SaiPa and Ilves meet on Thursday in the League’s bronze match in Lappeenranta. Playing the bronze game at the end of a long season has been a topic of discussion in Finnish ice hockey circles for years, and competing for lesser medals doesn’t seem to excite even the players.

Former League star, who ended his career with last season’s Finnish championship Tuomas Kiiskinen, delivers a full blast about the value of the bronze match for players on the Liiga Without a Map podcast.

– It probably says everything that Finland is the only (top ice hockey country) where they still play a bronze game. The positive thing is that they moved it to Thursday. It would have been really frustrating if it was next Tuesday… no sense at all, not a bit of sense, Kiiskinen fires.

– It’s the dumbest idea there is. It doesn’t interest anyone at all, Kiiskinen continues.

On the same lines is also the gold lion Harri Pesonen, who is returning to JYP next season.

– It works in international competitions, but it doesn’t work in league format after a long season. The bronze should be awarded based on regular season standings, Pesonen believes.

– I don’t think they should be played either. And it’s ridiculous that the guys are waiting (at worst) ten days for it to be played. Who does that serve? Pesonen asks.

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