Former IIHF President Rene Fasel talks down Finland's Olympic victory; praises Russia
It was a historic moment for Finnish hockey on Saturday night/Sunday morning. For the first time in their 94-year history, Finland took home the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games.
Finland defeated the Russian Olympic Committee in the gold medal game by a score of 2-1. Both teams played a tight, defensive game, but it was Finland who managed to find the back of the net twice on Ivan Fedotov.
In an interview with Tass, a Russian media outlet, former IIHF President Rene Fasel talked down Finland's Olympic win, saying that they won by luck, while also taking time to praise Russia.
He added, "The final was not particularly spectacular, and certainly not as interesting as the semi-final between Russia and Sweden. It was the defensive grip and a bit of luck that won the Finns the gold, and we must congratulate them on that. But the Russians still played a good tournament, silver is also an Olympic medal."
Many in the Finnish hockey community are not happy with Fasel's comments including Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who took to Twitter to share his displeasure.
Fasel has been known for his close affinity to Russia. In 2018 during the World Championship, which was held in Denmark, Fasel flew to Moscow as an invited guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin for his inauguration.
With his comments about Olympic final, Rene Fasel clearly demonstrated his incompetence in understanding the great game of hockey, unfortunately after serving as an @IIHFHockey president for too long.— Jarmo Kekalainen (@jkekalainen) February 20, 2022
Source: Helsingin Sanomat
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