Finnish team star takes flak for leaving IIHF Women's Championship and missing important game
Susanna Tapani isn't exactly apologizing for what she did, but she is sorry for the uproar it caused. Tapani, one of the stars of Finland's national women's hockey team, left the IIHF women's championship over the weekend while her team was taking on USA. Finland was initially secretive over the exact reasons, initially saying it was a personal matter. It turns out Tapani left the tournament in Denmark to attend a friend's wedding back home, something that isn't really sitting well with fans.
"I left on Friday when we didn't have a match and returned on Sunday. I paid for the trip myself," said Tapani after returning to the tournament. "There is no need to discuss it further. It seemed like a good decision at the time. My friends and family are important to me. We made the decision together and now I have to live with it."
"Such (uproar) was, of course, not expected and, of course, also not hoped for. In that way, it surprised me how big a commotion this was," she added.
Tapani said she also "might not act the same way again" if she had the chance to do things over.
Tapani received permission from coaching staff and teammates ahead of time, something head coach Juuso Toivola now says may have been a mistake.
"Obviously, we wondered if the decision was right. We have to think about how we react in such cases in the future." Toivola said. "This may have been a misjudgment. It is regrettable that we caused this commotion. We regret it."
Tapani may not have received the same reaction in her home country if the game hadn't been against a tournament powerhouse. The Finns lost the game against USA 6-1. Tapani was back for the next one against Japan, which Finland won 9-3. She scored a goal.
Source: AftonBladet.se
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 1 | 186 ANSWERS Finnish team star takes flak for leaving IIHF Women's Championship and missing important game Should Tapani face criticism for leaving the tournament for a wedding? | ||
| Yes, she let her teammates and country down | 62 | 33.3 % |
| No, it's her life, she can do what she wants | 79 | 42.5 % |
| Not sure | 45 | 24.2 % |
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| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
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Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
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| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||