Newcomer Modo charmed most people at the start of the SHL.
Club legend Peter “Foppa” Forsberg is one of the team’s biggest fans.
– The whole city lifts weights, says the 50-year-old on Hockeymorning with Sportbladet.
Modou won four of the six matches and scored in five of them.
The fun to play and varied and lively attack impressed.
-I talk to a lot of people, it’s a lot of modo. It’s fun to be here when Modo is at the top of the SHL. It’s great fun, but then everyone wonders how long this team will last at the top. It’s a good start. The entire city of Örnsköldsvik breathes confidence. It’s so much fun to be at home and the whole city is up, says “Foppa” during a visit to the studio at Hockeymorgon.
“Incredibly good performance”
Free play was the same as it was when they moved from Hockeyallsvenskan.
– I think it’s hard to defend yourself, because these guys played mostly offensively in Hockeyallsvenskan. The players from Hockeyallsvenskan have performed incredibly well so far. It was uncertain, for example, whether David Bernhardt and Pontus Nassin would be able to keep up with their place changes on the blue line, but they have already managed to do so in the SHL as well. We’ll see how long it takes, and how long it will take before other teams let them play this way before they start reading it, says Foppa.
“Incredible trip”
Even though the base is in Switzerland, it sees all Modo matches and at least all highlights from other SHL matches.
– The Erik Walli Walterholm – Sam Vigneault – Johan Södergran series was incredibly good. Matthias Karlin was close to Johan Södergran’s bench at one point in Hockeyallsvenskan and is now near-dominant in the SHL. He had an amazing journey, and his shooting percentage was 0.02 for a while. David Rundblad played incredibly well and was brilliant, I was a bit unsure of him after coming over from the Finnish league. Christian Robins was a general there in the first back pair, and he’s a senior and he’s taken it for himself, as “Foppa” says.
‘He was completely in control’
The selected reader question is who would they want to play with in Modo today.
– That was a great question, something I hadn’t thought about before. I respect Riley Woods a lot. Before his injury against Västerås last season, he dominated the Hockeyallsvenskan Championship overall. Sam Vigneault has done a good job so far. He and Josh Dickinson are very difficult. I want someone who stands up, I think they stand in front of goal and are not shy in the physical game. I might pick Sam Vigneault and Riley Woods, but for now I want to play with everyone, says “Foppa.”
“The judges are on my side…”
After 7-4 and 6-1 in home matches against Linköping and HV71 respectively, the score was 2-1 against Rögel on Saturday evening.
– Both Modo and Tottenham (2-1 at home against Liverpool) had to win on Saturday. It’s crazy, we even had the referee with us at the Tottenham game. It wasn’t offside when Liverpool scored and they were sent off twice. I received some messages saying that the referees are with us this time. It was fun for me to have the judges side with me at least once, says “Foppa”.
On Tuesday evening, Modo will play at home against former qualifier Leksand.
An hour full of hockey
Among the guests at Hockeymorgon was also Modo coach Matthias Karlin.
Hans Abrahamsson, Thomas Rös, Joanna Lagos and Christopher Kviborg sat in the studio.
Hockey Morning is broadcast live every Tuesday and Friday between 8.00 and 9.00 am on Sportbladet, YouTube and Facebook.
It can then be watched and listened to as a podcast on the usual platforms.