Heja Svereige! Sweden plays U.S.A. for IIHF World Junior Championship on Saturday at 8 a.m. on NHL Network, DirecTV Channel 215; You know, the world championship that the Miami Herald has taken both a pass on and a piss on?

Above, ten-and-a half minutes of highlights of Sweden's shootout win over Russia Thursday morning in one of the two semifinals, as seen theru the eyes of SVT's excitable announcing team of Chris Härenstam and Micke Renberg.

Heja Svereige! Sweden plays U.S.A. for IIHF World Junior Championship on Saturday at 8 a.m. on NHL Network, DirecTV Channel 215; You know, the world championship that the Miami Herald has taken both a pass on and a piss on?

Yes, the same important hockey tourney taking place in Russia featuring the game's

best young players, which the Miami Herald, under non-ace Sports Editor Jorge Rojas devoted exactly one sentence to in last Saturday's print edition in a story about a 1-0 U.S. loss  to Russia.

That one sentence, which appeared in the far-right bottom corner of page 5D, is SO small and insignificant that my efforts to take a photo of it to document the Herald's crappy coverage, only caused more frustration, since getting it all within the camera frame necessarily made it hard to read. Instead, I will type here what it said:

* Hockey: Andrei Makarov made 41 saves to help Russia beat the United States 2-1 at the world junior championships in Ufa, Russia. 

That's it.
Not even the name of who scored for Team U.S.A.
Really.

By the way, I watched most of Sweden's 3-2 Shootout win over Russia Thursday morning and captain Filip Forsberg already looks better than anyone on the Florida Panthers.
You remember them, don't you?
They play at that Broward County-owned arena that's not near anyone.


Video: Reporter Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News interviews Washington Capitals prospect and Team Sweden forward and captain Filip Forsberg in Ufa, Russia on his thoughts heading into Saturday's championship against Team U.S.A. as Sweden attempst to win their second juniors title in a row.
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/49156-VIDEO-Oneonone-with-Team-Sweden-forward-and-Washington-Capitals-prospect-Filip-Forsberg.html

I initially had this video embedded up at the top, but because the audio was starting even before the entire page was open, I decided to move it down here on the post so that readers wouldn't be wondering where those voices were coming from and freaking out.


Sweden looks poised to win their second championship in a row, but the U.S. is heavily-favored.
Will the succes of the Småkronorna continue? 
That's why they play the game.
But Sweden hasn't defeated Team U.S.A. at The World Juniors since 1996.

SVT's countdown clock for the broadcast:
http://www.svtplay.se/video/928959/finalen

http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/tournament.cgi?wjc2013

http://www.thehockeynews.com/

Well, my pre-tourney prediction was half-right: Sweden disappoints, but Slovakia will face Russia in IIHF World Championship Gold Medal Final in Stockholm Sunday afternoon; delayed telecast in U.S. at 9 pm Eastern on NBCCS, DirecTV Channel 603

Above, the Finnish first-class stamp that came out in March that features the official mascot of the Championship, HockeyBird. If you didn't already know, Angry Birds was created in Finland by Rovio Mobile.

Well, my pre-tourney prediction was half-right: Sweden disappoints, but Slovakia will face Russia in IIHF World Championship Gold Medal Final in Stockholm on Sunday; delayed telecast in U.S. at 9 p.m. Eastern on NBCCS, DirecTV Channel 603

Daily Recap 19th May  http://youtu.be/t2wQ_iyuX_0

Video of the goals in Slovakia's 3-1 second-semifinal game victory Saturday over the Czech Republic. 
http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/sport/hockeyvm/article14850922.ab


Russia routed co-host Finland 6-2 in Helsinki in the first semifinal game. Finland defeated the USA in the Quarterfinals, while Slovakia defeated Canada in the Quarterfinals on Thursday.


Depending upon where you live around the world, you might be able to watch the Bronze Medal and Gold Medal matches today online at: http://www.youtube.com/icehockey


However, the U.S. is NOT one of those countries, as even the IIHF highlight videos on their YouTube Channel are off-limits if you live in the U.S., which is why I used the Aftonbladet video at the top.
That's real marketing genius at work!!!


TV4 Sweden's video includes highlights of Czech Republic's 4-3 victory over Tre Kronor in the Quarterfinals.
http://www.tv4play.se/sport/sporten?title=sporten_09_00&videoid=2193024&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se


The IIHF tourney has been the source of lots of serious -and some would say unrelenting- media criticism in Sweden over the smaller-than-expected crowds that have shown up for some games in what is a world championship tourney, after all.
More fans actually attended some of the Elitserien games this year than attended the tourney.


But whether you think it's the length of the tourney, over two weeks, or the high ticket prices, or both, there seems to be a lot of positing of the old chicken and egg conundrum.


Photo gallery: 
http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/hockey/landslag/hockeyvm/wixtromlive/article14732912.ab


Is turnout low because the ticket prices are thought by many to be higher than they should be, leading to a situation where the visiting fans who are able to get away from home for the tourney in Finland and Sweden are being overly judicious in what games they go to besides their own country's, and thus, spending the money at bars, night clubs and restaurants instead?


Is the tourney getting smaller crowds because the Stanley Cup playoffs are still being played in North America and many of the best players of those teams would be playing in the tourney if the NHL had reconfigured the schedule, so why see less-than-the best?
Or, is it the tourney getting lower-than-expected crowds because Swedish and Finnish fans the organizers thought would be attending just aren't really too interested in going to games where neither team is playing -at those prices?


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My pre-tourney prediction of Sweden vs, Slovakia came in my April 26, 2012 post titled, Instant Classic video! Romania's National Ice Hockey Team manager lets loose after tough loss to Poland; IIHF World Championship 2012 Finland/Sweden starts next week, 
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/instant-classic-video-romanias-national.html
which featured this amazing video that everyone who sees it just loves because it's so honest!
Warning -lots of expletives are flying in this video!


Romania National Ice Hockey Team manager lets loose with tough love after tough loss to Poland; Tränarens utbrott efter storförlusten Polen - Rumänien. This was following a Group B qualifying game at Krynica, Poland. April 2012.
http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/sport/ishockey/article14728686.ab 

Here's the English language version of the official information webpage, which also has one in Swedish and Finnish: IIHF World Championship 2012 Finland/Sweden

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/championships/world-championships/finlandsweden-2012/english.html

Aftonbladet's awesome hockey page: http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/hockey/

Here's the official tourney merchandise page full of lots of intersting goodies: http://62.20.67.28/wm2012/Servlet

Here's the Swedish Facebook page that has lots of photos of the arena and the preparation:

http://www.facebook.com/iihfvm

Branislav Kysucký's You Tube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/8brano7
http://www.branno.tk/  

Instant Classic video! Romania's National Ice Hockey Team manager lets loose after tough loss to Poland; IIHF World Championship 2012 Finland/Sweden starts next week

Warning -lots of expletives are flying in this video!

But it is still destined to become a CLASSIC!

Romania National Ice Hockey Team manager lets loose with tough love after tough loss to Poland; Tränarens utbrott efter storförlusten Polen - Rumänien. This was following a Group B qualifying game at Krynica, Poland. April 2012.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/sport/ishockey/article14728686.ab

I first saw this video on Wednesday on the video page of Aftonbladet, Sweden's most-read newspaper, and I played it five more times in quick succession... for obvious reasons.

The IIHF World Championship, a 16-team tourney, will be played in Stockholm and Helsinki starting next Thursday May the 4th thru the 20th, with the final in Stockholm at Ericsson Globe a.k.a. Globen.

With the Stanley Cup playoffs continuing and talented teams like the defending champion Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks being eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, some very talented foreign players, and Swedish players in particular, will now be available to play in the tourney from the very beginning.
For the Swedes on those teams, the prospect of returning to play for the Swedish National Team, Tre Kronor, and playing at home, and for for the title at home is very appealing.

Aftonbladet's sports columnist Mats Wennerholm wrote about the subject of these returning NHL stars Tuesday, terming it a "Dream Team": Drömläge, Tre Kronor: Sju NHL-spelare klara – och fler stjärnor på gång  http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/kronikorer/wennerholm/article14725006.ab

My early title game prediction is Sweden vs. Slovakia.
But so very much has changed in the past year for both of these elite teams, something they could have never imagined.

8brano7 video: IIHF World Championship 2012 Finland/Sweden. February 14, 2012. 

Here's the very well-produced unofficial Slovakian video about the Ice hockey Championship, though obviously it helps if you know who the players are, and some of the dazzling plays are beyond description. It also includes a very touching tribute to former Slovak captain Pavol Demitra, who perished in the September 7th Russian airline crash into the Volga River that claimed the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslav KHL team, including Tre Kronor star goalie Stefan Liv. http://youtu.be/lSsY2P5tFZI

SVT video: Minnesstund för Liv i Jönköping.

Thousands flock to Jönköping to say their final farewell to their friend, teammate, neighbor, favorite son and hero, Stefan Liv.

Publicerad 10 september 2011 - 14:00; Uppdaterad 11 september 2011 - 10:08

http://svt.se/2.19691/1.2530099/tusentals_tog_farval_av_stefan_liv

* 2013 Update: This news video, which was VERY, VERY  SAD, has been removed from SVT's website and is no longer available.

My September 7, 2011 blog post on that tragic crash, with videos, was titled,
Swedish National Team goalie Stefan Liv among 43 dead in plane crash into Volga River, obliterating KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl as new season starts
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/swedish-national-team-goalie-stefan-liv.html

Above, the Finnish first-class stamp that came out last month that features the official mascot of the Championship, HockeyBird. If you didn't already know, Angry Birds was created in Finland by Rovio Mobile.

Here's the English language version of the official information webpage, which also has one in Swedish and Finnish: IIHF World Championship 2012 Finland/Sweden

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/championships/world-championships/finlandsweden-2012/english.html

Aftonbladet's awesome hockey page: http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/hockey/

Here's the official tourney merchandise page full of lots of intersting goodies: http://62.20.67.28/wm2012/Servlet

Here's the Swedish Facebook page that has lots of photos of the arena and the preparation:

http://www.facebook.com/iihfvm

Branislav Kysucký's You Tube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/8brano7
http://www.branno.tk/  

Swedish National Team goalie Stefan Liv among 43 dead in plane crash into Volga River, obliterating KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl as new season starts

RT video: KHL Catastrophe: Three-time champions plane crash into Volga River on takeoff after old Yakovlev-42 plane hits airport beacon. Tragedy shocks Russia to its core. http://youtu.be/lg3oFLeSJsI

TV4.se News video: Olympic Gold Medal-winning goalie Stefan Liv of Tre Kronor is among 43 perishing in Russian plane crash into Volga River after his team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, prepared for the KHL season-opener against Minsk. Only two passengers survived. September 7, 2011.

http://www.hockeykanalen.se/1.2270433/2011/09/07/tv_liv_har_omkommit_i_kraschen

Tv4.se News video: Jönköping mourns Stefan Liv's life and career. September 7, 2011.

http://www.tv4play.se/sport/hockeyklipp?title=liv_hedras_i_jonkoping&videoid=2004257&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se

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Stay tuned to RT, Russia Today at http://rt.com/ and Sweden's TV4's Hockey Channel, http://www.hockeykanalen.se/ for the latest news.

RUSSIA TODAY

RT is the first Russian 24/7 English-language news channel which brings the Russian view on global news.RT live video stream and broadcasts available in high resolution.

Watch LIVE 24/7 at http://rt.com/on-air/

Swedish ice hockey player Danijela Rundqvist: Moved to Canada to play professionally and not only has to adapt to level of play, but family demands

Head's up: while the voice-over is in Swedish, the profanity is in English!
SVT video: Hockeyproffset som betalar för att spela - February 17, 2011

Twenty-six year old former AIK and Swedish Olympic ice hockey player Danijela Rundqvist has moved to Canada to play professionally for the Burlington Barracudas of Ontario in the Canadian Womens Hockey League in order to improve her abilities before moving back to Sweden after the season.

Rundqvist currently lives in town with a Canadian family and also works with children on the ice rink, but while the goal of sharpening her game is happening, she has to balance her busy schedule and career with being a mother in a foreign country, far from the help and comfort of family and friends.

"The price of success is hard work" - Maxim in Toronto Maple Leafs locker room

Another fascinating SVT video of Danijela working-out with a trainer, part of which is included in the video at top, is at:
http://svtplay.se/v/2329925/ishockey/se_rundqvist_stenharda_traning

In Sweden, mamas don't let their babies grow-up to be cowboys, instead, they want them to be members of Tre kronor or Damkronorna, and begin covering them in the Blue & Gold from birth, as evidenced by this replica jersey -for babies.
Official Swedish Ice Hockey Association online store:
http://62.20.67.29/trekronor/

Their homepage is http://www.swehockey.se/

Danijela's photo is now featured on the Damkronorna homepage:
http://www.swehockey.se/Landslag/Dam/

------

Danijela's blog is at: http://danijelarundqvist.blogspot.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danijela_Rundqvist
http://www.cwhl.ca/
http://www.aik.se/aikindex.html?/startsida.html

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My last blog post on Svenska Ishockey was exactly a year ago, February 21st, 2010, the day of the big Sweden vs. Finland game in Vancouver at the Winter Olympics.
That proved to not quite be the close game I'd hoped for: Sweden's skillful Tre kronor vs. Finland's Susi in Olympic hockey Sunday - Heja Sverige! Heja Sverige!
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/swedens-skillful-tre-kronor-vs-finlands.html

For many of you newer readers to the blog, that post of mine was also -happily- your very first introduction to the awesome talent that is singer Jill Johnson, in this case, singing Jolene.
You're welcome!


Jill Johnson - Jolene, as seen on TV4's BingoLotto, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Dl83hLZG4

Sweden's skillful Tre kronor vs. Finland's Susi in Olympic hockey Sunday - Heja Sverige! Heja Sverige!

Heja Sverige! Heja Sverige!

Have been waiting all week for this game,
a rematch of the 2006 Turin Gold Medal
hockey game -Sweden's skillful Tre kronor
vs. Finland's Susi Sunday at 6 p.m.

But because the U.S. Men's team plays Canada
at 7:30 p.m. on MSNBC, Sverige-Suomi ishockey
gets the tape-delay treatment and will be aired
midnight, 12-3 a.m. Monday morning, also on
MSNBC.

Photos of the Olympic team, Tre knonor, and
Damkronorna, i.e the Swedish Womens team,
which plays the U.S. on Monday, playing on
SA network from 3-6 p.m.
http://www.sok.se/vancouver2010/sverigestrupp/ishockey.4.5ca279741267328c60f80002290.html

For more on the svensk ishockey,
see http://www.hockeykanalen.se/
http://www.expressen.se/sport/os2010/1.1830301/sa-ska-tre-kronor-forsvara-os-guldet
and http://www.expressen.se/2.3324

Here, Jill Johnson sings a song meant to
inspire the Swedish Olympic teams.
http://www.sok.se/

I know; it sort of surprised me, too. I'd never
have guessed THAT song.
http://www.sok.se/vancouver2010.4.1264560211c46255bc0800012759.html

Yes, it's the same amazing Jill Johnson whose
great 2007 video I had here last year singing
Jolene, from TV4's Bingoletto.



-----
Back on Wednesday, TV4 ran this story on
Sweden's chances of winning the hockey gold.

Ankan om Tre kronors chanser i OS
Anders "Ankan" Parmström drar upp riktlinjerna.
Max Grinndal reports from Vancouver

http://www.tv4play.se/aktualitet/nyhetsmorgon?videoId=1.1513416