it will, like the NHL, be different conferences with KHL being one of those. Let's assume KHL, (mainly consisting of teams from the old Soviet states, just as now), a Nordic one (Sweden and Finland + potential teams from Norway and Denmark - not that they'd be good enough, but did I by chance mention it is not from the sporting aspect these teams are chosen? Copenhagen and Oslo are however good potential 'markets') and finally one Central European (Czech, Slovakia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland). This, I guess, makes sense. But to get a 60-20-20 configuration in this system, the conferences will have to have smaller conferences within them and the system will at the best become near enough impossible to grasp. But then again - it is about the dosh, not the sport!

What saddens me is that there seem to be very little critique of this in Swedish media and the arm-chair fans seem exited about the developments. The proper hockey fans (I mean the ones who actually care and pay the money to watch the games), seem to be more split with some, like me, being very sceptical about what is going on. I don't make any secrets about my feelings regarding Loob and his plans, but I can understand the frustration of the current system. Sadly they forget that him and his mates in Frölunda and Linköping to a great extent were the architects for the developments in this area over the last ten years. Not only did they fuck up the Swedish league, but now they've got the stomach to complain about it and create another league. Am I exited about this prospect? Sure, in the same way as I am exited to find how it feel to masturbate with a cheese grater!

Hmmm...

I am not saying it is wrong to look at a system like this, but unless there are some major adjustments I will not see the latest suggestion as a viable option. First of all, it must be an open league with relegation/promotion from the domestic ones. This is essential and I will not approve of any other system in sport. Secondly, money comes into the sport when you have a well functioning product - you can't create traditions, rivalries and culture. The step looking at being taken opens the path for Franchises and a level of commercialism not seen in European hockey before. Call me an old stooge or a fuddy-duddy if you wish - I'd be proud to be one!

Well, I'll try and contain myself until the 2012/13 season, when it is supposed to get off the ground, but until the I've got important things such as HockeyAllsvenskan and Kavalserien to keep me on my toes. God forbid that something interesting actually happens on the ice.

Let the Battle Commence

2010-03-03T08:13:00.004Z

Several big games are coming up before the end of the normal season this coming Sunday, and it all kicks off tonight with a couple of interesting matches. At the top end of the table we see Almtuna hosting Växjö - a game that will most likely play a major factor in the outcome for which team will have to go through play offs to Kvalserien. Växjö supportrs have in fact arranged buses for the game. That they could only fill up a couple of mini-buses is pathetic, not surprising seeing that they are said to be more tight-arsed than the Scots, but at least it is a start.

Once again, there will be more players than fans representing the Lakers

AIK take on Mora in the other game concerning the three fighting for two automatic qualification spots. AIK has a good record against Mora at home over the last couple of seasons and will be hoping to take all three points. With Mora severely out of form at the moment, this looks likely, but the players will have to be more focused than they were in the loss against lowly Sundsvall last game. Even more interestingly we have an internal AIK battle to look out for as well. The AIK football team is playing a pre season friendly against Syrianska FC at the same time as the ice hockey is happening. Which team will draw in more people? Sadly enough, I suspect a non-competitive game of football is higher rated than an important hockey game in the Swedish capital. Philestines!

HockeyAllsvenskan - The Good and The Bad

2010-03-01T06:18:00.011Z

We are reaching the end of the normal season and Hockeyallsvenskan will be divided in qualification leagues at either end of the table. Even though there are still a few games to go with some very important matches to be played, I'll take a look at the surprises and disappointments of the league.

The Biggest Surprises

Bofors IK
The team has really improved over the last few seasons. For first making themselves known as the most boring/negative team in the country who were only surviving because of the loan players from Färjestad, Bofors has become an attractive team to watch and still being very hard to break down. A fantastic start of the season has bee cancelled out by the inevitable 'blip'. A small squad that is very sensitive to injuries has been their undoing. If they can keep the prominent players in the team for next season and add some width, they will be very strong indeed.
Almtuna IS
Another team that has been working hard, just away from the spotlight of the bigger teams. Jonas Rönnqvist and Bert Robertsson has worked purposefully with the team and have every player and every unit working for each other. And it's working well. Automatic qualification to Kvalserien is a real prossibility.
AIK
Some might be surprised I am putting AIK, who had a fantastic season last year on my surprises list. Well, I disagree - and this page is my universe, so I can do what I want. AIK did have a fantastic season last year, but I suspected they would be exposed after the great season they had last year. Their success was built on a solid defence but with Dick Tärnström getting one year older (read 'one year slower'), and their new signings looking distinctly average, I thought their time would be up. I was right. 'Dicken' is one year slower, and the signings have not been as successful as some would have thought. What has happened is that the other team members have stepped up. A lot. Players like Bång, Sandberg and Gynge are now undoubtedly among the best in the division and would arguably be an asset to any team in elitserien. However, I don't think it will be enough to get promoted, especially since the team still mixes great performances with outright embarrassing ones, but in Kvalserien anything can happen.

This is the way to do it Rönnqvist style. Amazingly it seems to work...

...and the disappointments

Björklöven
The club is once again dragged into the relegation battle. The name, the history and the budget is for a team fighting at the other end of the table, but something has gone seriously wrong in Umeå. Should the club manage to stay in Allsvenskan at the end of the season, I expect to see some major changes with more than a few heads rolling. But at the moment that is a big 'should' that needs to be resolved before thinking about anything else.
Västerås IK
Again a club that were not only looking to challenge for Kvalserien, but to get there as a top 3 team. Nothing has been wrong with the budget or the resources - there can really be no excuses for the failure. As the results have improved over the last few weeks, will it be enough to secure coaches Claes Lindbom's and Fredik Nilsson's contract for next year. I seriously doubt it.
Leksands IF
It's hard to argue this case with the club looking at its third consecutive top spot finish in AS, but I think there are some major issues in the club this season compared to before. The team largely consists of a top division squad, but the public has been treated to division 3 hockey. The lack of ability to kill off a game and to dominate teams seem odd considering the large budget. Will it be enough to go to Elitserien? Not until they learn to beat teams like Borås anyway.

Among Warlords, Drug Dealers and Hockey Fans

2010-02-28T04:21:00.008Z

I just had a look at the info provided by Statcounter regarding the visitor on this little page. Apparently there are a few of you navigating yourself to these pathetic ramblings at one of the many dead ends of the interweb. The geographical spread is what I am most impressed by; I have visitors from as far afield as the Philippines and Taiwan, India, Afghanistan, Chile and Colombia. My personal favourite hits (I didn't really know I had any favourite hits until now) are from Kenya, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. That most of you end up here by mistake is a completely different matter. Failed contraception and 'accidents' is something best discussed with your parents...

There is so much useful information provided by statcounter I almost get overwhelmed. I am happy to see the majority using Firefox. I can apparently get information of your OS and screen resolution (1280x1024 seem to be the hip setting of today) among other things. It just stops short of giving me the phone number of your long lost cousin with the saggy boobs. In all fairness to statcounter, it should be mentioned that it is the free version I'm using.

Honestly, there are much better places to be right now

I'm not telling [hint, hint, notch, notch. Say-no-more, say-no-more] where some people are coming from or going to afterwards. Lets just say I find it slightly disturbing that this page somehow brings up such associations. But hey, everyone to their own! Just glad to be of service(?).

If you're ever feeling down, put any page you find through a translation tool + language of your choice. It would cure the most severe of depressions. I am happy to see some of you using my page for this.

But finally, feel free to comment and leave feedback. I'll most likely not give a shit, but a slap in the face is better than a kick in the nuts as my dear father claims. I still don't know what the fuck he means, but it somehow seems appropriate to use now.

Now, back to the Olympic hockey bronze game - Go our-lovely-but-somewhat-peculiar-cousins from Finland!

AIK Denied Move

2010-02-24T07:05:00.005Z

The Swedish Hockey Association has finally had their meeting to discuss AIK's motion for a move to KHL. As predicted, the Asssociation denied AIK this with the motivation that 'A united domestic ice hockey movement is in the best interest of Swedish hockey and its development'. They also point to the benefits of international collaborations and competitions but state that international cups would be the best way to achieve this.

The Trans-Siberian railway track will not be extended to Stockholm.

Would AIK make the move [they have stated they will not go against the decision of the Association, and IIHF would most likely not allow the Russians to take in a Swedish team without SHF approving it - so in effect this will not be happening], SHF states that the club would have to start from the bottom tier should they want to rejoin the Swedish league. This in combination that there was no proviso that this decision would possibly change would other teams come up with a similar plan, is a right kick in the nuts for Loob and the Nordic Trophy teams, who are looking into joining KHL/starting a 'Nordic' conference of the Russian league. Basically, the Swedish Association will not allow them. At long last, someone is standing up to the 'big five'.

Butt-shagged by the NHL - again.

2010-02-23T10:32:00.003Z

Sweden has finally got an agreement with the NHL regarding the export of players from Swedish clubs. The clubs have long said the compensation for players has been insufficient - and rightly so. Under the previous deal, clubs would get $200.000 for a player heading to the Dark Side.

Under this new deal, the Swedish clubs have now managed - following long and hard negotiations - to get an astonishing $225.000. Talk about pay-rise! And who said Swedish Hockey officials don't drive a hard bargain?

Malmö into the Wall

2010-02-16T08:07:00.005Z

As we're into the final stretch of the ordinary season, the erratic results that have marked this season continues. Last week, Leksand embarrassed themselves losing at home against Björklöven and yesterday, as Malmö fell flat as the Skåne countryside at hosting Borås, losing 5-0, as they had the chance to move up on the same points as AIK in the chase for the last automatic qualification spot to Kvalserien.

Outmanned, outnumbered, outplayed!

With only seven games to go, someone need to develop a do-or-die mentality to avoid having to qualify through play offs. Four points separate Växjö, AIK and Malmö.

At the other end of the table, Sundsvall and Oskarshamn must be looking for divine intervention in order to avoid relegation. Miracles do happen, but very rarely in Oskarshamn.

How Not to do Marketing

2010-02-15T13:55:00.004Z

The clubs in Allsvenskan were rewarded with a better TV deal than ever when they signed with Viasat before the start of this season. The clubs are rumoured to recieve something in the region of SEK 1-1.2 million for the rights to broadcast the games.

Viasat in turn has an agreement with the Schibstedt Concern, who among other publications owns Aftonbladet, the biggest tabloid in the country (the paper is also the most visited website in Sweden). Schibstedt has also a fairly new online pay-per-view sports channel in S24.se, the Viasat agreement allows S24 to broadcast a number of games from Allsvenskan on their portal. Viasat has their own PPV service with viasatondemand.se, this unlike S24 is however geographically resticted to Sweden (and possibly Finland - but I am unsure of this).

This has worked well, or at least as well as expected from live online TV broadcasting.

However, last week S24 announced that, due to the economical difficulties faced by AIK, they would donate SEK 10 per ticket bought by AIK fans to view the away game against Bofors IK (AIK won 5-2).

For a media company they do surprisingly not seem to understand the impact of this action - they probably thought they'd come across as nice and helpful with this token gesture. Bofors was of course incensed by this move. AIK supporters who might have come to watch the game are now told they will help the club economically by watching it on the web, hence Borfors losing money from the gate and sale of refreshments. Other clubs and fans are asking how a company supposed to cover the games unbiased are allowed to sponsor one team and not the others.

Supporters from Växjö has rallied around calling for a boycott of the channel, and as Växjö fans are apparently buying most tickets for the online games, this can have unwanted implications for S24.

A supposed representative for S24 has posted a message on different boards explaining their decision. The amusing thing is that some of the claims in the message do not add up.

This is part of an ongoing drive to help all individual clubs.
Other teams are occasionally given five free codes to offer fans.
Other teams has been offered this type of arrangement before, but none have as yet been inclined to accept.

Blahblahblah. Corporate bullshit at its worst! Let's look a bit closer.

1. That sounds all good, but uncharacteristically charitable for a profit making company. But hey, each to their own!

2. It is a slightly different matter to give consumers a freebie than to pay money into the account of the club they support. The clubs provide S24 with a good channel in which to directly source customers. I can't see the clubs rejecting this (unless they are hosting the game and might lose money on people staying in) and it increases the awareness of the company as far as S24 would be concerned. This 'cost' would fall under marketing - this is a known and tried formula they use. Normal marketing - no problem.

3. This is where it sounds odd. Are they asking people to believe any club would have turned down the prospect of getting free money? I can bet you both my balls and a bluberry pie that this has never happened. I make a good blueberry pie by the way.

The facts are very simple. S24 are not making money and need to sell more than they have so far. AIK has many fans (that few care about ice hockey is another issue) and as so few go to watch the games, S24 simply see this as an untapped part of the market that they want in on. The general idea was most likely that they would get some publicity through this move - at least Aftonbladet ran with it (surprise!) and AIK fans knowing the club is needing all the money they can get, might just start watching the games online - and hopefully more than just this once. I can't see that this move put more than a few hundred in the AIK coffers, why this is in practical terms means that S24 just shat in their own handbag for no good reason.

The clubs have sold the TV rights and should not be expecting any more money than they have already received. But maybe due to the ill thought out move by S24, they might be in line for a small additional contribution as they will be forced to do this for the other teams as well. Thank you!

Charity Starts at Home

2010-02-13T02:39:00.001Z

Leif Strömberg and Leksand really has taken the old proverbial 'Charity starts at home' to heart. On evidence of last night, Chairty now starts in Ejendals.

It must feel good to be so good.

Cameras to be introduced in Kvalserien

2010-02-12T08:32:00.005Z

As expected, goalmouth cameras will be installed and used by the referees in the upcoming Kvalserien. In Allsvenskan this is not the case and although voices are raised for cameras to be used throughout the season, I have concerns about this. Of course it would be preferred to be able to use them, a lot of people however seem to forget there is a considerable cost to do so. Installation of the equipment is by no means done for free and with several clubs stuggling to stay alive this will not help them. Then you have the running cost of extra referees. This again will not be too popular with some clubs having an attendance counted in the hundreds rather than thousands.

Brought to you by Bauer

Some clubs would certainly not want to be promoted to Allsvenskan if they know it might mean the death of the club, due to this imposed investment. In Kvalserien however, I agree they should be used. One incorrectly allowed/disallowed goal could mean SEK 30 million in difference. Considering that any team who would be promoted would have to make the investment in a camera system anyway, this was an obvious decision.

They are also discussing to possibility of using the four referee system. The trial in the LIF-AIK game worked out in favour of it. But again, there is the cost of around SEK 30k-50k for the extra man on the ice. It sounds a lot, but apparently that is the cost of the extra zebra. The clubs are currently consulted about this.

What's in a Kiss?

2010-02-11T11:03:00.005Z

What's in a kiss
Have you ever wondered just what it is
More perhaps than just a moment of bliss
Tell me what's in a kiss.
What's in a dream
Is it all the things you'd like to have been
All the places that you haven't yet seen
Tell me what's in a dream.
I know it's really rather stupid of me
But I honestly don't know
Every time I try to find a solution
I'm surprised at how quickly I become so slow.
What's in a kiss
Have you ever wondered just what it is
More perhaps than just one moment of bliss
Tell me what's in a kiss.

And any time you need a light refreshment
Baby you can count on me
I am your very own delicatessen
Well equipped to supply you with your every need.
Well what's in a kiss
Have you ever wondered just what it is
More perhaps than just one moment of bliss
Tell me what's in a kiss.

Gilbert O'Sullivan

Correct answer: 10 minutes in the cooling box

Lovebirds

Note: After Pelle Prestberg scored, he threw a kiss towards his old coach, Roger Melin, now in AIK. The referee(s) assumed it was aimed at the AIK bench and the forward was sent to rest for 10 minutes. Melin acknowledged after the game that there was part of ongoing banter between the two of them and that there was no malicious intent.

Cursing the... game...

2010-02-10T21:50:00.014Z

Leksand beat AIK in a very tight game 6-5 in a highly anticipated battle between the two top teams of the second tier in Swedish ice hockey. None of the teams on display would, by the evidence of tonight's game, deserve a place in the top league (OK, the bottom is fairly crap in the Swedish Elite League, Elitserien, but would still be having a good time against these two sides).

Ok, your teams are worse than my outfit. So, shut up.

[The section below has been rewritten the morning after the game. Must learn not to drink and blog]

There has been talk of the Curse of AIK with Leksand only beating their counterparts twice over the last couple of seasons. Despite the win, it would be stretching it to say the ghost was completely exorcised - but at least for the time being the bragging rights are held at the southern shores of lake Siljan.

Notable is that seven of the eleven goals came in powerplay (5 for LIF, 2 for AIK). A lethal powerplay is today very important to win games, but equally important is to have a solid boxplay - take note Melin! On the other hand, there is now just over a month for LIF coach Strömberg to get the 5-on-5 play working, starting with play in defensive zone and how to pass a puck. Both outfits will indeed have their next few practice sessions planned out.

There were however some very good individual displays yesterday. On his evidence of his performance, Christian Sandberg, should be able to walk into any team - at least you're welcome back to Dalarna on a more permanent basis. Tony Virta/Jussi Pesonen has started showing why they were brought in and should prove valuable for the team in the coming two months..

You're Rubbish Referees!

2010-02-10T11:13:00.002Z

With Leksand having an average of 16.76 penalty minutes and AIK even worse off with a staggering 18.72 minutes per game, I doubt we'll see much 5-on5 tonight. Especially as the Swedish Association has decided to give it a try with four referees tonight. I expect that both men will be as efficient as their predecessors and I therefore predict a total of (16.76 + 18.72) x 2 = 70.96 minutes of exhilarating 5-on-4, 4-on-5, 5-on-3, 3-on-5, 4-on-4, 4-on3, 3-on-4, 3-on-3 for tonight. Woohoo!

You've blown the whistle three time in a row - next time it's my turn!

On the Solna Sunset

2010-02-10T06:40:00.008Z

The demise of AIK is continuing, now more apparent on the rink as well as through the news coming from the boardroom. Leksand is hosting the club tonight and it is not unlikely we will see them cash in their third consecutive loss. The recent results mean they find themselves dragged into the battle to avoid the play off games to qualify for Kvalserien. With Malmö showing superb form - 8 straight wins recorded - and both Växjö Lakers and Almtuna breathing down their necks, AIK will have to regain their composure to ensure an automatic qualification spot.

False advertising - it's always cloudy in Solna

Personally I think they will struggle. It must be hard to play in the environment created by the off-ice issues at the club. When the board states the club is unlikely to survive unless they are allowed to play in KHL next season, there are more then a few implications for the players. If you're not even good enough to play in the Swedish top league, how could you cut it in KHL? If the club is denied the move, you're most likely either having you pay cut and/or having to find yourself a new club. Talk about job-satisfaction being on an all-time high!

On top of this, you have the continuing problem of empty seats at their home games. Over the last few games, the average attendance has dropped to under 2000. This is of course not only adding to the already severe economical problems, but obviously unhelpful for the players. Are the fans already looking east, or have they just given up? This is a major problem for the club, and has been for some years. With people going to the games, sponsors would be happy to splash the money and AIK would arguably not be in the position they find themselves today.

It is truly a sad statement made by the fans [sic.] as you see their football team playing a pre-pre season friendly in front of almost 4000. Outside. In early February. Winter. This, while the hockey section is struggling for survival.

Fuck me!

Leaves about to drop?

2010-02-06T05:53:00.001Z

There is a major crisis at Björklöven; the team has only managed to take six points from their last 13 games and are now facing a real battle to stay in Allsvenskan. Many fans will be happy to learn that sporting director Arto Sirviö has decided to leave the Umeå outfit at the end of the season, but is the timing to announce this the best? Well, maybe for him as the risk of him being marched out of his house and hung from the nearest tree has been apparent for some time. We will undoubtedly find out in the next few weeks.

Hand over the mike, dude.

While Björklöven is dropping like a rock, Troja/Ljungby has got a bit of wind under their sails and has claimed some impressive scalps recently - Leksand, Bofors and Borås, to mention a few. Sundsvall is also quietly maintaining their points harvest. With ten games to go, the battle to stay up looks more uncertain than the battles at the top end of the table.

Hockey wants to be Free!

2010-02-05T13:31:00.004Z

Tonight I am taking another - hopefully the final - step in my long and hard search to bring viasatondemand to my computer. Due to rights issues there is no possibility of watching the stream from a IP based abroad. With Swedish proxies being hard to find/rubbish/unsuccessful in getting through the system at viasat, I have had an agonising time this season. Funnily enough s24 - the other channel streaming hockey, has no rights issues with my not living within the borders of the country. That they are crap is a completely different matter. Not that I expect viasat to be any different...

Regardless, I hope for a major breakthrough this evening. A little bit of tweaking, a few adjustments, a bit of this-and-that with a good helping of luck, I'll be sitting through just over two hours worth of buffering and pixelated stuttering. Life is good in Allsvenskan!

And I'm not even charging you for it!

46 days, 3h 24m 42s

2010-02-03T11:45:00.004Z

The countdown to Kvalserien has now officially started. It's just enough time to defeat Mora, humiliate AIK, thrash Malmö and take care of the rest in due course. That should leave enough time to make sure the skates are sharp and the ice is polished before the proper battle commences.

KHL Chaos - TBC

2010-02-02T10:42:00.005Z

AIK has had a members meeting to decide if KHL is the way to go or if the club should stay in the Swedish system and fight a losing battle to survive.

The meeting, attended by 200 odd supporters, voted in favour of KHL, but with the proviso that the board should investigate the actualities in more detail before another meeting will take place where the final decision will be made. This meeting will only be scheduled once the Swedish Ice Hockey Association has had a meeting to decide if AIK will be allowed to enter a foreign league.None of these meetings have been officially scheduled yet.

There are some major complications occurring due to this non-decision. KHL wants a final answer be April 1 for entry to the 20010/11 season. Qualification to the Swedish Elite League, through Kvalserien, starts in the later half of March. AIK has already budgeted for participation in this and look like they will qualify for the competition. A representative of the national association has however made a statement saying AIK will have to play in Sweden next year if entering Kvalserien.

So, what did we decide again?

I find it strange that the AIK members have given these I-will-but-I-won't messages to the world. It would have made much more sense to say nothing and await the more detailed study to be made by the board, or a clear Yes or No. This leaves the Swedish Association unable to make a decision in the question as they do not know what AIK's application to KHL would entail, KHL has been clear from the beginning in stating the deadline for an application (oh yes, AIK would have to apply to see if they actually fulfil the criteria set out by KHL, so an application is no guarantee), but are now facing requests from AIK to push back this deadline so the club can try to qualify for the Elite League. Talk about aksing to marry your girlfriend, on the proviso that you can hook up with you ex for a week long shag-fest. If she gets preganant you might go with her instead. Fair enough!

AIK has put themselves in a very precarious position and I am unsure who will make the first move. Something will have to happen before March 21, so story to be continued.

The transfer circus continues

2010-01-27T10:49:00.008Z

A sure sign that spring is closing in. is the sudden influx of player movement in Leksand. This time there are strong rumours that they have signed Jussi Pesonen from Ilves if the Finnish SM-liiga. This year, compared to previous ones, Leksand has badly needed to make some adjustments before being able to seriously compete with the teams dropping down from Elitserien. Not only is Allsvenskan looking weaker this year compared to previous years, but the bottom of Elitserien looks stronger than in a long time, possibly with the exception of Rögle who seem to be in free fall with internal fighting between board and supporters and rumoured dressing room unrest.

Pesonen is maybe not exactly the type of player that Leksand would need - a puck holding center might be the first thing to look out for. But if my sources are correct, the attempts to sign one has not been bearing fruit. The prospect of playing in a second tier Swedish team might not be appealing to the best players around.

Let's get you into something more... white and blue

Pesonen in that case looks like a solid recruitment. 40 points in 39 games for s team that is rock bottom in Finland. This makes him fourth best points scorer in SM-liiga as well as the fourth best goalscorer with his 18 goals. There is no reason to believe he will not add a fair few more to his tally in the Allsvenskan and Kvalserien. I believe this will prove a good signing and imagine most of the teams in Elitserien are disappointed they missed this opportunity. I would like to say Tervetuloa Taalainmaan, Jussi.

A defender is also expected to join the ranks before the transfer deadline on the 31st.

Da? Niet? Whatever...

2010-01-27T08:25:00.008Z

KHL AIKSupporerts of AIK are heading to the ballots tonight, voting for a possible future in the KHL or if the club should remain in the confines of the Swedish hockey league. It's a hot topic within the Swedish hockey community and has divided the fans opinions, transcending club allegiances. The only main issue is that members seem to be a bit confused as to what they are actually voting for. There are no economical forcasts made public, nor details of how this is supposed to work practically. It seems the AIK board has already adapted to the Russian ways...

It is no secret the KHL wants to expand - it was written in a document as the league was formed - but they have been rejected German and Austrian teams. The only other letter of intent that has ever been signed is by Czech team HC Energie Karlovy Vary. This has however failed to materialise due to the economic downturn. Negotiations are also underway with another Czech team, Hradec Karlove HC.

I'll go with laughing-boy!

But even if AIK's members would vote in favour of joining the Russian league there are several objects in the way to doing so. A big one is that the likelihood of the Swedish Hockey Association allowing them to do so is minimal. To leave the association is unprecedented and possibly impossible as the KHL are affiliated under IIHF and IIHF would most certainly back the national association in this case, leaving KHL forced to refuse AIK entry and abilty to participate in any competition.

Also, KHL have in their statement regarding AIK signing the letter of intent, stated that AIK would be welcome to participate from 2010-2011, provided AIK observes all the terms and conditions, and meets all KHL admission criteria. I have yet to find any information as to what the admission criteria is.

Personally I think this is a bit of a non-event as I can't see how AIK would be allowed to join in the ranks of KHL teams. I would hope it acts as a wake up call for the Swedish league to sort out its problems and restructure the current system to become more competitive. As for AIK, I can see them wanting to do this to cover their bases in case they fail to advance to Elitserien. The last few seasons has shown the club will face a long, slow death unless they get promoted. However, I don't think they'd fare that much better in a Russian league.

Västerås cutting costs

2010-01-26T08:03:00.008Z

Västerås IK has seemingly started cutting costs as the team looks unlikely to qualify for the play-offs. VIK is currently 17 points off the all important 7th position, and with only 14 games left of the league, a miracle would be needed to grab a play-off spot. This has become a season to quickly forget as the team was aiming for a top three position. They have now released Carl Corazzini who only got eight games in the black and yellow jersey and somewhat disappointingly only scored one goal. Their other North American player, Christian Larivee remains with the team, at least for the time being.

...and don't come back!

Timo Leionen, who was expected to be the first choice goalkeeper in Leksand also seem destined to be shown the door. Canadian netminder Tom Lawson has been signed from KHL outfit Sibir Novisibirsk as a backup for Joacim Eriksson. This means the team has now filled the quota of two non-EU players.

Laraque wants to return to AIK

2010-01-25T11:19:00.004Z

Montreal Canadiens' Georges Laraque has been told he can leave the NHL outfit. The physical forward has had a torrid time over the last few seasons, only scoring 20 points in 129 games the last four seasons. Laraque spent part of the lock-out season 2004/05 in AIK and became somewhat of a cult player as he helped the club advance from division 1 to Allsvenskan, scoring 17 points in the 13 games while at the club.

As AIK's economical issues are well published - although the immediate threat of bankruptcy has been death with - there seems the club will not have the money required to pay him. Laraque however has said he'd be willing to return to the club and play for free, leaving AIK to take care of his expenses. This should be well within their reach and I expect to see Laraque make a move to Solna before the close of the transfer window.

Laraque doing what he does best

Many fans have sated they'd be looking forward to the possibility of seeing two heavyweights in Leksand's Jan-Luc Grand-Pierre and Laraque squaring up to each other in Kvalserien. Even though it is a possibility, I'd suggest it is only a remote one as the two are cousins.

Meanwhile Södertälje SK, at the bottom of Elitserien, has made a coup and strengthened their squad by signing Finnish goaltender Riku Hellenius from Tampa Bay. This might prove a very important signing come the battle to stay in the top league.

Eriksson rewrites history books

2010-01-24T17:17:00.005Z

Leksand's goaltender Joacim Eriksson has done a magnificent job since arriving from Brynäs before the start of the season. The 19 year old has in fact done his job so well he has broken Ed Belfour's record of most shutouts in a season - Eriksson's tally now stands at eight clean sheets following two consecutive shutouts. He is also the top goaltender in the league with 93.15% saves.

What's Mora after all???

2010-01-22T08:38:00.101Z

Mora is, apparently a child with many faces. If you say 'Mora' around the world, it can mean many different things.

We find that it is often a town. There are a few, one in Spain, one in Portugal and one in Cameroon. Mora Canton is in Costa Rica, in India we find a Mora outside Mumbai and a Mora Industrial Estate, an industrial area in the Prem Nagar Export Zone. In Paraguay we have Fernando de la Mora which is the only fully fledged city as far as I can tell. Back in Spain we find a Mora de Rubielos.

In New Mexico, we have a Mora, a Mora County as well as Mora River. And in Minnesota we have a Mora, with Dala Horse and all.

Also lots of prominent people were called Mora. F. Luis Mora was an artist and illustrator, Ferenc Mora an Hungarian writer Georges was some entrepreneur from Germany. Father/son set up of Jim E and Jim L were head coaches around different NFL teams while plain Jim Mora was a broadcaster in New Zeeland. Jo Mora was an artist in Uruguay, Melvin played baseball in Venezuela and Mirka was another artist.

In Spain, we find José Francisco Mora Altava, known as Pepe Mora playing football (proper football, not American thingee). In America's Next Top Model, we notice that Naima Mora won the fourth series while old Nestor was a Colombian cyclist. Philippe made films, Sergio was boxing and Tiriel was mainly acting. There were two famous Victor Mora's - one was a comic book autor, while the other was a Colombian long distance runner.

Could you be more specific please?

Then we must not forget the fish Mora. In aviation MORA means Minimum Off Route Altitude and in Costa Rica it is a type of blackberry juice drink. There are also several units of Mora; it could either be a unit of sound used in phonology or a unit of about 600 soldiers in the Spartan Army. In Mora you can also buy Music online from Sony. In Polish mythology, we find Mora are the souls of living people that leave the body during the night. A little bit freaky, but hey... Why not!

We also have the plant Mora in the Fabaceae family. The flagship of William the Conqueror's fleet was also named Mora, and a villain in Power Rangers is also named Mora.

In Sweden you will find Mora stenar where ancient kings were elected. you'll also find Mora municipality, the home of the Mora knife and the Mora clock as well as the home of Mora IK ice hockey club.

Later tonight we will however find out what it really means and what it is made of.

Canadian on his way to Växjö?

2010-01-22T07:47:00.007Z

A little bird whispered to me that Växjö has been in contact with a player from the Toronto area. Any deal is far from done, but inquiries have been made.

Is this him?

No small rinks in Sweden - for now

2010-01-21T11:48:00.002Z

The Swedish hockey league has decided against adapting the rinks in Sweden to North American standard.v The reasons they quoted were the cost implications, loss of crowd capacity and the risk of the style of hockey getting very defensive. The league had asked all top clubs for their opinions, and none wanted to change the rink size.

A fully agree to this and hope these plans will be shelved for the forseeable future.

Percy is out of pocket once more after already building a small rink.

Has Mora got the nerve?

2010-01-21T11:17:00.002Z

It is one again time for the battle of Siljan. Mora is visiting Leksand, not only casing a automatic qualification spot for Kvalserien, but also to win this prestigious derby. After being the in-form team, with only two losses in 15 games, Harald Lückner's men have recently started stuttering. Two defeats on the trot has put them three points behind the all important third place.

A win at Ejendals Arena would certainly get them back on track again.

The stats are however against the guests; in the last ten visits, there has only been three wins recorded. Although the last outing in Leksand, earlier this season, ended in a resounding 6-2 win for the team from the northern shores. And when it comes to these derbies, you might as well just chuck your stat books out the window and enjoy the game. A fierce competition is not only expected, but a given when these two teams meet.

'Pardon me Sir. I am terribly sorry for bumping in to you like that.'

The first game Leksand ever played as a club was actually against Mora. MIK had a successful team and agreed to play against this newly formed Leksand outfit. After three periods, the result was 8-0 to LIF and the Mora players, not wanting to be embarrassed by these newcomers, asked if they could play a fourth period so they could reduce the defeat. This was agreed to and the game continued. At 11-0, the game was finally abandoned.

The rivalry has continued during they years and a sell out crowd is expected in Leksand for tomorrow's game.

Big night in Stockholm

2010-01-19T08:34:00.012Z

Tonight is a big night in the Swedish capital. I know the national opera is putting on The Barber of Seville, but it's not the reason for the importance of this evening. Nor is it the much awaited appearance of Brit post-punk band The XX. It's not even the much acclaimed exhibition of Pre Revolutionary Film Poster Art in Iran that is setting the capital alight. Strangely enough it is the visit of a mediocre hockey team from the deep forests of Dalarna that is making people leave the comfort of their sofas in Stockholm, this city of cities - centre of the known Universe and epicentre of Culture and Refinement etc etc.

Missed the Film? Don't worry - the poster is better.

Johanneshov is once again going to have a bumper crowd. when Leksand comes to visit. This will bring much needed money into the coffers of AIK - and if the tradition from the last couple of years is to be upheld, three points to the team. One can only wonder why AIK only manages to be 8th(!) in the attendance table when the team is challenging for a place in the top league. It is rather shameful when you see Bofors drawing bigger crowds than AIK.

The Solna outfit has this year a disappointing attendance average of 2.343. The biggest game of the year so far has been the earlier game versus Leksand where 6.028 came to watch. Compare this to 1.036 (Oskarshamn) and 1.054 (Almtuna) which are their lowest figures, you see this is in fact an important night in Stockholm.

Reasons listed for not going to watch the games has been as many as the empty seats in section A3. The most prevalent being '...but there is sooo much to do in Stockholm.' Yes, of course, you can't miss the exhilarating 'Tvättstugan' exhibition or go to see 'Kimono Fusion' to learn about the changing role of this important traditional Japanese costume. With this as competition and with a catchment area covering only an aproximate amount of 1.5 million people, you can see the struggle faced by 'We are everywhere'-AIK.

Seconds after this shot, the crowd went completely mental as AIK scored.

I sadly can't join them, but will once again be seated in front of the computer, spending money on a shit broadcast, listening to some overrated once-managed-to-hit-a-puck expert while watching two - at the best - mediocre teams. But then again, there isn't too much else to do in London tonight.

Tony Virta - the missing playmaker?

2010-01-19T07:04:00.006Z

So Leksand has signed veteran forward Tony Virta from HPK. As this blog has been hoping, a center has finally been acquired. However, is Tony Virta, a 37 year old Finn, with a chequered history the right solution? And if I understand it correctly, he prefers to play on the wings even though he is capable of playing in the middle. As always, we'll have to wait and see. Of course it is not a long term solution, and when looking at his stats, you can at least see he's had a good season in SM liiga with 18 points from 34 games (14 assists) - not sensational but still not bad, not at least considering HPK is 10th. He's second in the internal +/- table with a respectable +8 and is also second in the team in regards to ice time per game, which is an average of 17:30. Not too bad for a vintage player.

I hope he has a sensitive wrist and can at least cover a small part of the massive gap left by the departure of Challe Karlberg and Kevin Doell.

The 'new' #15.

What is good is that LIF has actually had scouts watching this player (we have signed players purely on 'recommendations' before). Hopefully this means he won't be another Grosek or Golubovsky...

Leksand - a Södertälje clone?

2010-01-14T13:03:00.002Z

Leksands IF has just revealed they are adding Stefan Nyman to their back room staff. Now the team from Dalarna has two former Södertälje SK coaches on their payroll - Nyman worked with Leif Strömberg previously, successfully navigating SSK through Kvalserien 2007 as well as 2009. The two teams are once again looking hot candidates to meet in the competition to qualify for the top league. Nyman was offered the role as head coach for SSK before this season, but declined the offer.

Ernie and Bert - back together again

Nyman's exact role is debated. Aftonbladet claim he will work with scouting the opposition while others thinks he might be taking over as assistant from Christer Olsson, or possibly having all three on the bench. One thing does however look certain, Leksand is trying to clone itself into a Södertälje from previous years. The only good thing you can say about their track record is that they managed to hang onto their spot in Elitserien. What it looked like on the rink is best forgotten.

Malmö + IK Pantern = True

2010-01-14T12:34:00.002Z

Malmö are in talks to start a collaboration with local rivals IK Pantern. Talks are planned, but nothing has yet been decided. I would hazard a guess that the Redhawks fringe players might get regular ice time while Pantern will get access to some players that they might not be able to afford otherwise.

Skåne allstars

One day they want to go to KHL, the next they'd like to play in a European league. There has even been a mention of joining the Danish league(???). Well, if the talks are successful, they are at least one step closer to Division 1 (regionalised tier 3) something they narrowly missed out on last year. A word of warning for IK Pantern though, any discarded Redhawks players should be treated as hazardous waste - do not touch with a barge pole. Just watch out, soon they'll try to dump Carl Söderberg on you.

Andersson chucks his toys out of the pram

2010-01-13T11:45:00.007Z

Peter Andersson, coach at Örebro Hockey after being chased out from Malmö last lseason, has done it again. Yeah, he's still rubbish - but where's the news in that? No, this time he's once and for all proven just what a spoilt knob-head he is.

Following Almtuna's deciding 3-2 goal last week, Andersson thought in his infinite wisdom, that he'd demonstrate 'how unfairly we get treated by the referees' by chucking a water bottle at the linesman. Needless to say, he was sent to the dressing room and is awaiting a verdict of further suspension from the disciplinary committee.

Now, who's the baby?

He's now firmly joined the other two mentally unstable coaches in the league - Växjö's Janne Karlsson and Leksand's Leif Strömberg. However, in all fairness, it should be mentioned that he has agreed to pay compensation for the broken water bottle.

Transfer deadline closing in

2010-01-12T13:34:00.002Z

There are a few interesting weeks ahead as the Swedish transfer deadline approaches. Here's a list of the top teams from Allsvenskan and the prospects of any additions to their squads:

Leksands IF
Always in the top regarding rumours and speculation. The club has just released defender Niklas Andersson. With Jan Huokko having been forced into retirement earlier in the season and Petter Ullman sidelined for the foreseeable future there might be room for additions in defence. The void left by Jamie Johnson taking his chances across the pond and the retirement of his 'replacement' Andreas Johansson has yet to be filled. Rumours are more or less realistic, ranging from former player Niklas 'Pajen' Persson to Jan Hrdina, Kris Beech and last years' success, Kevin Doell.
Växjö Lakers
There has already been some news from the Lakers. The club has signed goaltender Johan Tahlberg from Västerås, and it seems Cristopher Liljewall is joining the squad on a permanent basis. Rumours also place Niklas Andersson, just released from Leksand, at the club.
Mora IK
Mora is nowadays not know as a club making spectacular signings. But the squad looks thin at the moment, and with on-loan forward Thomas Enström heading to Björklöven, I would hazard a guess Janne Simons has a replacement lined up.
AIK
With the ongoing economical difficulties in the club, I don't expect much to be happening in terms of signings.
Malmö Redhawks
The club has just recruited a goaltender to cover for sacked Jani Hurme, Johan Svensson has joined from Kumla Hockey. Defender Teemu Kesä is being treated for what could be a long-term injury and might need replacement. Andre Lakos has apparently been offered to the club, but unless Percy Nilsson opens his wallet, the club will not be able to afford him. I suspect we will at least see a defender joining the team before February.

Among the other contenders I expect less movements or at least less prospects of any major signings, there are however rumours that Patrik Lundh might be on his way to elitserien from Bofors.

Transfer deadline is January 31st..

What can you say?

2010-01-12T06:00:00.003Z

Borrowed/stolen from the brilliant Puckarinen blog...

To shoot or not to shoot - that is the question

2010-01-10T08:02:00.015Z

I'm back after a well needed break. Not that anyone actually missed me or anything.

I've been taking a look at the stats of the league leaders, Leksands IF. When studying them closer, one or two things stand out - such as their league position.

My biggest gripe with how the team is playing is quickly revealed in the stats; Leksand used to be an attacking team - not any more. From the 33 games played so far this season, LIF has only shot more than their opponents have in 8(!) games. Considering the team has won 23 of these games, I guess there are no grounds for complaints. Feck off - I'm about to get started! I think you can safely say that there can't be many teams that has shot less and won more. Jocke Eriksson has been the difference in most of these games. Now his stats are impressive.

Bloody show-off!

So what's the problem? Well, for starters, Leksand has got a wage bill most likely 50% higher than any of the opponents in Allsvenskan. Some players might not be worth all that money, but there is still enough quality in the team to dominate most of the opponents. It's not like Leksand supporters are alone in thinking they'd rather pay to watch a good game of hockey with some attacking flair rather than seeing good players being restricted to the degree where they are being glued to their own blue line by the coach. Ok, our players are not the best in the world, but I have a sneaky feeling Strömberg would give the same orders to Ovechkin. That man hates hockey and I'd like to see him given a life ban from Ejendals Arena.

At least Almtuna has figured out how to deal with his negative tactics. Good on them (record so far: GP: 3, W: 2, L: 1, GD: 8-3, SoG: 111-54). The problem is I think we'll be just as exposed in Kvalserien as well. In that competition it is not advisable to let the opponents have 40 odd shots on target. Not that I think we'll be able to change that aspect of our game with that man still in charge.

Needless to say, I'll happily be proven wrong on any of the points made above.

Rats angered by chicken

2009-12-19T09:43:00.003Z

The weathered AIK supporters like giving it large, but apparently can not stand it when they get some back. Örebro's new signing, former Djurgården player Markus Kristoffersson proves hockey players do have a sense of humour as he is led to the dressing room. The reaction of the travelling supporters might not be unexpected, but still completely uncalled for. Personally, I think it's a great wind-up. More of this please!

Check the run-up to the incident (immediately) and the incident itself (aprox. 1.25 into the clip).

Yetman leaves Västerås

2009-12-19T06:47:00.002Z

It would seem that Patrick Yetman has made his last appearance in VIK's black and yellow jersey. When he signed, he only signed until the christmas break with the option of continuing if both parties so wanted. Västerås has apparently signed Carl Corazzini on a try-out contract, and with teams being limited to two non-european players on the bench, it seems likely either Christian Larrivee or Patrick Yetman is heading away. Larrivee is still under contract - so guess who's it might be.

Even more interestingly, where is he headed?

Eddie Meduza - a prophet?

2009-12-18T07:41:00.002Z

Rodents close to extinction?

2009-12-18T07:03:00.007Z

The latest news in the AIK saga is that the sign up for share options is going slower than expected. In a statement to Aftonbladet, chairman Peter Mellqvist said the club needs to bring in SEK 20 million. At the moment, the club has sold shares for less than half of this sum (9.3 million). The signing up period seems to have been extended by one more week to 31/12, but if the club has not received the sum required by then, the likelyhood of the club surviving is slim.

Players are warned they might not get paid for December. 'I hope we can, but there are no guarantees. We struggle to make our payments every month' says Mellqvist. Apparently, goalie Christopher Heino-Lindberg, have not been receiving payments into his pensions account, as promised by the club, for the last few months.

The climate for rats are apparently better in Alberta

This of course means things are desperate indeed. It would be a sad day for Swedish ice hockey when [most likely]or if [miracles might happen!] the club hits the wall. Regardless of the short-term outcome, both supporters and the members of the board room will have to accept shared responsibility for the situation the club finds itself in. The marketing/sponsorship chasing part of the club has been non-existent over the last few years. And looking at the economical results they have made over the last few seasons, no measures has been taken to adjust the size of the outgoings. The supposedly 'numerous' supporters have stayed away game after game, even though the club has taken major steps forwards over the past couple of seasons. This combination is of course a perfect recipe for economical disaster. I'm no economist, but I know when my arse is above my head!

It seems supporters are more interested in watching football or floorball rather than ice hockey. Philistines!

I truly hope the club will make it, but the future does look dark for the infamous rats of Solna.

Round Up: Mora on fire!

2009-12-17T08:26:00.009Z

Mora IK took thir ninth (!) consecutive win when they ripped apart Malmö on away ice. The final result was 4-1 to the guests. Mora is now in the final automatic qualification spot for Kvalserien. Harald Lückner has done a brilliant job with this young team and has surprised most experts with their performance of late. Malmö on the other hand has shown very patchy form lately and needs to improve if they are to avoid having to go through the play offs for a place in Kvalserien. It might help that they are finally getting rid of goal tender Jani Hurme who has not only been one of the most expensive players in the league, but also a complete liability once he has been on the ice. A reported salary of around SEK 310.000/month is now taken away from the expenses account at Redhawks. I'd happily open a door for a few days per month for 3x20 minutes for less than that. Percy, call me!

Good bye and thank you for the fish!

In the mid-season final, injury hit Leksand beat Växjö comprehensively with 8-3. This will give LIF a little bit of breathing space at the summit. Off the ice rumours are rife the club is about to sign a forward (center?) of some some statue. As always with Leksand in the rumour mill, more or less realistic names are branded around. Suffice to say, one the day arrives, we shall all find out.

In the fight for the play off spots, Bofors secured in important result by grabbing the extra point following a penalty shoot out at Borås. Borås now has six points up to play off place and Bofors are now pleased not to have to feel them breathing down their neck.

At the other end of the table, Sunsvall lost important points after ending up on the wrong side of a 6-3 score at Björklöven and Oskarshamn looks on the money for relegation after losing at home against demotion rivals Troja/Ljungby 3-0.

There is still much to go of the season, but the table seems to divide up in clear sections. However, any team getting on a streak like Mora is currently would quickly move up the table. One thing is for sure, the league is tighter than it has ever been and teams keep dropping and taking points from each other like never before. Is this a sign of the strength of the league, or is it because the top teams are weaker than in recent years? I guess we will find out in Kvalserien.

Lihagen's life saved by referee

2009-12-14T10:35:00.008Z

In the derby between Bofors and Örebro yesterday, Niklas Lihagen fell to the ice after what seemed an innocuous incident. The referee noticed the Örebro forward remaining on the ice after play continued elsewhere and stopped the game immediately. Lihagen was unconcious and had no pulse and would possibly not still be alive, had it not been for referee Wolmer Edqvist, a day time ambulance driver, who started resuscitation immidiately. Ambulance arrived on the ice after a few minutes and Lihagen is now in intensive care, but said to feel fine.

But in all this, Bofors supporters were chanting 'Let him die' and 'Get the corpse off the ice'. This is by no means surprising as their vocal supporters are generally kids who are just finding their first pubic hairs. They had a bad reputation before, but this is taking them to a new low. Sadly enough, inbreeding just got a bad name.

Also, while hockey is the love of my life (along with Mrs LondonMas of course), this really puts things in perspective. I've been known to shout abuse at referees and players alike, but here we have a man who steps up to the plate when needed. All respect to Wolmer Edqvist.

This doesn't mean I won't shout abuse at him next time he referees a game I'm watching.

AIK Ltd while waiting for the rubels

2009-12-14T08:36:00.003Z

The saga of AIK goes on. The team yesterday lost at home against promotion hopefuls Malmö at home. Not too surprising, but AIK fans are really letting the team down. Just over 2.500 spectators came to this important game between two of the top teams in the division. AIK has budgeted for 4.000 attending per game, and at the moment the average is a paltry 2.077. For a team with economical problems this is obviously disastrous. Some could even say it's slightly ironic for a team who claims to be the most supported team in Sweden under the slogan 'We're Everywhere'. Everywhere apart from in Johanneshov that is. The club lost SEK 8.000.000 last season and had hoped to break even this season - with falling attendances and a tough sponsoring market, this has now been adjusted to a prediction of of about SEK -8.000.000 again.

The Weekly Echo

Before the game, an announcement was made regarding the future of the club: The hockey section is going public in order to get the funds to meet the rules of not being in debt for two years running. The club is aiming to raise SEK 9.350.000 through issuing and selling shares. The offer is for SEK 12.50 per share for a minimum of 200 shares. This is a cost of SEK 2.500 per post. Even though this is a substantial sum for most people, it should usually be manageable if you are a big fan. However, people only have 10 days to sign up, and adding to that, the deadline is just before Christmas. If money ever is tight, it is during the jolly season. Or are they hoping for this to be a stocking filler??? The timing could obviously have been better, and the notice period could also have been made a little bit longer. It seems as if they are trying to make things difficult for themselves...

'Are you selling those pesky shares?'

The club, in its statement, reiterates its ambition to join the KHL and somewhat strangely adds that the efforts to join the Swedish top league is not conflicting with their ambition to join the KHL. Ehhh...??? At the same time, Viacheslav Fetisov has been is Stockholm on a crash visit to check out the credentials of AIK. He says KHL would be proud to be welcoming AIK with its long tradition and many (sic!) fans. He also indicates KHL would help AIK sort out its economic issues if needed. That'd be a nice russian bear-hug if anything.

Its obvious AIK is stuck in between the proverbial rock and hard place. There really seem to be only three options for the club:

Advance to the Swedish top league at the end of this season. Not looking likely the way things are looking on the ice, but not impossible. The extra SEK 28.000.000 in TV money would certainly not hurt.
Join the KHL. I don't think that is the future, but it certainly beats folding. It is a lifeline, and KHL seem just as desperate as AIK to make this work. I do however think this is likely to be stopped by the Swedish Hockey Association.
Fold and start again from the bottom under a new name. Not an ideal situation, but the club can not keep going as is at the moment.

Anger signs for Leksand?

2009-12-13T08:23:00.010Z

According to people in the know, Leksand will announce the signing of Niklas Anger from Timrå. The forward has been released after a torrid season, scoring only five points from 25 games. Previous season he managed a very respectful 42 points from 51 games in a struggling Djurgården side.

I find this somewhat strange as the team has more forwards than enough, and what is really need is an outright center. He's not a bad player by any means, but the money could be spent much better. Anger is also rumoured to go to Switzerland.

Update: False Alarm! Timrå confirms Anger is leaving the club. In a statement issued they say he is leaving for a Swiss club.

Source: http://www.hockeykanalen.se/1.1392214/2009/12/13/timra_bekraftar_anger_lamnar_klubben

Update 2: He has now officially been named in the Basle squad

Elitserien to get NHL sized rinks?

2009-12-10T10:30:00.010Z

The Swedish Hockey League and the directors of the top clubs in Sweden yesterday discussed the possibility of changing the rink size from the current Olympic size (30m x 60m) to NHL sized rinks (26m x 61m). There has been sporadic calls for this for a long time, and they are now taking it up for debate and looking at the costs involved in changing the rinks. They are also keeping the option open of having an in-between sized rink of 28m x 60m that (as far as I'm aware) is used by some teams in Finland.

This is a reaction of the dropping popularity of Elitserien, the top Swedish league (also known as SEL). I assume the hockey league are desperate to get people back into the arenas and have now listened to the people who advocate the NHL sized rink as the solution to all the ills and problems of man-kind. From personal experience I think it is generally the sports fans who prefer to watch hockey from the comfort of their armchair who are the most vocal supporters of this. The have watched a few NHL games and are astonished with the speed in which the games are played. Of course, as armchair supporters that tend to watch the Stanley Cup semis or the final games when teams are giving it their all. Personally I am not a great fan of NHL - mainly due to the style of play which is forced due to the smaller rink. Dump'n'Chase is not my idea of entertainment. Nor is eating popcorn while watching a game.

Another important aspect they forget when considering this is the quality of the players. SEL is in all respects, a reasonable league, but in comparison to any NHL team, they are mediocre at best. Watching mediocre ice hockey on a small rink leaves you with Dump'n'Chase without the Chase. What's the point? Especially as in the Swedish hockey of today, you're hardly allowed to tackle anyone.

For me, it would diminish the important tactical aspects of the game. With the bigger rink size you have an awful lot more space to direct the play, smaller sized rinks mean there will be very few players who can/will be allowed to hold the puck for long enough to create play. NHL today seems to me to be one or possibly two passes before shooting the puck. The initial shot rarely goes in, but if the gods are smiling at you, the 'keeper will leave a rebound which might be converted. Correct me if I'm wrong

Can't do it, Guv. My Zamboni is way too big!

Even more importantly, would the SEL go through with this, it would most certainly put up another obstacle for and team to get promoted from Hockeyallsvenskan (HA). The cost of converting your rink size would not be a small one. Today you have Leksand and possibly Malmö (with the help of Percy Nilsson) who could afford this.

In fact, I believe they are looking in the wrong direction if they want to create more interest in SEL. Extend the league to 14 teams who play eachother four times in a season. One automatic relegation place, SEL 8-13 play with HA 2-5 in Kvalserien. Make every game count and you'll get people back in the seats. Simple!

Crybaby wants new playmates

2009-12-08T12:34:00.007Z

Malmö Redhawks has somewhat controversially decided to take disciplinary action against their talisman, Carl Söderberg and suspend him for one game. Last year Malmö had severe financial difficulties and had release all players during the season and fill the vacant spots with youth players. Redhawks hence became known as Babyhawks. One of their [supposedly] better players, Carl Söderberg, took the noble decision not to abandon ship (it is however well known the man behind Malmö, the property developer Percy Nilsson, personally guaranteed his wages and gave him a nice little bonus for staying with the team). Söderberg, who has had an open invitation to come over for a try-out at Boston Bruins but has so far preferred to stay at Redhawks, complained about his line-mates on live TV after the loss against Mora. 'I'd happily have new playmates before the end of January'. Surprise surprise, Mr Crybaby got his wish immediately; Wile Redhawks take on AIK, crybaby gets to play all alone in his sandbox. Who, knows, maybe Imaginary-Morgan and Fantasy-Fred can join him.

Muuuaaahhhhwwwww

He's been known to behave like a spoilt brat before, but he has set himself new standards with this one. If you'd bother passing any of your team mates every once in a while, you might actually get something done on the ice. Doesn't sound likely tho - does it.

For any Bruins fans out there, don't touch this toss-pot with a barge-pole. He might have a little bit of talent, however, his attitude stinks and he's actually not as good as people make him out to be. He tends to want to overdo things in order make himself look all fancy. This is actually so transparent that every defender in the league know what is going to happen once he gets the puck; He'll take it all the way from defensive zone through to goal himself. Nowadays he rarely gets across the red line. When things don't work, he's moaning and winging like there's no tomorrow. If the team wins, you'll know who's the one to stand in front of the cameras polishing his ego. The future of Swedish ice hockey? Another could-have-been more likely.

First of the '82s returning

2009-12-08T11:24:00.003Z

Leskands IF has just signed one of their lost boys of the 1982 class. Daniel Hermansson returns after being released by Brynas. The signing itself may not be a remarkable one, but it is a reminder of what the total imbecile of a Sporting Director, the former Leksand and Sweden star Anders 'Masken' Carlsson, did to the club during his reign. This is of course not mentioning what he did outside (and possibly inside) the board room...

Sign that Russian whatewverhisnameis - his wife is well fit!

It was really simple, the man spent millions on buying foreign players he'd never seem - who apparently came well recommended by their agents. He spent so much money savings had to be made elsewhere, and in his wisdom the first thing to go was the academy. At the time of his appointment, Leksand had one of the best academies in the country. Not only did he close this, he released the promising home grown players we had at the time (all born in '82) saying they were not good enough although they had taken Leksand U20 to the Swedish Final a couple of years earlier - this while signing players that no one had ever heard of before or since. Fans now hope Daniel Hermansson is the first of many from this cull to come back. Realistically not many will (why return to a club that never believed in them?), at least not when the club is finding themselves in the second tier of Swedish ice hockey.

Players from this year includes Lars Jonsson, Daniel Widing, Pontus Petterström and Jonas Nordquist among others.

It's hockey, not cycling!

2009-12-02T10:44:00.001Z

Anyone following Hockeallsvenskan might be excused for getting confused as to what is actually going on. Since the opening day of the season, no team has really stood out or pulled away from the pack. Instead, teams seem to behave like Tour de France cyclists; 'I don't want to lead the pack - someone else take over'. Yesterday was another of many minor or major upsets during the season; Växjö Lakers lost away to Almtuna. Maybe the result itself is not a major upset looking at it from the outside, but seeing that Växjö is the in-form team, and Almtuna has not done many things right lately you would at least have expected a tight game. The Lakers didn't even score. 4-0.

That's the story of the season so far. Last week Malmö Redhawks lost against relegation candidates Troja/Ljungby - at home and Sundsvall beat AIK. Leksand are scraping by by winning games with the odd goal or at least taking it to extra time. That seems to be enough at the moment. But a reality check for all teams involved; Playing like this you'd all be fucked when Kvalserien starts. Any team from Hockeyallsvenskan would be undeserving of even getting a point in the qualification league the way things look now.

Salo dropped it!

2009-12-01T17:09:00.003Z

The next coach has fallen victim of the cut-throat life in Hoackeyallsvenskan. This time around it is Tommy Salo, yes - the goalkeeper from the Sweden v Belarus game. For those of you who has forgotten, he was actually a fantastic keeper apart from that infamous non-save.

'We can still turn it around. Just flip it in from the half-way line.'

He leaves the hot seat at Oskarshamn, who - not surprisingly - finds themselves at the bottom of the pile. The Director of Sport, Dag Larsson, also leaves his position. I hope Salo continues as I have a sneaky feeling he might just become a very good coach. Or then again, he might not. Note how I covered both posts in one go - just a Salo himself used to do in the day...

Nordic Trophy, or how to do sports the Loob way

2009-11-30T13:42:00.016Z

The little fat guy is at it again. Sticking his dirty little fingers where they don't belong. Now, Håkan Loob has appeared in Umeå, the home of Björklöven, to investigate the possibility of them joining him and his clan of retards in the 'Nordic Trophy' investigation. This is supposedly a future league with teams from Sweden and Finland, a kind of permanent extension of the current Nordic Trophy, possibly [read 'most likely'] as a nordic conference of KHL - oh yes, we must not forget the token teams from Norway and Denmark.

So what has this got to do with the struggling Swedish second tier outfit from Umeå?

Well, apparently they might be thinking about building a new stadium - or 'events facility' as the man from the council proudly said.

Ok, but surely a new arena does not mean you qualify for this league. There are more than 20 teams in Sweden who are better at the moment.

Ok, here's where the Loob-logic comes in; they want a team from northern Sweden in this league.

Fine, but surely Skellefteå, MoDo, Timrå or Luleå would be the more obvious contenders - they are at least in the top league in Sweden.

Yeah, you would think so, but according to the Loob-logic, this is irrelevant. It's all depending on the size of the town, its infrastructure and the fact that Umeå has a 'different economic climate' than the rest of the region.

Aha...

That's hockey the Loob way; it doesn't fucking matter what goes on on the ice, all that matters is that they can have fat prawn sandwiches with beluga caviare and a 1972 Chateau Lafite Rothschild to swallow it all down with in the board room. And, of course, an infrastructured heli-pad so they can get home in time for CSI.

Good game!

Are people really so blind that can't see what this man and his cronies are up to? Personally, I am shitting myself.

Don't take me wrong, I am not against some kind of Nordic Trophy. Sweden and Finland has a long standing rivalry in sports and this could be an idea. However, when Loob claims the TV money will be around SEK 60.000.000 (compared to 29.000.000 currently in Elitserien and a meagre 1.500.000 in Allsvenskan), he has clearly not understood the market. Sweden is by far the biggest market for hockey out of the four nations considered. In Norway and Denmark, hockey is a marginal sport at the best. Finland has a market, but economically it is much smaller than it's western neighbour. To double the money I think is a very optimistic calculation - at least if he gets his wish through for a closed league without relegation etc.

But that won't matter for most of us. We either won't have the 'economic climate' or 'infrastructure' to be part of the chosen ones. No one has informed us that putting the puck in the back of the net no longer matters. Maybe I'm just a bit conservative, but I say we continue with this old way of doing sports for the time being.

In the case of my beloved Leksand, I don't think we have the 'economic climate' suitable for the new league. The infrastructure is most certainly below the worthiness of the big shots, not to mention the size of the town (has anyone told Loob size doesn't matter - it is what you do with it that counts...He, if anyone, should know that...). And it seems we're not the only ones with these problems - apparently any team outside a big city is not qualified for having a decent ice hockey team. But in Europe we have this weird tradition, a team belongs where it is, not that franchise crap that NHL has established. Now, can't we all stand up and hold hands and sing... We Shall Not Be Moved.

But seriously, can someone please stop this man before he causes any permanent damage?

Västerås in free-fall

2009-11-26T11:36:00.003Z

Things go from bad to catastrophic at Västerås. In the last six games, the team has managed to add a paltry four points to their tally, putting them eleven points behind Bofors, who currently occupies the last play-off spot. The club has ambitions to at least make the play off, but the way things are going they might just have to watch their back. The loss of Niklas Olausson and Pär Arlbrandt to Luleå has proven to be very detrimental. In addition their goalkeepers are looking very shakey at the moment, Johan Thalberg who has been a consistent performer over the last few seasons, now seem to have caught a rare form of I'm-shitting-myself-everytime-I-get-on-the-ice-itis. Add to that a complete inability to create chances, convert them or to defend, you get the scope of the problems faced at VIK Hockey.

Yeti likes ice!

The only glimpse of light in the proverbial tunnel is that Christian Larrivée is injured. Correct, that is a positive! At least they have one player worth his pay - once he gets back they might stand an outside chance or grabbing a few well needed points. VIK recently signed Patrik Yetman, even though he is a very good player (too good for this level?), he has not been on the ice for eight months. Things are getting desperate indeed.

I told you so...

2009-11-24T07:23:00.002Z

Following the home defeat against Troja. Björklöven has decided to make some changes in the back room - Kari Eloranta steps down to assistant coach, and his former assistant, Peter Andersson, has been told to operate the coffe machine and spread butter on the toast. Taking over as main coach is Jocke Fagerwall. Yes, it is the same man they sacked 377 days ago. Inspired move by the board room!

It's going to look different this time around, sir!

I am not questioning his appointment as he most certainly will scrape up more pints than his predecessor. However, it does seem our friends from Umeå are lacking vision and money. Is this not a prefect time to get someone in who can actually take the club forward - under Fagerwall, they struggled to qualify for the play-offs. Surely a club of Björklövens statue wants more than this.

Eloranta living on borrowed time?

2009-11-22T09:27:00.007Z

The demise of the once famous Björklöven from Umeå has over the last few seasons become more cemented. Reported economical problems and unrest among the supporters who clams the board is running the club into the ground. However, noting has hit the classic club harder than the results on the ice this season. With only 18 points from their first 20 games, the club finds themselves at the foot of the table, with only IK Oskarshamn lower, two points behind. Leksand legend Kari Eloranta is at the helm and must be checking that his CV is in order - Björklöven is today hosting Troja/Ljungby, currently placed just above their opponents (on goal difference only). If Eloranta's men fail to win this game, I expect the Finn to be finding himself unemployed by tomorrow.

Good tasch tho...

This wouldn't really surprise me - Eloranta's career as a coach has been anything but successful; after taking over at Mora IK in February 2008, they dropped from Elitserien to Hockeyallsvenskan. He's now finding himself at the hot seat in Björklöven at the beginning of what must be one of their worst starts to a season ever. I'd like to say 'Onnea' for this afternoon. Regardless of the result in this game, I'd eat my laptop (with all the accessories) if he's still at 'löven at the end of the season. Let's make it a bet. Any takers?

UPDATE: Troja/Ljungby won 3-2 after penalties.

What the fuck is going on???

2009-11-20T08:34:00.007Z

So the latest news regarding the Russian take-over of Swedish/European ice hockey has now broken: Malmö and Leksand has been approached by KHL as well - not a concrete offer to join as such, but looking into fan-base, arenas and other infrastructure. Bertil Daniels, chairman of Leksand, is leaving his options open. 'We'll follow what happens and take it from there'.

Don't let them cross the Dnepr!

This stinks of KHL's desperation to broaden it's catchment area. And it also shows that the Swedish hockey association has failed completely over the last few years. They have let themselves been controlled by the 'big' teams, led by Färjestad and Hakan Loob who has had no other interests at heart but their own. In essence the top league has all but been closed for promotion/relegation, money is not filtered down through the system and top clubs can freely 'steal' any promising youngsters from teams below without having to pay any/much compensation.

Had the system been working in Sweden, the KHL would not be an option (and should really still not be), but it seems frustration with the current set up is luring clubs to look elsewhere. Hopefully this can act as a wake-up call for the association to get their thumb out of their arse and do something about the situation.

Legend retires

2009-11-19T22:48:00.001Z

As many people had feared, veteran defender Janne Huokko, 35, has been forced to retire due to ongoing knee problems. As a modern legend in Leksand, having played no less than 522 games in Elitserien, 151 in Allsvenskan as well as international games, he will be thoroughly missed by hockey-lovers. With a solid CV (including a WC bronze in 1999), he still holds the all time Elitserien records of goals in a season for a defender (21) as well as most goals scored in a game by a defender (4) .

Thanks for everything and hope to see you around in Ejendals Arena.

AIK goes KHL?

2009-11-19T14:39:00.012Z

The news has today revealed that AIK has been approached by KHL to join the league. AIK with a very precarious economic situation is of course interested. So what does KHL want with a team from the second Swedish division? Well the answer is very simple; KHL is desperate to expand its borders and AIK is a well supported team from the Swedish capital (even though they are supposed to be a Solna club, they are actually playing in Stockholm). Sporting-wise they should obviously look towards HV71 and Färjestad - even though I am not excluding these teams from potentially joining (I rather expect it following the faux invstigation currently spear-headed by Färjestad's Håkan Loob regarding the future of Swedish ice hockey - kindly sponsored by KHL), I imagine Medvedev is hoping for the big cities in order to up the profile of the league in the rest of Europe. I imagine Malmö has already been approached.

А И К?

What I do not understand is why people expect their teams to somehow gain both sporting and economical profits from this move. Let's start with the budgets. Before the 2008/09 season, Dinamo Riga published the budgets for the KHL teams on their website. These were the figures;

1. AK Bars Kazan - $55 mill.
2. Salvat Ulaev Ufa, SKA St. Petersburg, Avangard Omsk - $50 mill.
5. Metallurg Magnitogorsk - $45 mill.
6. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl - $40 mill.
7. Atlant Moscow - $35 mill.
8. Dinamo Maskava, Sibir Novosibirsk - $25 mill.
10. CSKA Moscow - $22 mill.
11. HK MVD Balashikha, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod - $20 mill.
13. Spartak Moscow - $18 mill.
14. Amur Khabarovsk - $17 mill.
15. Dinamo Minsk - $16 mill.
16. Severstal Cherepovets, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk- $15 mill.
18. Metallurg Novokuznetsk, Vityaz Chekhov - $13 mill.
20. Lada Togliatti - $12 mill.
21. Dinamo Rīga, Traktor Chelyabinsk - $11 mill.
23. Barys Astana, Khimik Voskresensk - $10 mill.
source: http://www.dinamoriga.eu/en/news/view/season-budgets-of-khl-clubs-revealed

Looking at Swedish teams we have a slightly different situation. The top Swedish teams would be in the bottom half of this table.

So how are these figures supported by income. Again we'll look at some figures.

The average attendance in KHL and Sweden (as comparison) has over the last few years been as follows;

   KHL Sweden (Elitserien)
2009 5.142         6.260
2008 5.325         6.288
2007 4.815     6.315
Source: http://www.hockeyarenas.net/

Of course there are major disparities between teams, but it still works well as an income indicator. In the NHL, roughly half of the income is through ticket sales. This is obviously impossible in the case of KHL looking at the figures above. Or are we expected to pay more than our monthly wages to see AIK v Dinamo Riga? On top of this of course you have merchandising, TV money etc. I have not been able to find figures for any of this in regards to KHL, but suffice to say I very much doubt the income in any of the clubs even remotely equals the costs. I doubt it would even cover the players' salaries. Of course there is the Gazprom money. But to throw yourself into any venture that is unsustainable on its own feet is an obvious recipe for disaster. Something AIK is no stranger to. But in essence, KHL is not a viable business - with or without teams from Sweden. And what happens when the oligarchs get fed up with their expensive toy?

LOOBotomized?

Even if a Swedish team does decide to join in the Russian fun, what can you expect? Well, for starters, income tax is 13% in Russia. That's right. In Sweden you'd really have to double the wages they pay in Russia to cover taxes, social fees etc. Sweating yet Loob? So this is the simplest reason we will not see Zetterberg returning home earning as much or more that he would in the NHL. I can't really see the teams being able to afford different players than they can today. KHL is not the gold-mine some people seem to imagine. There is talk of Gazprom injecting 5 million Euro into any Swedish team that joins. As if that will help. Actually, it would help AIK - they need to get their hands on 1.8 million Euro or they will hit the wall.

Then what?

It's not like they'd actually survive for long in the Russian winter anyway. Just ask the last guy from Stockholm who tried...

Yeah, they're still shitting on you!

Not convinced by Strömberg

2009-11-01T08:03:00.004Z

Leksand are continuing to struggle well. Another loss following a full time draw, this time against lowly Troja Ljungby, sees them drop to fourth in the table.

New coach Leif Strömberg was supposedly the 'signing of the season' for Leksand as far as some journalists were concerned. I was unsure, and I still am. Strömberg has a proven track record with guiding Södertälje through the qualification league to the top division, Kvalserien, something that Leksand, despite total domination, has failed to do the last few seasons. Strömberg was brought in to ensure Leksand can do it when it counts. They should have the players capable of taking the team up and now with a coach knowing what is demanded for the last step, surely this should be a walk in the park? No, not really - it is ice-hockey after all. In fact, even though the team finds themselves in the fourth position they have only really played to their potential twice this season, at home against Växjö Lakers and against Malmö Redhawks (both are now above them in the table). The rest of the games played have always left something to wish for. For a team with promotion ambitions, the away form is less than impressive (only two wins of seven possible). Following the loss against Toja, Strömberg was quoted saying 'Our problem is not scoring, it would be different if we didn't play well.'. The man needs to have his eyes checked! Troja recorded 41 shots on goal, Leksand 27. There are similar figures in most games. Goaltender Joacim Eriksson is usually the reason Leksand avoids losing in full time.

Is that where the door is?

If Strömberg is so deluded he cannot see the problems in Leksand is not the inability to score, but the inability to defend and build play he is certainly not the man for the job. I am not completely discarding him, but I believe the style of hockey he represents are the opposite to what Leksand as a club has been representing and what the fans come to watch. Maybe it's a sign of the supposed loser mentality that has come to set in the brickwork at Ejendals Arena, but I'd rather watch them lose a game and see the team play flowing, attacking hockey than to win by trying bore the opposition to death. Strömberg represents the latter of the two, whereas LIF has always been advocating the former. If we are now combining the worst of the two worlds I think the weathered crowd will consider staying in rather than pay to watch a negative team lose. This would be a massive blow for the club that might have disastrous implications.

Boork hints at Västerås

2009-10-30T06:16:00.009Z

In an internet fans-forum, Leif Boork has hinted he'd be interested in taking over as head-coach in Västerås IK. The former coach/tv-expert/knowitall has not had a job since the HockeyAllsvenska broadcasts from TV4 was taken over by Viasat at the end of last season. He says he's doubtful they'd contact him and I admit I'd also be very surprised if they did. He hasn't had a proper job in ice hockey for quite some time (TV work does not count in this respect, sorry) but according to what he said at the end of last season ago when Leksand was looking for someone to rescue their qualification the top tier after getting rid of Kempe/Jonsson, he said he was way too expensive for them. As VIK is know to have a much more restricive enconomy than LIF, it's hard to see how they could possibly afford him even if they did want him. However, I don't think he's the type for VIK, even though he might actually be the right man for the job. He's made his name as a fantastic team-builder with an old-school authoritarian management style. Not forgetting he's a bit of a live wire...

The Boork

VIK could do with someone to shape the team they currently have, and for Boork it is a club in a perfect situation; capable players that are currently getting the basics wrong on the ice. We've seen Boork come in to do rescue missions before (Brynäs IF was the last example), a bigger challenge would however be to in principle set up an entirely new team and work for a promotion rather than to come in as a fireman to rescue the situation. However, I don't think VIK will ask him as the board so far have seemed to prefer a younger 'new' style coach in the team. Although Boork could actually be more of the type they need. But then again, the TV sofa is more comfortable than the bench.

AIK - Cause for concerns?

2009-10-29T14:52:00.005Z

The financial plight of AIK has been well documented with savings of SEK 18M needed to get the club back into a position where they can clear their debts. One of the debtors is Solna municipality where they have rented training rinks from the council. According to the municipality, they have not paid their rent for the last couple of years and they have now kicked AIK out. Sadly this 'only' affects their youth set up as the men's team is playing and training at Johanneshov in Stockholm.

No black's allowed

The club is keeping stumm about the economical situation and what is done to sort it out. However, if this is anything to go by, they seem pretty shafted. To let unpaid rents kill off their youth set-up is surely ensuring a slow death of the club as a whole. Let's hope they don't end up joining their local rivals Bajen Fans Hockey (ex Hammarby) who had to establish a new club following bankruptcy.

I wish them well, but this is not looking good from where I'm standing.

No trotters in Ejendals

2009-10-29T13:26:00.003Z

The infamous Swedish tabloid, Aftonbladet, has successfully dug up another pulitzer-prize winning story; Leksand's ice hockey team has recieved flu-jabs.

That's right folks. That's a story and a half.

In all fairness it's apparently the fact that through the team doctor, they have managed to secure the flu jabs, whereas other people will have to queue up at the local GPs or hospital. Some people are outraged that they have been able to get these before pregnant women, the elderly and otherwise more vulnerable people. It might be worth adding that there is no shortage of the jabs whatsoever, and the team has as far as I can understand not received state-subsidised medication.

In the UK, you can just pop into your local supermarkets or pharmacies and get the bloody thing for under a tenner. It should hardly need to be more complicated than that. But don't let Aftonbladet know!

If I'm going to pay for anything being injected into me, it wouldn't be something as boring as that. I'm open to any suggestions...

Verdict: Half of the team will be bed ridden for a few days after taking the jabs, and the other half will get what Desiree Jennings got and start skating backwards. This will possibly be an improvement of the performace of the team of late.

Slap my stick!

2009-10-29T12:21:00.003Z

Hello all you puckin' hockey lovers!

When you thought the web couldn't possibly take any more self-indulgent rubbish, another crap blog comes along. 'Great... That'll be a great addition to credit-crunches and taliban beheadings.' Maybe so.

Anyway, I'll be meandering about the state of Swedish ice hockey in particular, ice hockey in general - all served with a good sprinkle of generic rubbish. Sounds good? Nah, I didn't think so either... But sod it. I'm taking a shot from centre-ice!