The CHL playoffs begin on Tuesday with eight games, and one of the more intersting series to watch will be between reigning Swedish champion Skellefteå AIK and Finnish contender JYP Jyväskylä. JYP sales director Jari Lindström offered his thoughts on the series, and playing in the CHL in general.

 by Sami Iilomo

One of the pairs of teams that will face each other when the CHL playoffs begin on Tuesday is JYP Jyväskylä and Skellefteå AIK.

“Skellefteå are the reigning Swedish champions and they've also done an awesome job in Europe. It’s a very interesting team and good indicator for us,” said Jari Lindström, sales director of JYP.

After the group stage JYP was one of five second-place teams that advanced to the playoffs by winning their last game in Jönköping against HV71. Lindström stated that, prior to the draw, they weren’t thinking about possible opponents and were ready to take on any team.

“We didn’t have any favourites from the draw. I think many Finnish teams were hoping not to face any teams from the same country,” he said, noting that with seven Finnish teams among the final 16 teams, there was a good chance of being drawn against another Finnish side. “We're happy with what we've got and that we are matched up against a good team like that. Thinking from the competitive side we were more interested in facing teams from the other countries.”

Though Sweden is right next door, Skellefteå is not the easiest place to travel to, located in the far north of the country. Lindström doesn’t think that is a problem, though.

“Travelling is a part of the CHL. You travel wherever you have to go. I actually think it adds more flavour to the season, breaking the usual routine. These are one-of-a-kind hockey adventures that we get to do. This is also a wonderful challenge for the organization and the staff.”

Breaking up the usual routine and forcing players to spend long periods of time together is a good way for a team to grow together, which Lindström believes gives CHL teams an advantage over opponents who only play in the domestic league.

“These games are also a chance for the players to spend time together and to get to know each other better. Especially our tour of Central Europe, which included two games in a few days and gave us an opportunity to bond as a team,” Lindström said of JYP's visit to Salzburg and Kloten in early September. He added, “It is also nice to see different kind of fans, cultures and surroundings.”

Lindström also knows that it just seems like a lot of travel compared to the usual ease with which teams usually travel in European domestic leagues. In some other leagues around the world, travelling several hours by plane on a regular basis is normal.

“Compared to the NHL or KHL, where the teams travel these kinds of distances all the time, this is pretty easy for us.”

JYP will start the series in their home rink on 4 November and then play the return game in northern Sweden the following Tuesday.

“It doesn’t matter whether we start the playoffs at home or away. At this stage we need to win both games and there are pluses and minuses both ways,” he concluded, noting the difference between this and a Liiga playoff series. “Because it’s a two-game series there is no home-ice advantage like in our league.”