When I started up this site, my goal was to write not just about the Olympics, but about topics that interest me and are either directly or tangentially related to the Games. This could be memorabilia, pop culture, or other events featuring Olympians or potential future Olympians. One of those events, the IIHF World Junior Championships, have been occurring in my backyard since Boxing Day. Since the announcement the Twin Cities would host the 2026 version of the tournament, I’ve been pretty excited. I’ve never attended an international hockey game before and the opportunity to potentially see some of the next NHL and Olympic stars play before they become household names is not one that comes around everyday. Unfortunately, holiday travel, weather, and life kept me from making it to a game prior to tonight.

The delay mean I wasn’t able to see Team USA because they fell to Finland in the Quarterfinals. Despite the US’s elimination, I still wanted to see at last one game and it had been a while since I was able to go to a game as a true neutral. My partner and I decided to go to the matinee half of the semifinal, which featured the Finns taking on their Nordic rivals Sweden. I’m glad we chose that game as the play on the ice and the experience in the stands made it a great choice.

The Game

At the very start, it looked there was a chance Sweden was going to run away with the game. Less than a minute into the game Linus Eriksson beat Petteri Rimpinen to put Sweden up 1-0. Just 16 seconds later, Finland’s Heikki Ruohonen went to the penalty box for tripping. The Finns were able to kill the penalty and keep the game from getting out of hand. Toward the end of the period, Atte Joki evened the game up for Finland.

Sweden started the second period much as it had the first. Ivar Stenberg put Sweden back ahead by a goal just a 1:20 into the period. The lead, however, lasted only a short time. Less than a minute later, Finland responded and scored one of the more interesting goals you will see in the tournament. A Jasper Kuhta shot pass high over the net and rebounded off the glass arcing back toward the goal. Swedish defender Alfons Freij attempted to deflect the puck away from danger, but ended up sending it off the back of goaltender Love Härenstam and into the net. The game remained even for another 14 minutes before Eddie Genborg put Sweden ahead again.

The score remained 3-2 until for most of the third period, until Finland’s Joona Saarelainen evened it up with six minutes left in the game. Saarelainen’s goal ultimately forced the game in 3 on 3 sudden death overtime. Rimpinen came up big for Finland, making a huge save on a Swedish breakaway during the 10 minute period. Both goaltenders were tough to score on during the shootout. After eight rounds and 16 shots, shooters only managed to score three times and Sweden won the shoot out 2-1 and the game.

Overall, the game was really enjoyable. Both teams played well. Finland showed a lot of toughness battling back after going down a goal three times. Rimpinen’s save on the overtime breakaway was fantastic and brought everyone in the building (Finnish fans, Swedish fans, and neutrals) to their feet. I’m glad I didn’t have a rooting interest in the game, as I wasn’t feeling the stress fans of either team felt as the game seesawed back and forth.

The Experience

This was my first international hockey game and it was a somewhat new experience for me. With the US not involved and the remaining teams playing away from home, the crowd had an interesting make up. With no rooting interest, the American’s present tended to represent their NHL fandom in the crowd. Though some wore US jerseys, many fans arrived in their favorite jerseys. There were jerseys from the Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and eve a throwback Quebec Nordiques Peter Forsberg jersey. As always there were a few movie Mighty Ducks jerseys in the crowd. (Me, I chose my Avalanche Gabriel Landeskog jersey over my US TJ Oshie jersey because Landeskog is Swedish.) The wide variety of jerseys helped create the relaxed atmosphere I enjoyed so much.

Among the international fans, Canadians were the largest contingent present, even though they played later today in a game that required a separate ticket. It seemed Sweden had more fan representation than Finland. (This may also be because Sweden’s yellow jerseys make their fans easier to pick out.) Both sets of fans did chants and were loud cheering on their teams. At time the fan interaction reminded me more of being at a soccer game than what I am used to at American hockey games.

The other major part of the experience that stuck me was how the fans interacted with each other. At most US sporting events, opposing fans tend to be tolerated at best. Tonight, it seemed like the fans generally enjoyed interacting with each other. I might be mistaken, but there were a couple of times I looked over at the biggest sections of Swedish and Finnish fans (which happened to be right next to each other) and it seemed like they were chanting together. This experience was driven home by the Canadian and Swedish fans that sat behind us. The entire night was like a really interesting cultural exchange. They discussed their shared interest in hockey and differences between the youth hockey systems in the US, Canada, and Europe. As the game and the discussion went on, more members of the Canadian group were joining and discussing common travel interests and getting recommendations from the Swedish fans.

Its not that I was trying to listen but the arena wasn’t packed and it was impossible not to hear. Even though I wasn’t part of the conversation, I learned new things. For example, the Finns have a national game that is somewhat akin to baseball that features a glove. That game contributes to why Finnish goaltenders are good with their gloves. Apparently, across the border, the Swedes have not adopted this game.

This experience represented one of the things I love about sports. Events like the World Juniors allow people to come together and meet new people and learn about them and their cultures. All while watching a really great game.