Zizing 'Em Up: Sweden-Finland hockey rivalry part of build to 4 Nations Face-Off

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Monday he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts for his weekly notes column, "Zizing 'Em Up."

TORONTO -- When discussing the 4 Nations Face-Off last week, Team Finland's Patrik Laine didn't mince words regarding their Scandinavian neighbors, Team Sweden.

"We hate them," the Montreal Canadiens forward said.

Given the biting implication of Laine's take, NHL.com decided to ask Sweden coach Sam Hallam for his reaction to that blunt assessment.

If you expected bitterness, guess again. Indeed, instead of lashing back, Hallam broke into laughter.

"I like it," he said during a phone interview from Sweden. "That's how little brothers speak about big brothers. With envy.

"It's part of the buildup. It's fun."

Welcome to the Sweden-Finland hockey rivalry. No spicing up needed. There's already plenty, evidenced by the salvos being exchanged ahead of the tournament in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20. Though North American hockey fans might not completely understand the depth and emotions involved between these two hockey-loving countries, theirs is a historical tale of these teams being at loggerheads for decades.

Is it a case, like Hallam and Sweden defenseman Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning) recently implied, of Big Brother Sweden versus Little Brother Finland?

This time it was Finland general manager Jere Lehtinen's turn to chuckle.

"Hey, over the years, it's been a big rivalry," Lehtinen said from Finland. "From minor hockey to World Championships to Olympics, that's the way it's always been and the way it is now.

"As for being the 'Little Brother,' I think we've closed the gap the past 15 years. I think things have changed in that regard."

Finland will attempt to prove it against Sweden at Bell Centre on Feb. 15 (1 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). With the first best-on-best tournament since the World Cup of Hockey 2016 that also includes the United States and Canada just two weeks away, Hallam and Lehtinen took part in a Q&A to provide an inside look at all things Sweden-Finland.

First off, Super Saturday on Feb. 15 features a doubleheader of historical rivals starting with Sweden-Finland followed by Canada-United States (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). How big of a deal is that?

Hallam: "It's going to be huge. I think hockey is the national sport of Finland, and no doubt the sport is a huge part of ours. We play each other in the World Championships, and it's a big thing. We're both going to have our best players going in this tournament so, like I said, it's going to be huge. If you want to get to the (championship game at TD Garden on Feb. 20), this is a key game. And there's going to be bragging rights, you better believe it."

Lehtinen: "It's going to be special. And like you said, 7 p.m. in Sweden, 8 p.m. in Finland, so it's going to be the perfect time for fans back home. It's going to be special because they'll be able to watch it at a good time, not in the middle of the night there when a lot of NHL games are taking place back in North America with the time change. It's going to be huge, with a lot of viewers. I'm not going to even guess how many people will be watching in Finland and Sweden but it's going to be a lot."

For those on this side of the Atlantic Ocean who don't completely know the history and details of this rivalry, please explain what it's like.

Hallam: "Look, we play each other a couple of times a year, whether it be at Worlds or different tournaments, and both teams put out their best and give their best whenever we match up. It's part of the rivalry. There are rivalries in the NHL too. Rangers-Devils, games like that, it's kind of the same thing. It doesn't matter how things have been going for your team or what happened the previous night, all that matters is that particular game. But that's on the ice. Off the ice, we respect the crap out of each other."

Explain that respect.

Hallam: "The rivalry is on the ice. Like I said, off the ice, as Swedes, at least for me, I have a ton of respect for Finland as a country. The situation they're in and have been in with bordering Russia and having to fight them off twice. There were a lot of Finnish kids who came to Sweden during the second World War to keep them safe and away from the war, so it's a brotherly thing. You always have clashes with your brother, but you're always looking out for each other's backs as well. Hockey-wise, you always want to beat them. Some say in terms of the sport they're the enemy and that's true. At the same time, we share a border with them and respect them off the ice, like I said. At least I do."

Lehtinen: "Hey, on our side too, it's always been a big rivalry. Basically, when we play each other, it doesn't matter if it's exhibition games, the Worlds, Euro hockey tournaments, Olympics, World Cups, it's huge. But, of course, we are neighboring countries, so it's special, special moments when we play each other."

What are your earliest memories of the Sweden-Finland hockey rivalry, dating back to when you were kids?

Lehtinen: "When I started to play for junior national teams, any games against Sweden were huge, but there was always a lot of respect. Of course, when you are on the ice, you want to beat them. Bad. There's nothing better. But at the same time, over the years, in my age group, there was Markus Naslund and Peter Forsberg playing for Sweden. During my time in the NHL with the Dallas Stars, I would go on to play against them there too. Big rivalries."

Hallam: "When I was a kid playing hockey, we tried to get over there and play Finnish teams as much as possible. The first time I was there playing a tournament, I was maybe 12 or 13. And that was always a highlight, playing teams like TPS Turku, teams like that. That was always kind of a national key game, playing against a club team like that."

Lehtinen: "For me, growing up, with the club teams, you didn't travel that much. You basically played at home. I do remember with the Under-16 team the first time we played against Sweden, and the intensity that went with it."

One of the most memorable -- or in the case of Finland, forgettable -- head-to-head matchups came in the quarterfinal of the 2003 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki. The hosts built a 5-1 lead in that game, causing Sweden to pull goalie Tommy Salo in favor of Mikael Tellqvist. After the change, Sweden scored five consecutive goals to win 6-5 in what some local journalists described as the darkest day in Finland's hockey history. In Sweden, they subsequently sold Finnish jerseys with the No. 5-6 on the back to replicate the score and rub it in.

What do you both remember about that?

Lehtinen: "I was in Dallas with the Stars that year and could have played but we were in the playoffs, so I was unavailable. A lot of people come up to me and think I was in that game, that tournament, and I have to tell them, 'No, no, I wasn't.'"

Hallam: "I just remember that game being in Helsinki, and Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin were so instrumental in that comeback. They came up big so many times for the Swedish national team."

Including the 2006 Turin Olympics, where they helped Sweden defeat Finland 3-2 in the gold medal game.

Hallam: "I would say that was the highlight for me when it came to Sweden in the international team era. So many Hall of Fame players on that team: Nicklas Lidstrom, Sundin, Forsberg. Sweden had won Olympic gold in 1994 too, when Forsberg scored in the shootout against Canada, but that was before NHLers were allowed to play. The 2006 team was special. And they beat Finland to do it."

You were on that 2006 Finland team, Jere. How heartbreaking was that from your side?

Lehtinen: "I don't think we'd lost a game throughout the entire tournament before that one. It was two good teams with a lot of good players, a lot of Hall of Famers. It was one of the biggest losses of my career. We played good hockey, even in that game. So did they. And it was just one game, but it was big. Really big. I think if you ask a lot of the Finnish players who played in that game, it was a big disappointment. Even though you got a silver medal, it hurt, but that's sports, and you have to respect the outcome."

Finally, how excited are you for the upcoming tournament and the matchup against your biggest rival?

Lehtinen: "Again, we're neighbors. And it's huge. Maybe you could compare it to USA-Canada, but I think for us it's even more. For us, we've kind of been underdogs over the years, but I think we've kind of turned the corner the past 15 years and have kind of started winning more than losing against them. Sweden's a bigger country than us but we've started to level things out. Sometimes in sports and in hockey, that happens. In this rivalry, it's time to level things up."

Hallam: "It's always big. It's Sweden-Finland. When it comes to hockey in our country, it's hard to find anything that's bigger than that."

THE TRAINERS ROOM

The opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off is Sweden against Canada on Feb. 12 (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS). And with the clock ticking down to the start of the tournament, Hallam is being forced to deal with several key injuries.

The biggest blow is the loss of the New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom, who'll be out 4-6 weeks with a sprained MCL in his knee. The 34-year-old, who was a slight favorite to be Sweden's starter for the tournament, was injured during the second period of a 5-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 22, when Bruins forward Justin Brazeau crashed into him.

Fortunately, Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark appears to be nearing a return. He hasn't played since leaving with back issues after the first period of a 3-1 loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 22. Ullmark was a full participant in Ottawa's morning skate Saturday.

Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild is also on Sweden's roster. Samuel Ersson (Philadelphia Flyers) and Anton Forsberg (Senators) are candidates to replace Markstrom.

Up front, Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson is week to week with a lower-body injury. Since Karlsson was slated for a defensive role, Mikael Backlund of the Calgary Flames is a legitimate option. If Sweden instead wants more offensive punch, Rickard Rakell (Pittsburgh Penguins) and his 23 goals in 50 games could be the choice.

Either way, Hallam has some decisions to make. It is his understanding that teams are allowed to make roster changes up to each side's first game to fill vacancies because of injury.

"All I can say is that we've been in contact with players and their teams," he said. "We're monitoring the situation and preparing for different outcomes.

"You hope that the players you named could play because of how hard they've been preparing. They were so excited and looking forward to it. They deserve it, but in a worst-case scenario, they won't be able to play, so we're preparing to fill those gaps."

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

"I was so surprised what happened. At the same time, Carolina got one of the best players on the planet in (Mikko) Rantanen. And I think he's eager to play with (Sebastian) Aho. It's huge." -- Finland GM Jere Lehtinen on the blockbuster trade that sent Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team deal involving the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. The Rantanen-Aho duo is something he said we could see for Finland at the 4 Nations.

THE LAST WORD

With 4 Nations rosters revealed, we're taking a weekly look until the start of the tournament at one player from each country who's on a roll with their respective NHL team.

Quinn Hughes (United States): The Vancouver Canucks defenseman scored both goals in a 2-1 victory against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Arena on Saturday, helping to end Washington's six-game winning streak.

Sebastian Aho (Finland): The Hurricanes forward has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past four games and is looking to click with Rantanen, his longtime friend from Finland.

Gustav Forsling (Sweden): The Florida Panthers veteran was second among defensemen at plus-23 after 50 games.

Mitch Marner (Canada): The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in his past six games.