Bronze with 26th attempt
The world hockey championships are held every spring, and the Latvian hockey team won the right to participate in the top division tournament for the first time after the restoration of independence in 1996 in Eindhoven, when the team triumphed in the first division tournament and after several unsuccessful attempts, nevertheless entered the elite. In the 1997 debut championship in the highest division, Latvia surprised the hockey world with draws against Canada and Sweden, but the talented team did not reach the medals, taking a respectable 7th place.
Since the 1997 tournament in Finland, hockey spring in Latvia became a kind of source of national unity, pride and patriotism – three to five thousand fans went to support the national team in person every year, while hundreds of thousands watched the games live on TV screens.
Decades pass, generations of fans and hockey players have changed, but the phenomenon of hockey is still alive, and thousands of parents who take their children to hockey lessons from preschool age hope that one day their darling will also be able to proudly put on the uniform of the national hockey team and defend the country honors in world arenas. Hockey is a self-affirmation for us that there are areas where we can be among the best in the world. Even though it is a narrow niche sport, the fan of the Latvian national team is eagerly waiting for May, when the world championship will be held again.
Until now, the highest achievement of our national team was entering the quarter-finals, which means being among the best eight in the world. It was achieved several times, but this barrier always turned out to be too high. Last year’s world championships took place in Latvia and Finland, it was the 26th time our team was in the world hockey elite, and this time all “the dice fell into place”. This allowed the entire country to “go crazy” for a moment – after a quarter of a century of waiting, the Latvian hockey team beat Sweden in the ¼ final in Riga, followed by a failure in Finland in the semi-final game against Canada, but in the match for third place, Latvia beat a country more than 150 times larger in overtime in overtime in terms of the US.
It was a real “miracle on the ice”, because the clubs and skill level represented by hockey players on a daily basis did not promise triumph against teams where many masters from the world’s strongest championship – the National Hockey League – played.
Coach Harijs Vītoliņš, who is a representative of an outstanding dynasty in Latvian hockey, contributed to Latvia’s entry into the world’s strongest teams as a player with his sweat, character and skill in the 1990s. Vītoliņš achieved success in hockey as an assistant to the head coach Oleg Znarok – a triumph in the Olympic Games and World Championships together with the Russian national team, a multiple winner of the Russian Championship. Individually, as the head coach, Harry Vītoliņš did not have much success before the triumph in Finland. However, the Latvian hockey strategist gathered a masterful team of assistants, which included Artūrs Irbe, Lauris Dārziņš, Artis Ābols, Āriks Visockis-Rubenis and other specialists, who were able to perfectly prepare the team for the entire championship.
Hockey experts emphasize the unprecedented level of physical preparation of the Latvian national team during the entire championship, the ability to play at a high level after very difficult games and win the next match as well. The world level in the overall physical preparation of the team also gave Latvia a lot of psychological confidence and maturity, which helped to break very difficult games during the tournament – in the last five minutes of the match against Switzerland, Latvia had to achieve at least a draw, and team captain Kaspars Daugavins did it, leading Latvia to the quarterfinals. If Latvia had conceded to the Swiss, there would be no bronze. On the other hand, in the quarter-finals in Riga, inspired by the spectators, Latvia beat the favorites Swedes, who always play at a high level.
The obtained bronze medals were important for the whole country – for the first time after the sports achievement, the Saeima decided on an official holiday in the country, the hockey players were welcomed by at least 30 thousand fans at the Freedom Monument. Neither the hockey players nor the fans will ever forget these moments.
At first, three matches without the right to make mistakes
Hockey fans are maximalists, and hardly everyone really understands how unique is the triumph of last year, when the Latvian national team won bronze medals. In the world ranking, after the success, Latvia has strengthened itself in the top ten – there are more massive countries with more high-level hockey players ahead. This year’s championship in the Czech Republic will be a huge test for everyone – hockey players, coaches, fans. It will be extremely difficult to protect the obtained positions, the Latvian national team does not have the world’s leading players, so the fans should be understanding no matter how the championship ends.
Observations from the Latvian national team camp make one cautious – there are people in the national team who currently rate themselves a little higher than they should, it is a part of self-confidence. Hockey does not forgive mistakes, everything will have to be proven on the ice field again and in every game. You can get it through high noses. Hockey players should forget last year’s triumph and work with maximum effort from the first seconds of every practice or game, not to think that something is due because of last year’s bronze medal. It doesn’t belong. Head coach Vītoliņas and the entire coaching staff have to do a huge job right in the psychological preparation phase of the national team. That will make a lot of difference.
In the World Hockey Championship, 16 teams play in the highest divisions, they are divided into two subgroups of eight each. Seven games must be played in the subgroup tournament, only the four best teams will enter the quarter-finals, where the leading teams of the other subgroup will face each other. Latvia will play in Ostrava, the eastern city of the Czech Republic, if it qualifies for the playoffs – the matches will continue in the capital, Prague.
At the World Championship, Latvia will be in the same subgroup with the USA, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, Kazakhstan, France and Poland. In order to reach the quarter-finals, at least four national teams must be left behind. According to the potential balance of forces, the Latvian national team should beat Poland, France and Kazakhstan, with whom they also have to play the first three games this year, it is desirable to win all of them in regular time to get the maximum number of points. Heavyweights will follow – Germany, Sweden, Slovakia and the USA. Someone from this big four will have to be left behind.
The decisive battle against Slovakia?
Perhaps it will be most realistic to do it with Slovakia, which we overtook a year ago in Riga and left without a quarter-final. It should be noted that we lost to the Slovaks in the match and in Ostrava they will have no less support in the stands than Latvia, Slovakia is currently a better team than ours in terms of hockey talent. We will counter with team play, discipline, smart tactics and physical fitness. It won’t be easy, but already in the subgroup stage, Latvia will have “to be or not to be” games. It is really difficult to predict something, a lot will be determined by the readiness of the Latvian national team for the tournament as a whole, as well as the ability to show the best performance on a particular day. The championship game calendar predicts that Latvia will have to play against Slovakia on May 19, it will be the sixth of seven subgroup battles, and our team will have to play two days in a row – the previous day, a tough game against one of the group’s favorites, Sweden, will be played.
It is clear that the Latvian national team will do their best to win as many games as possible and present the country with unforgettable emotions, however, in sports there is always an opponent to beat. The opponent also wants to win, and here the result can be different. It is essential for the fans to appreciate the excellence of the third place in last year’s championship and to be understanding if they fail to come close to success this year. We can be sure that the men will give all their strength for Latvia.
Without the miracle worker Shilov
Artūrs Šilovs, the hero of the 2023 World Championship and the best goalkeeper of the tournament, will probably not be able to help Latvia in this World Championship, as his club season in North America continues. Shilov was an invaluable factor in winning the bronze medal, but now Latvia will need another driver in the strategically always important position of goalkeeper. Elvis Merzlikins – an experienced, masterful goalkeeper – came to help the national team from the National Hockey League. His personality is very expansive, egotistical. This is not atypical in sports, nor is it a bad thing, but in such circumstances it is not always possible to make good contact with teammates. The microclimate in the team is very important in any national team. Merzlikin is the best of the available goalkeepers in terms of skill, but the team’s unity and success is not only made up of individual skills. Goalkeeper Kristers Gudlevsky and another player of this position in the Swiss championship, Ivars Punnenov, had a good season in Germany. There is a choice in the sample. One of the biggest challenges for both goalkeeper coach Artūrs Irbe and head coach Harry Vītoliņš will be the integration of Merzlikin in the national team’s game and the daily life of the team. It won’t be easy. But everything must be done so that both the team and Elvis himself get the most out of it.
Elvis Merzlikin – excellent craftsmanship and explosive character
Merzlikin has been a stable goalkeeper in the National Hockey League for several years, however, he has not reached the heights he wanted, his team from Columbus is also struggling at the bottom of the tournament table. The management of the national team should try to put Merzlikin in a positive direction, so that the disappointment in the club season and the accumulated stress turn into positive sportsmanship and the qualities of a leader of the national team.
The national team of Latvia will have to do without several leading players from last year at the world championship, the final composition of the national team for the world championship will be named a few days before its opening, which is scheduled for May 10. Due to injuries, adjustments may also have to be made to the current lineup of candidates.
Game calendar for Latvia in the 2024 World Championship:
11 May 17.20 Latvia – Poland
12 May 17.20 Latvia – France
14 May 17.20 Latvia – Kazakhstan
15 May 17.20 Latvia – Germany
18 May 13.20 Latvia – Sweden
19 May 21.20 Latvia – Slovakia
21 May 17.20 Latvia – USA
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