Motivation:
The World Championships in Czechia were just incredible!
We had high expectations on the Czechs and Czechia and
they really came through. Already when we got to Czechia
we were met by a gigantic arena in Ostrava with souvenir
shops, places to eat, Beer tent and also the perfect
placed ho hang out before and after the games – Beer
Arena! The motion was always great inside the party area
since there always was crowded with people. Ok,
the security checks when entering the area was a little
bit silly and exaggerated, but the staff working there
were always nice so it was not really something to wine
about.
The prices on Beer, Alcohol and food were at such a low
lever that for once one were not waking up the next morning
with anxiety wondering how much money that was spent
the night before.
A
humiliated finland
finland, this country that never ever reaches up to their own expectations, did
do an even worse tournament than the year before. The game against Sweden in
Ostrava did they for so long think that they were to win, but after Sweden ONCE-A-GAIN
had deprived them their victory by reducing the result to 1-1 in the final minute
their supporters were more depressed than we have had the joy of seeing for long.
finland hasn’t produced anything but hockey-bockey for the last years and
if the finns wants to se successes they have to look waaaay back in the rear-view
mirror!
Since nothing, really nothing, puts joy so much into a Swedish Ice Hockey heart
than to see finland loose, since finland today is holding the 5:th position in
the world ranking in Ice Hockey (-1 since the World Champs in 2003) of course
every true Swedish supporters is hoping to see finland be reduced to the B-pool
in Hockey and play together with Estonia and other wanna-bees within a few years.
Then we will celebrate!
Once again the finnish nation became disappointed with their team that now has,
more than ever, taken the baby-powder tactics to their hearts. Can someone tell
the finns that a game is played for 3 FULL PERIODS (3x20 minutes)! Obviously
they haven’t learned that lesson since last year in Helsinki when they
led the Quarterfinal against Sweden with 5-1 and then lost(!) with 6-5.
The
finals
The final games in Praha were an experience with two sides. Sweden took their
like onehundredfiftyeleventh medal in the World Champs. But the organizers had
a really insane attitude to “the security situation” and we just
cannot understand why it was prohibited to use cameras inside the arena. Also
that they only had like one (1) bar with five pumps for beer for 5000 guests
in the Beer tent is unbelievable! The Czechs had with their ENORMOUS beer tent
that was in size of ½ soccer field all the opportunities to make sure
that there was beer for all supporters.
Otherwise it was well organized in Praha with the said beer tent that had different
activities with a great motion amongst the supporters before and after the games,
but. WHY did the tent close already at 11:00 PM!!??
Overall the World Championships in Ostrava/Praha in 2004 was one of the best,
most wonderful tournaments that we have visited. And those of you that only had
the energy to come down to Praha for the final games, you don’t know what
you missed in Ostrava.
Well, well, see you all new and old supporters in Austria during the World Championships
in 2005. Then we will once again show the Austrians what crew that has come to
town!!!
Czechia, you have well deserved your very high rating!!!
The
Party mood:
The partying going on in Ostrava was at an All time-high
since there always was people that you knew, either outside
or inside Beer-arena or at Sidoni Street. It was many years
ago that we had so much fun together with people from all
over the world that we had in Ostrava.
We even had lotsa fun together with the finnish supporters
Ellu and her friends Jorma, Satu, Pauli and others from
finland. We screamed together with the Danes, got drunk
with the Slovaks, danced with the finns day after day after
day after…
The
weather
There were big variations in the weather during the World
Championships. Sometimes the rain was pouring down with
lightning and thunder and sometimes it was high-summer
weather and sometimes it was foggy. But in general the
weather was ok.
Guards/Staff
The guards at the arena and the staff there and at the
different pubs were extremely polite and nice to deal with.
They were very heplful and always had a smile on their
lips. This is a small but important detail that can actually
make a World Championships great or suck. A small minus
thugh is that most of them neither spoke english or german,
so eventually it was a little bit hard to make oneself
understood.
Souvenirs
The amount of souvenirs at and around the arena and Beer-Arena
was very good! Everything that one wanted to buy was for
sale. The only reason that this section don´´ get a full
10 is beacuse there were no patches with the logo on.
| The two, according
to us, most important things that shall be on
sale during the World Championships in Ice Hockey. |
This years scarf was
a reallly wonderful one. It is 155 cm long and that
makes it useful as a real scarf.
It has heavy stitching and is made of a quality that
we haven't seen since the Championships in Germany
in 2001.
It was possible to buy scarves for all competing
nations but we are not sure wether it was any event-scarf
for sale this year.
(Move the pointer over the scarf to see the reverse
of the Swedish version of this years scarf)
Apart from the official scarf one could also buy
special scarves from the people working at Beer-Arena
in Ostrava and these scarves held just as good
quality as the official ones.
A very good initiative from the organisers that
knew how to make money from events like this one. |
This years patch came
in two variations with Tomik, the mascot, on it.
The problem with this years patch is that the quality
is extremely different from patch to patch. So we
really had to make sure when drunk so that one didn't
wake up with some terrible specimen in the morning.
(that can happen when choosing while drunk)
Move the pointer over the patch to see the second
version of this years patch.
|
The
World Championships...
...Most rookie-traveller:
Gabbe, that had not only gotten rid of his passport the
night before. He also managed to check-in the new passport
in the bag that he deposited at Arlanda airport. We saw
him running around in the terminals to try and get hold
of someone that could help him go through all the luggage
that had been deposited.
No one knows how he managed to get back his passport, but
finally he did. Gee, has the guy never been on vacation
before or?
...Worst dialect:
Without doubt the two great chicks from Norrkoping in Sweden,
Erika and Jenny! They complained from time to another “People
here are laughing at us when we speak English. They have
never heard stranger pronunciation of English words!” It
really sounded insanely fun when they started their bleating.
...Worst idiots:
Without doubt the finns (what else) that first are coming
on to Patrik and are yelling and shouting that “Mats
Sundin is a homosexual!”. And when they after a
while have stood there and Patrik was mocked at they
had the nerves to ask for the best way to the arena!
Well, retards and idiots are easy to please. That is probably
why they still to this day wonder why Patrik gave them
a finger in the air in response.
...Most patient:
Ellu, that as always had to cope with that we were teasing
her and the finnish Hockey Team during the playoffs in
Ostrava. But we think that she is getting used to us
after all these years.
...Most exaggerated:
The security around all the arenas. Gee, cool down will
you! And the ban for cameras inside the arena in Praha,
what was that all about? The whole world can see on TV
what it looks like in there anyway.
All of you that has helped with remembering, places, happenings
and has provided pictures, you can find yourselves on
our Thanks-page.
|
