Jukka Jalonen cannot understand the Olympic playoff system

Milano

Because in the Olympic hockey tournament format, all 12 teams from the initial group stage make it to the playoffs, there is also Jukka Jalonen Italy still in the tournament.

It will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

“We were such a damn mess in that Finland game. Nothing came of it. Let’s try to get the machine back on track,” Jalonen said after Monday’s practice.

The Lions seeded Italy 11–0 on Saturday. On Sunday, Jalonen’s crew had a rest day and on Monday practiced lightly before Tuesday’s dawn in Switzerland.

The match is also particularly interesting for the Lions, as it will be Finland’s opposition to Wednesday’s quarter-final.

“If this is really the case, then it is a really special king,” says Jalonen.

“I mean if you think we would beat Switzerland and play against Finland. And if the Czech Republic wins theirs, Canada will play against the Czech Republic.”

“It doesn’t make any sense!”

The initial block phase after, the teams were ranked. Canada was first, Finland fourth, Czech Republic eighth and Italy 12th.

In the Olympic tournament, the quarter-final pairings are determined according to a predefined chart instead of rankings. Therefore, it is possible that Finland, which is only in fourth place, may have the easiest opponent of all in the quarterfinals – that is, Italy.

“If you win the preliminary round, you won’t get the weakest team! We should play against Canada, by all means.”

“If such a miracle were to happen that we beat Switzerland, I bet the rules would change,” Jalonen says.

Oh, to the next Olympics?

“You can change now here too.”

“Because do you think that Canada will accept the fact that they are playing against the Czech Republic. Yes, you can hear things change so quickly here,” Jalonen speculates.

A sudden change in the playoff schedule after Tuesday’s quarterfinals even before Wednesday’s quarterfinals would seem like a rather peculiar – and impossible – solution.

Similar the tournament format was already in use four years ago at the Beijing Olympics, when Jalonen led Finland to gold.

At that time, Finland, which was ranked second in the preliminary round, faced Switzerland ranked 10th in the quarter-finals, while the number one country USA had to face Slovakia ranked 8th.

However, the chart does not apply until the semi-finals. There, the team with the best ranking will face the weakest.

“Hopefully this will go so that the best will win. And it probably will,” Jalonen hopes.

“But yes, I would be a canuck that it doesn’t give a damn, which one would you rather take to the quarterfinals, the Czech Republic or Italy. Maybe I would choose Italy after all.”

Although Jalonen’s Italy lost badly to Leijon, they had time to show their readiness to surprise in the first two matches of the tournament.

In the opening game, it tormented Sweden for 55 minutes, and in the second game there was only a one-goal loss to group winners Slovakia.

If Switzerland’s concentration falters on Tuesday, Italy is ready for a shock surprise.

“Of course, you have to defend well. But on the other hand, you also have to dare to play on the puck and find the moments when you have to be brave and stay on the puck,” says Jalonen.

“And when are there moments when you have to put the puck behind the puck and unload from your own area. That’s where we’ve had a bit of a challenge.”

The Playoff between Italy and Switzerland starts on Tuesday at 1:10 p.m.

“But this is learning, when the culture of winning is perhaps not quite that strong. It doesn’t just snap your fingers. Especially against such good opponents,” says Jalonen.