The years go by – and now a quarter of a century has passed.
Djurgården against Färjestad is the dream final everyone is waiting for.
Djurgården wins the second leg
1:11
No one born of a woman, as the late Radiosporten expert Lars-Gunnar Jansson used to say, can claim otherwise.
Since Leksand’s and Brynä’s heyday in the 60s and 70s, Djurgården and Färjestad have met in a final the most (4) times.
It feels like I have lived my whole life in parallel with the rival meetings and the SC play-off matches between the clubs.
From Michael Thelvén against Dan Mohlin in the 80s, on to Kenneth Kennholt against Jörgen Jönsson in the 90s, and then Nichlas Falk against Radek Hamr in the 00s.
A bunch of peasants on one side, Stockholm bastards on the other.
They were dynasties pitted against each other, not mercenaries constantly booting against other clubs, on to better contracts elsewhere.
The rivalry took fire seriously in the SC final in 1983 when a boiling Hovet went beyond all limits (well) to throw Håkan Loob and Färjestad off balance.
Were you there then?
Do you remember?
Rhymes were sung about Håkan Loob’s sexual orientation, and about what Håkan did to his brother Peter.
“Håkan sucks Peters…” and the rest you can figure out.
They didn’t scream ice cream.
Must be afraid of the rivalry
When I rummaged around in the archives, I found an article where supporter profile Berra Eisjö, then 23 years old, came out and apologized for the behavior of the heel, called Blue Saints.
– We are ashamed, we went too far and were too hard on Loob, said Eisjö, who had been called a “skinny boy” when he returned to his workplace a few days after the match.
“Flåbuse”.
There weren’t particularly many of those on the ice tonight, but you can certainly still sense a certain rivalry between the clubs.
William Eklund said in a half-time interview that “we hate Färjestad” and then you have to remember that it’s only been a few years since he read and learned about the landscape of Värmland at school.
We have to be afraid of the little rivalry that still remains in the energy drink-slick, arranged, over-administered to millions and many times modern menless ice hockey.
Djurgården against Färjestad is one such.
Saturday’s holmgången in Karlstad returned to the capital, but Tuesdays are rarely the days when the best and most intense ice hockey matches are played.
Two good and finely even teams twisted, turned, pryed, worshiped and pounded on each other for 60 minutes without a real fire.
I got the most heart rate when, in the period break between first and second, I talked for a while with Håkan Södergren, had time to say hello to Tommy Söderström, saw Roffe Ridderwall stretching his legs and noticed that the gunsmith Östra Stations-Berit was there with his walker.
Over the years, few have dealt as well with “skin bullies” as Berit.
Would make Sweden stay
Djurgården emerged victorious from the battle after Magnus Hellberg kept a clean sheet and Djurgården more missed the chance to punctuate the match with a 2–0 goal than Färjestad burned the situation to equalize.
There are certainly some who subjectively want to see their team – their Rögle, their Växjö, their Skellefteå – in a final again, but all broad-minded, historically rooted people know that it is Djurgården against Färjestad that would bring ice hockey Sweden to a standstill.
Now there are certainly underlying statistics men (it is very rare for women to refer to underlying statistics) who claim that it is improbable based on numbers that show loose shots on goal, but that Djurgården could at least make it to a semi-final is not an unreasonable thought at the moment.
They are good.
Sometimes dense at the back, sometimes crisp forward, if they can continue to combine those qualities, they can win many more games and finish in the top six.
And Färjestad is Färjestad.
It can go?
A reasonable compensation
The last time Djurgården and Färjestad met in a final was in 2001.
In the same year, Sven Göran Eriksson became the confederation captain for England and Maud Olofsson party leader for the Centre.
Few could have guessed that a few years later she would carry out the worst government deal ever for us taxpayers when Vattenfall bought Nuon.
53 billion too much, we had to pay, and it is only on par with what TV4 overpaid for the SHL rights.
A sensible compensation would actually have been a new SC final between Djurgården and Färjestad.
Everyone probably agrees with that.
At least those born of a woman.
Or sucks… uh, forget it.
