Olli Jokinen: "There is definitely no desire to show off to the media"

The HIFK season had a terrible start in the fall. The team was exceptionally caught in a severe injury spiral, and key players fell one after another to the sick bay.

The results were also poor. For a long time, HIFK lingered at the bottom of the league, and a playoff spot seemed unlikely at its worst.

Eventually, HIFK secured a playoff spot and heads into the decisive games on a six-game winning streak. Above all, the team’s play is in really good shape. Several coaches named HIFK as a championship favorite in the media event for the league playoffs.

Head coach Olli Jokinen told SuomiKiekko in an interview how HIFK has reached this point.

– We have managed to get players healthy and almost all players available. Those players who were out for a longer time have gotten more games under their belts. That’s the reason why we’ve started winning games, Jokinen summarizes.

– Quite a few key players were absent in August and had to jump from the injured list straight into the season. They were out for six weeks, then had one practice and had to play. Now, over the past couple of months, we have gained shared experiences and repetitions, and through that, the game has improved.

The goaltending has also improved significantly. Hugo Alnefelt’s start in the league was terrible. In March, Alnefelt has been among the top goaltenders in the league with a save percentage of 94.83.

– For the goaltenders, it has been that they have been able to practice, gotten repetitions, and worked daily. If you are in the net for three weeks and out for two weeks, it is difficult to find your game, whether you are a goaltender or a skater. Of course, the goaltenders’ play goes hand in hand with the team’s play. As a unit, we have managed to defend better, especially in the center, Jokinen says.

The treatment from the media has been surprising

After the league’s final round, Jokinen told Ilta-Sanomat that he had experienced external harassment, specifically from the media. According to Jokinen, there have been attempts to influence HIFK’s players to turn against him.

Jokinen returned to the topic again in the SuomiKiekko interview.

– I knew that HIFK is of great interest, but I didn’t know it was this much, Jokinen says.

– A big shoutout to the players for their mental resilience throughout the season. The more we’ve been hit, the stronger the feeling of togetherness, caring for each other, and supporting one another has become.

Does Jokinen then feel satisfaction as a coach from being able to show the media with recent success?

– Not at all. The media does its job, and we are not here to show them anything. We are here to show each other. There is definitely no desire to show anything to the media.