The U.S. Women’s hockey team defeated Finland 5-0 on Saturday, but the scoreline only tells a fraction of the story. Finland’s participation in the Olympic tournament was nearly derailed by a norovirus outbreak, a challenge their head coach, Tero Lehtera, faced with remarkable composure and a touch of theatricality.
The outbreak forced the cancellation of training sessions and delayed Finland’s Olympic debut, initially scheduled against Canada. Several players were confined to their rooms, either preventatively or while battling the illness. “Some hadn’t skated for four days,” Lehtera recalled, highlighting the disruption to their preparation.
Facing the heavily favored Americans after a week of uncertainty presented a daunting task. The 5-0 defeat, coupled with a 49-11 shot disparity, underscored the challenge, but Lehtera refused to dwell on the result, focusing instead on the logistical hurdles his team overcame.
“It was the uncertainty about the number of players we were going to have,” Lehtera explained. “Let’s say we lose five players from our penalty kill. I had six. How much do I have left? It was constantly changing.” Despite the instability, Lehtera maintained a remarkably positive outlook. “But it’s my job and that makes it interesting. I think I like it. The two hours before a match are boring anyway!”
The extent of the disruption was visually apparent during warm-ups. While the American team gradually cleared the ice, the entire Finnish squad remained, still working through drills and regaining their feel for the game. This stark contrast illustrated the physical toll the virus had taken.
“Physically, it was difficult. It was also hard because some players had been in bed for three days and touched the puck for the first time during warm-ups,” Lehtera said. The team’s resilience in simply taking the ice was a testament to their dedication and Lehtera’s leadership.
Lightning-fast transmission
The norovirus outbreak wasn’t isolated to the Finnish team. Switzerland reported a positive case late Friday evening, raising concerns about a wider spread within the tournament. Experts confirmed the virus’s highly contagious nature, and stability.
Benoît Barbeau, a professor of biological sciences at UQAM and a virology expert, explained that norovirus can remain active and infectious on surfaces for a considerable period. “When a virus is expelled from the body, it will settle on a surface: furniture, a fabric… Except that the norovirus has the capacity to remain active and infectious for a certain time,” he stated. He also emphasized that a relatively small number of viral particles are needed to cause infection, increasing the risk in a team environment where athletes share common areas.
The Canadian team was aware of the potential threat. Attacker Blayre Turnbull noted, “We can’t really avoid athletes from other countries at the athletes’ village. We try to go eat during times when it is quieter and we wash our hands a lot.”
No excuses
Barbeau highlighted the physiological impact of the virus. “An infected person will be dehydrated and have an imbalance in fluids. If you want to train, it will not be optimal,” he explained. However, he also pointed out the relatively short duration of the symptoms, typically resolving within 24 to 48 hours.
Despite this understanding, the Finnish camp refused to use the outbreak as an excuse for their performance. “Our only chance was to play smarter than them and we didn’t even come close,” Lehtera lamented. Striker Susanna Tapani echoed this sentiment, stating, “It’s hard to say how we would have played if it hadn’t been for the virus, but that’s not an excuse.”
PHOTO DAVID W CERNY, REUTERS
Land Lehtera, the Finland-Church trainer
Tapani even managed to find a silver lining. “It was not the worst time for an outbreak, because if it had happened later, it would have been even worse,” she noted, adding that the extra rest “was good for me because the season was long and it allowed me to recover.”
The Canadian team, meanwhile, appeared unfazed by the postponement of their initial match. Hockey Canada officials cited a desire to allow players to “digest” the postponement as the reason for canceling media obligations on Thursday.
“No one was angry or discouraged,” Turnbull assured. “We just laughed about it, we said to ourselves that it’s classic, this kind of thing always happens to our group. We laughed about it and rolled with the punches.”
