Russia (bbabo.net), - The Swedes are only the second top-level opponent we have to face in Beijing. The first in the group stage was the Czech Republic. It is interesting that, despite the status and big name, "Tre Krunur" was not particularly quoted at the Olympic tournament. If you look at the composition of the Swedes, there is no question of stars or super scorers. There are only two people from the top 20 of the Swedish championship in the national team, only three of the ten most productive Swedes in the Continental Hockey League, and then all the defenders.
Nevertheless, the Swedes have already surpassed the result of the last Olympics, where they were left out of the semi-finals. And now, on the way to the top four, the Scandinavians knocked out Canada, which is an event in itself. The last time the Maple Leaves failed to reach the semi-finals of the Olympic tournament in 2006 in Turin. In the quarterfinals of the North Americans, the Russian team knocked out then, and the Swedes got the gold. Lukas Wallmark, who plays for CSKA Moscow, is the soloist in the current national team of the Swedes. He scored in all four matches of the Olympic tournament. In our team, by the way, the capital's army team has the largest representation, including goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov.
- The Russians have a good, qualified team, - said Wallmark about today's opponent. - With sometimes correspond, so, we exchange a couple of phrases. But meeting in the semi-finals is a completely different story. I think the game will be fun. Let's see if I can beat Fedotova. I hope so.
By the way, according to Mikhail Grigorenko, also a CSKA forward, teammates from the Russian team have already had an "educational" conversation with the Swede. "They told Wallmark: stop scoring already, that's enough." But seriously, the Russians are preparing for the hardest match.
By the way, Wallmark is not the only character from the Swedish team who is well known to Fedorov, his colleagues on the coaching staff and hockey players of our team.
The Swedes were not considered the clear favorites of the tournament, but they have already surpassed the result of four years ago, making it to the semi-finals of the Olympics
Not so long ago, the main goalkeeper of the Swedes Lars Johansson played for CSKA. Now he is defending the gates of St. Petersburg SKA. Whether this knowledge will help our guys, we'll see today.
First of charge
On the eve of the International Hockey Federation, Luke Tartif gave a press conference in Beijing. Here are his most interesting statements.On the absence of National Hockey League players in Beijing and their possible arrival at the 2026 Games
We cannot predict the future, but our task is to provide a tournament with the participation of the best of the best. We had an agreement that the NHL would come to Beijing. Alas, covid decided otherwise. What is important, and this was the main challenge for us: to organize the tournament after the failure of the NHL team. And here I want to thank the European leagues, the Continental Hockey League.
They made the Olympic hockey tournament possible. We only had a month. Many leagues have stopped their championships so that their teams can come to Beijing. It wasn't easy. What I want to say. We don't want to be in a similar situation four years from now. I don't want to set any deadlines, but we have to agree on everything with the NHL in advance. When we first met commissioner Gary Bettman and Bob Daly, I immediately said: let's talk about anything but the Olympics. You always say you will come and then you don't come. Waiting until the last moment for the decision of the NHL, as it was this time, is not an option for us. On the other hand, we had an agreement with the NHL. And this is a positive basis for looking forward to the 2026 Olympics with optimism.
About the timing of the World Youth Championship, which was interrupted in January
The Youth World Championship will be held in mid-August in Alberta, Canada's western part. It will be a completely new tournament. That is, the results of the tournament, canceled in December, will be cancelled. But hockey players who passed the age limit in winter will be able to take part in the competition.
On what the NHL needs to follow the example of the KHL
Holding the Olympic Games is only the first step towards popularizing hockey in China. Russia in this regard has shown greater involvement than the NHL. The Women's Hockey League prepared two teams for the 2022 Games, and the KHL helped prepare the Chinese team.
On the inclusion of three-on-three hockey in the Olympic program
Many sports are looking formats. Rugby 7 appeared in rugby, beach volleyball appeared in volleyball, 3x3 basketball appeared in basketball. And all these disciplines are already in the Olympic program. It is important for hockey to develop in this direction. For many countries, it is easier to recruit a team when it comes to the 3x3 format.
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