EARLY FINISH

SPORTS

They played - we believed. And no one will take away the game with Canada - the best in recent years - from the Russian team and from you and me. With the mind, it was clear that the shortcomings had not gone away. But ... The defense is full of holes - so we have the best goalkeeper, the devil himself ...

They played - we believed. And no one will take away the game with Canada - the best in recent years - from the Russian team and from you and me.

Mind, it was clear that the shortcomings have not gone away. But ... The defense is full of holes - so we have the best goalkeeper, the devil himself is not a brother, he repelled 88 shots out of 90. There is not enough teamwork - that's what coaching wisdom is for, to change someone and correct something. We will be killed - we will answer. Dignity will not drop, let the Finns be afraid.

Were not afraid. The first golden generation of the Finnish national team in Turin was not afraid of anyone. Koivu and Selanne have seen nothing like this. You can lose tournament after tournament for ten years in a row, but wait in the wings. Not just wait, but suffer. We went to the match with the Russians - my heart skipped a beat. Something painfully confident and collected looked.

Ours were scared. Not Finns, but themselves. Still not knowing that they go into the main match empty, gutted to the end by the recent wonderful quarter-final, which they took for the final. The generation of the great restless, alas, is leaving.

Lost badly. And not even with a score of 0:4 offended - with an attitude and a vulgar ending.

As a consolation, they will tell us that, firstly, it happened worse. And much more. And secondly, Olympic champions do not win the World Championships (this has never happened). So the chance remains.