Hi, everybody. I'm Ari and I have a complaint to lodge.
One of my least favorite aspects of Finnish hockey is the heavy turnover in playing personnel from one year to the next. This is especially bad with the less affluent clubs like my own favorites HPK, who lose players not only to abroad, but to wealthier domestic competitors.
Perusing Kerho's roster, I found remarkably few players toward whom I have warm feelings from previous seasons. There are Veli-Pekka "Pokecheck" Laitinen and Risto "Golden Retriever" Korhonen in the defense and Jari "Tank" Sailio among the forwards, but very few others. About three lines worth of players moved to other clubs after last season. Well over half of the players on the squad are new acquisitions.
The club has been through the most successful phase in its history, being just one season removed from its one and only championship, yet the key players from that team are gone almost to a man. I'm quite sure that as I get to know the current squad better, I'll learn to appreciate their unique talents, should they exhibit any. Still, it's annoying to know that the process will repeat before each new season any star caliber players won't last much longer than two seasons on the team.
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2 comments:
I do recognise some strong parallels with lower division football here.
Wednesday have just sold their best player to West Brom for 3m pounds, and we won't be keeping Frankie Simek for very long. Anyone with talent goes for more money, and anyone without goes because they're shit.
Crowd favourites are now players who can last more than a season.
Good post.
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