While in Russia they are discussing whether the World Hockey Championship is needed without our team at all, in Finland they are rejoicing at the success of their team, which confidently dealt with hockey players from the USA.

However, this positive match for the hosts was not without a strange and surprising situation. The referees, right during the match, began to apologize to the American bench.

Why are they so honored?

Photo: © IMAGO/Vesa Moilanen / imago-images.de / Global Look Press

The confrontation between Finland and the USA in the group stage of the World Hockey Championship turned out to be tough. The opponents did not spare each other, which resulted in a lot of deletions on both sides.

At the very end of the second period, the Finnish striker Saku Mäenalanen unjustifiably rudely attacked the defender of the Americans Jacob Megna from the back. Because of this, the defense player hit his head hard on the side and fell on the ice with a broken nose.

The Americans immediately rushed to protect the victim. Saku was attacked by three hockey players, but the partners did not leave him in trouble. Almost all the players who were on the ice became participants in a mass brawl. The injured American joined her.

After all the participants in the episode calmed down, the judges held a meeting, as a result of which both Mäenalanen and Meghna ended up on the penalty box. They were joined by Marco Anttila, who, according to the referees, took an active part in the fight. All of them got off with two-minute fines, although the culprit could easily go to rest in the locker room until the end of the match.

By that time, the hosts confidently won with a score of 4:0. It is very difficult to win back such a gap in 20 minutes. Perhaps the Americans hoped that the outburst of emotions would help them turn the game around, but in fact they were only able to hit the Finns once. By the end of the match, no one remembered the brawl, it had no effect on the course of the meeting.

But the judges, apparently, did not give rest to this episode. They decided to approach the head coach of the US team during the break and apologize for the decision. David Quinn, under whose leadership the American team plays, spoke about this after the game.

Photo: © IMAGO/Vesa Moilanen / imago-images.de / Global Look Press

The judges actually apologized after the second period because it was supposed to be a five-minute suspension. I give credit to the judges for admitting their mistake,” the coach said in a post-match interview.

But his apology, apparently, was not enough. Although he praised the work of the arbitrators, he noted that he would like to hear from them an explanation of their decision.

Apologizing to the coach from the judges, and even during the match, is an atypical situation for hockey. I wonder if the referee would have apologized for the erroneous decision if the coach of the Russian team had been in Quinn’s place? In the end, the Russian team has a lot of reasons to complain about refereeing at past world championships, but for some reason people in striped clothes are in no hurry to apologize to our coaches and players. And in front of other teams too.

Making decisions on the ice and taking responsibility for them is the job of any referee, and mistakes are an integral part of it. And if you apologize to the coaches right during the game every time for a mistake, then hockey matches will turn into a strange comedy show. Its outlines are already visible at this World Cup, and an apology to the American coaches is just a touch to the portrait. Under Russia, this was not the case, but without Russia, judges and officials in general can do whatever they want.

If they want to, they will apologize to the Americans for playing disgustingly at the World Cup. If they want, they will throw points in the form of an apology. There is no one to argue.

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World Cup 2022

Finland – USA – 4:1 (1:0, 3:0, 0:1)

Goals: Granlund, 17:20 (Bol.) (VIDEO). Filppula, 24:42 (bol.) (VIDEO). Manninen, 25:36 (bol.) (VIDEO). Lehtonen, 30:50 (VIDEO). — Galchenyuk, 58:22 (VIDEO).