Finally, Latvian hockey has realized that we are not Swedes or Swiss

The word “character” is almost as hackneyed as “historical” these days, but it bears mentioning again. Character and self-sacrifice in defense. The Latvian hockey players showed their character after finding themselves in a five-minute deficit. Here, a slight digression is necessary regarding Mārtiņus Dzierkals.

The energetic forward, at least in the opinion of the author of these lines, has been one of the valuable players of this championship in the ranks of the Latvian national team. However, this rejection of Dzierkal was a serious spoonful of tar in a barrel of honey.

Yes, the Swedes, with disgusting provocations, tried to achieve something and find the real hockey player of the Latvian national team throughout the game. Found…

Rejection is absolutely no excuse, but the judges made the right decision here. How often is it not seen that a hockey player hits an opponent with a glove in the face and for that earns the opportunity to air his head on the bench for two minutes. Here was a blow with the tip of the stick – five minutes. No discussion.

Of course, Latvian hockey players will not be able to afford such laxity in the match against Canada. In this match, the opponent will be different from Sweden and Switzerland. Canadians are no strangers to work and physical hockey. Such intemperance, which we experienced in the Sweden match, can prove fatal.

Nearing the end, Artur Šilov should also be mentioned a little. Probably enough has already been said to come up with something new. This does not mean that he did not deserve praise for the match against Sweden and this whole tournament in general. Maybe it is safer to play in outings, but that would be “binding” for the nuances.