In Raimo Sumanen’s opinion, Hannes Björninen put his health at risk. Now Summa has something important to say to the junior hockey players.
Tampere
Sanoma’s World Cup expert Raimo Suomenen can’t figure out what Lions quarterback Hannes Björninen was thinking when France’s Guillaume Leclerc came running to tackle him deep into the Lions’ defensive zone in the third period of Wednesday’s game.
Sumanan’s idea is weighty.
In his opinion, the 27-year-old Björninen turned his back too dangerously, even though he saw the French striker approach.
Leclerc took the tackle to the end, and Björninen, who was about a meter from the sideline, stumbled dangerously towards the edge of the rink.
Leclerc was given a two-minute penalty for a tackle on the wing. Björninen was not injured, but in Sumannen’s opinion, the situation had the ingredients for a serious accident.
– When you’re a little off the edge, it’s an extremely dangerous place to play with your health. You should not paint devils on the walls, says Sumanan, but in such a situation you may become paralyzed.
– We are trying to turn this kind of back from hockey. The most important thing in ice hockey is to minimize the dangerous situations inflicted by yourself. You should never do this! Sumnan says.
Raimo Summa has something important to say for the hockey juniors. Photo: IS / Jussi Nukari
Suomann does not want to blame or tarnish Björn, but uses an example situation to raise the importance of safety as a big topic of discussion in Finnish hockey.
– All Puck fans watch Lions games, so this is an excellent place to discuss a difficult topic. This is an even bigger issue than Björninen’s position, says Sumanen.
He hopes that the important message will reach especially the juniors and their coaches and parents.
– Safety issues should be discussed with juniors first. Now children are asked to have fun in training and games first. No! The first and foremost thing to say in martial arts is to protect yourself. After that, it can be good and fun, Sumnan says.
He has followed junior sports with concern.
– It looks rough when you mess with there health, says Sumnan.
Summons hopes that a video about Björninen’s condition will be played as a warning example to junior hockey players.
– They probably do not dare to do this, so that parents and children are not afraid. The most sensitive may start to fear that something serious might be at play, says Sumnan.
However, according to Sumanan, one should not turn a blind eye to the dangerous element of hockey. Otherwise its consequences are serious.
Of course, you shouldn’t panic too much, but you should discuss the element of danger and the importance of protecting yourself with an appropriate balance with the juniors, says Sumnan.
– Another scenario is that, after some serious accidents, we start to discuss whether to ditch tkloss altogether. Before that we have to find an intermediate form. Rates are increasing continuously.
Hannes Björninen is a creditable player for the Lions. His square is in the middle of a series of four. Photo: Seppo Karki / IS
Summoners also think about the position from the point of view of the tackler. If Björninen had been seriously injured in the situation, Leclerc would have become a disgrace to France.
– The burden on the tackler is huge, as he is often the one to be blamed for the injury. How do you overcome this? In my opinion, the matter has to be looked at from both the sides of the coin, i.e. more so, as to the responsibility of the dealer.
In Björninen’s position, Suomannen also sees a general sporting dimension. In Jukka Jalonen’s Legion, they give up the puck for nothing.
Even in Björninen’s tackle position, the natural solution suited to the Lions’ way of play was to keep his team’s possession of the puck. According to Summons, Björninen took a huge risk in the situation.
– Björninen may have thought that he would downplay the puck so that Lijonte could exchange with the puck. But the way play should never come before safety. Throwing is the way of play in dangerous situations, says Sumanan.
