Patrik Sylvegård on the chain system in Swedish hockey
Malmö. Regardless of how things go with Malmö in the playoffs against Brennas, the club’s CEO Patrick Silvegaard wants to see a change in the league system in Swedish ice hockey.
Preferably as soon as possible.
– This system brings out the worst in people, he says.
Malmö had a perfect start to qualifying for which they could prepare for weeks, possibly months, but regardless of whether or not Malmö is an SHL club next season, longtime club leader Patrick Selvegaard wants the series structure in Swedish ice hockey to be revised.
– When I talk about this, it’s not about what’s best for Malmö, but about what’s best for Swedish ice hockey. The ups and downs must continue, and they will never go away in life. I’ve made this journey as a player and captain at Malmö and there are few things that beat being promoted. If we remove that, we will wipe out many clubs in Sweden. But I also see that people get pressured, people don’t feel well and many bad, stressful decisions are made, says Selfegaard, who believes that young people and junior ice hockey are negatively affected.
“Maybe 20 teams in the SHL”
Partly because the money goes into expensive contingency recruits in the desperate search for a new contract, and partly because clubs dare not promote juniors into first-team operations.
– Then it’s easier to cash expensive checks, because then you have a clear response if someone asks why no one has acted. SHL clubs have told each other that “whatever we do, we don’t make the same mistake as last time and burn money on payroll.” But the same thing happens over and over again. Already in October I saw how needy some people became.
What do you think is the solution?
– I am open to suggestions, but if we want to increase income and interest, I think SHL should be expanded. Over time, there may be 20 teams in the SHL, divided into North and South. Malmö may have to face Luleå twice and Rugel four. But it is important that we then review what Allsvenskan should look like as well. It is the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation that owns the case, but not the one that runs Swedish ice hockey. The SHL and Allsvenskan should own that tweak, says Sylvegård, who maintains his proposal is in no way proven, but mostly thinks out loud to start the discussion.
– I believe in getting more teams involved and building a little bit from south to north. Will Skellefteå, possibly Sweden’s best team, come here on Tuesday So… who cares? It seems hard to say, but I don’t think the quality of the ice hockey is wrong. I also think it’s dangerous if we lose ice hockey in big cities. Leksand, while nice, may not be the place where patrons sell the most products.
“The reality of life”
Is there more than you want to change the structure of the series?
– Yes, this has been discussed in meetings and most people understand that it must be changed. It’s an acute situation. I think and hope that something happens for the 2024/2025 season and that already this year there will be suggestions about what it could look like. If the SHL is going to expand with more teams, that would probably happen over three years, or something like that.
Could it be appropriate to reduce the number of teams instead?
Some fear having to split the TV money more, among more clubs, and it is usually said that fewer teams raise the quality. But I don’t think we need to get better at playing ice hockey, and that’s why people don’t go to ice hockey.