Sweden cannot bring superstar Elias Petersson to the World Cup – due to high insurance costs.
Something that cannot happen in Finland according to the Finnish Hockey Association.
– If we can get the best players here, we will succeed, CFO Jaakko Luumi tells Sportbladet.
On Wednesday, Sportbladet was able to reveal that Elias Pettersson has been suspended from WC even though he himself wants to play.
The reason: the cost of insurance is too expensive.
The Swedish Ice Hockey Association Vancouver Canucks informed the Pettersson Club that they could not pay the insurance. For him, it is not only about the current contract (until 2024) but also about a lucrative agreement in the future.
– The challenge is that in the absence of an insurance contract, how do you insure what does not exist? says national team manager Anders Lundberg.
According to Sportbladet’s first information, the insurance cost up to three million crowns, and the Vancouver Ice Hockey Association has now reported that it cannot pay the insurance.
It looks too high, says Finnish Ice Hockey Federation financial director Jakku Luommi to Sportbladet.
But it should not only concern the current contract, but also the insurance of future contracts. Something you hear about when it comes to Finnish players?
– I’ve never heard of such a thing as having to insure future contracts. If I were to guess, it looks a little weird. That insurance companies intervene and insure contracts that do not exist yet.
If she were to appear to a Finnish player – would she pay?
– It’s a great honor for a player to represent Finland. And if he wants to do that, it should be our honor to make sure the player is safe.
Many Finnish stars may be related
Finland has so far completed four NHL players at the World Cup at home in Tampere: forward Patrick Lane (Columbus), Kaspiri Kapanen (St. Louis), Joel Armia (Montreal) and veteran linebacker Olli Mata (Detroit). Even striker Sakari Manninen, who played in the AHL during the season, joined VM.
Fler stjörnär was bli aktuelle when the first playoff round ended with Ana Daggarna. Blandmarks Alexander Barkov, Anton Lundel and Eto Loostarinen in Florida as well as Mikko Rantanen and Arturi Likonen in Colorado.
And if the players want to go home to the restroom, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association will do its best to make this happen.
– We have a policy that if we can get the best players here, we will succeed, says Jaakko Luumi.
He adds:
– It will not be covered by insurance. The team is managed by General Manager Jiri Lehtinen and Head Coach Jukka Jalonen. If good players are available, it should not depend on insurance. The IIHF offers 20,000 Swiss francs per player, which is about SEK 230,000.
Many factors come into play
According to Luumi, the total cost of insuring the Finnish Lions at the World Cup is budgeted at a “six-figure amount” in euros, i.e. an amount between 1 million and 11 million kronor.
The single player cost depends on many factors.
– The number of years left in the career, the length of the player’s contract, and what the injury history looks like. If there are many NHL players for us, then, of course, the cost will be much higher than if it is dominated by European players. But it’s worth it, says Jaakko Luumi, who is also part of the organizing staff for the upcoming WC Championship.
We hope to see as many stars as possible here. As the Swedish says.
WC starts in Tampere and Latvian Riga on May 12th.
