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Photo: OLA WESTERBERG / BILDBYRÅN
The KHL begins with a politically charged and highly questioned party.
At the center of the events are several Swedish ice hockey players.
They don’t know what to expect at Dinamo Minsk-Jokerit and its surroundings.
Belarus is rocked by unrest with reported demonstrations, riots and abuses.
In Finland, there is strong criticism that Helsinki Jokerit opts to play the away game against Dinamo Minsk at the KHL premiere.
It is seen as supporting President Alexander Lukashenko, rather than upholding democracy and fundamental human rights.
Fans protest
The Jokerit fan club has announced that they intend to boycott the team’s home matches for the time being if the team chooses to play the match in the Belarusian capital.
The Finnish Players Union has stated that international sporting events should not be held in Belarus under the current circumstances.
– The biggest problem is that the trip can turn into a propaganda victory. Alexander Lukashenko can show this to the rest of the fans and say: Look, not everyone is against us! Now Jokerit comes from western and liberal Finland and plays a game, as if the situation were completely normal, says political scientist Thomas Karv to Yle.
“The Jokerit abandoned its values, its identity and became a political game. The Jokerit is first and foremost part of Kremlin politics and secondly a Finnish hockey club. On Thursday, they discard the last of their identity, writes Filip Saxén in Hufvudstadsbladet.
Kurri Nausea
In Jokerit are Swedes Jonathan Pudas, Anders Lindbäck, Viktor Lööv and John Norman. The team also includes familiar SHL players like Marko Anttila, Mikko Lehtonen, and Julius Junttila.
At Dinamo Minsk, there is Adam Almquist, who has changed from Admiral Vladivostok, after the North Korean border team withdrew from the league due to the corona virus.
Jokerit players cannot comment on the match, the politics in Belarus, or the security situation. Only general manager Jari Kurri and director of players Janne Vuorinen can comment, but they have stayed away from the media.
Jokerit star Mikko Lehtonen has previously made a heavily criticized statement: “There have been some riots there, but we don’t let them affect us. We let them have their riots with each other.”
Many question marks
NHL legend Jari Kurri has spoken out in a scathing statement on the club’s official website.
– We have made the decision to go to Minsk exceptionally only on match day and to go immediately after the match. We have been in close contact with Dinamo Minsk that it is possible to play the match and we will do so according to the league program. We hope that Belarus will find peaceful solutions to its political situation, says Jari Kurri.
So they haven’t really told us what the players had to say and if they had the right to withdraw from the match in Minsk.
Although Jokerit communications manager Iiro Keurulainen told News Now Finland: “We have not had any pressure from the players, we have not received any messages from the players about the situation.”
It has also emerged that Jokerit has tried to postpone the match to a later date, but did not receive from Dinamo Minsk, but there are no answers as to why the club wants to change the match day.
Jokerit flies by private plane to Minsk on Thursday and then directly to Latvia for Saturday’s game against Dinamo Riga.
The match in Minsk looks like it will be played in front of an audience where most of the capacity can be used.
“I feel ready”
After his successful season with Skellefteå, Jonathan Pudas signed a two-year contract with Jokerit.
The 27-year-old right-hander from Kiruna can only comment on himself as a player, the team and the season.
– I long to play league games again, so I play ice hockey. This is a breakthrough when it comes to skilled players because there are so many who have played in the NHL, even though players like Joakim Lindström and Oscar Möller at Skellefteå are leaders on the field in any league. I think I have given myself the opportunity to take the next step in development and feel prepared. Being able to play at Tre Kronor last season gave me more pleasure and I want to fight for more opportunities there, says Jonathan Pudas.
Impressive preseason
In the League match he will form other pairs with Mikko Lehtonen, in the four preseason training matches against three Finnish league teams and Dinamo Riga, Jonathan Pudas has scored two goals and three assists and Mikko Lehtonen has added one goal and two assists.
– I feel like I’ve gained a lot of confidence, even if you don’t want to score too many points in the preseason because then it will be dry in the league then. One bag can be enough to make you feel in line, then you get a different self-confidence when you have to shoot and it does a lot more than you think. Mikko Lehtonen has played for SHL, so we think of hockey in a similar way, says Jonathan Pudas.
“Be on your guard”
After two seasons with Karlskrona at the Allsvenskan hockey, two seasons with Brynäs at SHL and three seasons with Skellefteå at SHL, this will be a great new adventure.
– It is very difficult to control as in the SHL, but also a little more control in the mid zone. In the KHL you play more and in the SHL you work more. That there are more skilled players shows when it comes to mode, criticism. In the final and decisive positions, there are no errors, but the puck is on the tape and the shots are up on the roof of the net. Now there will be new players, teams and cities. In SHL, you keep a close eye on how all the teams are playing and which players are there, you know whether the players will turn left or right in each situation. Now they are new players and it is important to be on guard, says Jonathan Pudas. The KHL premiere was already played on Wednesday when CSKA Moscow host Bars Kazan from the Russian sub-republic of Tatarstan.
The World Cup can be moved
KHL’s debut was already played on Wednesday when CSKA Moscow lost at home 3-2 against Bars Kazan of the Russian sub-republic of Tatarstan.
Kunlun Red Star from the Chinese capital Beijing has moved its home games to the Moscow area due to the crown academy.
The 2021 Ice Hockey World Cup will be played in Minsk and Riga, it is also questioned around the world whether the championship will be held in the capital of Belarus.
Dinamo Riga-Jokerit will be played in a country plagued by great unrest and will be one of the most political ice hockey matches in history.
– At present, there is no reason for the teams to cancel their trip to Minsk. Hockey is about respect, says KHL president Alexei Morozov in another startling statement on the league’s official website.
The Joker would be fined between 11,000 and 30,000 euros and lose the match 5-0 if he refused to play.
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