Finland’s national women’s hockey team is getting support and sympathy from its opponents at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Several coaches and hockey officials expressed “Get Well” wishes on Thursday after Finland had to postpone its opening preliminary-round game against Canada because a stomach virus depleted the squad.
The decision to postpone the game to Feb. 12 was reached shortly after Finland completed its early afternoon practice with only eight skaters and two goalies. The remaining 13 players were either in quarantine or isolation because of a norovirus that began affecting the team on Tuesday night.
Team Canada fully backed the decision to play on another day.
“On behalf of Hockey Canada and our team, we want to wish Team Finland a speedy recovery,” general manager Gina Kingsbury said after Canada held a practice coinciding with the time their game was to be played.
“Obviously, you worked four years to come to an Olympic Games, we know what it means to represent your country and to be in this incredible tournament,” added Kingsbury, a former Canadian hockey Olympian. “To fall sick and to have a group of athletes under the weather the way they are, we feel for them.”
The postponement provides Finland two extra days to rest before playing the United States on Saturday.
“While all stakeholders recognize the disappointment of not playing the game as originally scheduled, this was a responsible and necessary decision that reflects the spirit of the Olympic Games and the integrity of the competition,” Olympic officials said.
Kingsbury was involved in the decision-making process and said Finnish officials provided her an update on their situation on Wednesday. She said forfeiting the game was never discussed as all parties worked to find a reasonable solution.
Kingsbury said there are no Canadian players who are experiencing any signs of illness, and added officials have said the norovirus is isolated to Finland’s hockey team.
Before the game’s postponement, Finland coach Tero Lehterä said it would be unfair to ask his 10 currently healthy players to compete in a full game. Lehterä also said the team has to take into account the possibility of potentially infecting Canadian players.
“Most of them are getting better but not healthy enough to play. And there’s the chance that if we would play it could influence Team Canada and their health as well,” Lehterä said. “But I couldn’t risk my players if they were ill yesterday to play tonight because that would be wrong against the individual.”
Lehterä said the first sign of the illness became apparent hours after the team held a full practice on Tuesday.
The rescheduled game falls on the second of two consecutive off days during the women’s tournament, and a day before the quarterfinals open.
“Oh, man, your heart just goes for them,” Czech Republic coach Carla MacLeod said following her team’s 5-1 loss to the U.S. “Obviously just wish them well and hopefully they can get back to being at their best. … So you certainly want them to recover.”
Added U.S. coach John Wroblewski: “I hope that they’re OK, let’s just leave it at that. That’s the most important part.”
The 53-year-old Lehterä is in his first year coaching the women’s team. He played for the Finland national team in the 1990s and previously coached men’s teams.
Lehterä did his best to stay upbeat despite the situation. At one point he joked the last time he competed in a game with 10 players was in a beer league outing.
“It might become a strength. I got to think positive,” he said. “We might be stronger when we come out of this. You never know.”
Finland captain Jenni Hiirikoski, making her fifth Olympic appearance, said players were leaning on each other for support.
“It’s not nice, definitely. But we try to focus one day at a time,” the 38-year-old defender said. “The big thing has been how we tolerate different things. I think we try to help each other, whatever it is, and how it goes. So it’s just stay calm and focused.”
Finland, along with Czechia, entered the tournament as medal contenders behind the two global powers — the favored Americans and defending Olympic champion Canada.
Finland is a four-time Olympic bronze medalist, with the last coming at the 2022 Beijing Games. And the team has won bronze at the past two world championships, beating the Czechs both times.
Though the 2022 Beijing Games were played amid the coronavirus pandemic, no games were postponed during a competition that took place in front of few fans and with participants limited to a closed bubble.
The closest a hockey game came to being postponed or forfeited happened during a preliminary-round meeting between Canada and Russia. Team Canada refused to take the ice for pregame warmups and the game time was delayed because COVID-19 test results of Russian players were not available.
As a compromise, Canada agreed to begin the game after officials ruled all participants had to wear facemasks.
