The fans – Thank you for the wonderful derby at the Avicii Arena.
What a setup I provided and the atmosphere was top notch.
The focus of the hockey game was on Stockholm on Wednesday evening.
Not for a SHL or international match or something.
But because AIK met arch rival Djurgården for the first time 10 years ago in the national ice hockey arena.
The only real hockey derby.
The preliminary match before the match was special to say the least, as the organizing club AIK, very quickly and not well thought out, chose to insult Djurgarden fans.
But the supporter – Sweden came together and in the end AIK club management could not withstand the massive criticism and changed the decision not to let rival fans in.
Now it was the kind of match and atmosphere we wanted. He also needs hockey.
Two big heels, yard sold out, anticipation in the air was palpable.
There must be a fair amount of excitement
It is one thing to do well at Hockeyallsvenskan. But winning a derby against an opponent is much more, and much more important, and the derby winner always jumps out of bed the morning after the match and brags all day about how good the team is and is fond of the opponent’s abilities. Life is at its peak in a special and emotional way.
Hockey Allsvenskan and AIK chose to work it all out in terms of safety and routine before the match. High fences, a partially enclosed arena, trenches, mass guards, mounted police and strict security upon entry mean that there are long queues outside the stadium at the scheduled start time of 19:00. There was a lot of concern ahead of the derby that dark forces might ruin the party over the fall break. Tensions between AIK and Djurgården have risen in recent months and with a recent football derby match in memory framed by Bengal throwing and a violent atmosphere, there have been moments of anxiety.
The excitement must be there. But decent.
Now the double derby is a popular party with great vocals, witty songs and just the right amount of excitement as the match lives from the first minute to the end in sudden death. There were a lot of NHL scouts from North America in the arena to catch a glimpse of the talent of AIK Dalibor Dvorsky and many of them photographed the big heels and admired the atmosphere.
It was an audience party.
We thank the fans for that.
This is exactly what the Stockholm Derby should be.
AIK is the little brother of Stockholm ice hockey. It has been that way since 1984.
And if you want to be able to threaten Djurgården, everything has to go well, a turbo tuned crew, the sun at the right angle and the pole inside is a must.
That was the feeling in Avicii, too.
Run with many winners
Djurgården has a very different team and strength than AIK has at its disposal. For example, Djurgården has more match experience in AHL than AIK players in SHL. The budget of a Djurgården player is more than twice that of an AIK player.
AIK got that important influx early in the game when Maksim Semjonov scored his first goal of the season when he found an open goal after a rebound from strong play. It was also AIK who mostly played on sentiment and with Derby Heist inside the shirts. They wanted to annoy Big Brother and succeeded in that for a long time.
In the middle period, AIK could not keep up.
Djurgården veterans Linus Klasen and Daniel Brodin scored 1–2 and 1–3. Both full hits were super goals and outstanding shots as AIK goalkeeper Niklas Lundstrom didn’t stand a chance.
AIK put in a valiant effort in the third game, leveling 3-3 4-4, electrifying the host crowd and leading to the sudden death of the match. The ups and downs of the match were great and it made the derby an enjoyable experience.
Djurgården won in a sudden eventful death. Liam Öhgren champions the match after a shot between Lundström’s legs.
It was a derby with many winners. AIK did not win the match, but perhaps the hearts of the fans with a warrior attitude against Big Brother.
They are also two teams with completely different goals for this season. Djurgården will return to SHL immediately. Immediately. A derby win gives better confidence and self-esteem in the journey the team is taking.
AIK is on a longer journey as he has been chosen to rebuild the squad before the season and invest more in younger players. So far, the investment has not gone well and the defense should improve. AIK, along with Östersund, are the two teams that conceded the most goals in Hockeyallsvenskan, for example.
The match’s biggest hero wasn’t Djurgaarden goalkeeper Karl Lindbaum or any of the scorers.
It was the fans.
Thanks for the party crowd, excitement and atmosphere.