Wednesday, April 16, 2025
The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Breaking News
Ad:
This article was published 2 years ago

https://nordictimes.com/sport/time-for-a-new-swedish-hockey-league-season/

Sport

Time for a new Swedish Hockey League season

Published 12 September 2023
– By Editorial Staff
The Växjö crowd cheers for their Lakers.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish Hockey League (SHL) season 2023/2024 is set to start with a bang on Thursday.

On April 24th of this year, Växjö Lakers Hockey celebrated their fourth Swedish Championship gold after a fairly comfortable final series against Skellefteå, where the latter team never truly posed a threat to the Småland team. The starting whistle for a new season is about to blow, and once again, 14 clubs will compete to lift the Le Mat Trophy. Notably, the historic team MoDo is back after seven long seasons in the second highest league Hockeyallsvenskan.

Judging by the TV audience, the SHL has seen a somewhat waning engagement for some time, which can arguably be attributed to none of the popular teams such as DIF, AIK, SSK, or the recently relegated classic Brynäs being in Hockeyallsvenskan. In the opinion of the undersigned, it’s crucial that at least two of these teams quickly return to the top league to reverse the negative trend.

Frölunda, Skellefteå, Färjestad, and the reigning champions Växjö are among the favorites. Our tip is for Frölunda to win the title, following a tight final series against Färjestad.

Opening Round:

Skellefteå-MoDo
Timrå-Frölunda
Leksand-Örebro
Färjestad-Växjö
HV71-Linköping
Oskarshamn-Luleå
Rögle-Malmö

The full schedule can be found here.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

https://nordictimes.com/sport/fifa-hopes-to-see-russia-back-on-the-pitch-soon/

Sport

FIFA hopes to see Russia back on the pitch soon

The war in Ukraine

Published 8 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

FIFA President Gianni Infantino expresses hope that Russia will soon be able to return to international football.

Speaking at the Uefa Congress in Belgrade on 3 April, he stressed that such a step would signal the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and highlighted that football is a path to unity.

Speaking at the congress, Infantino emphasized the role of football as a unifying force, saying the sport can help bring people and nations closer together.

– As talks are going on for peace in Ukraine, I hope we can soon move to the next stage and bring back Russia in the football landscape, because this would mean everything is solved, Infantino said during his speech.

– That is what we have to cheer for; that is what we have to pray for because that is what football is about – to unite, not divide, he continued.

Russia banned since 2022

Russia has been banned from all FIFA and UEFA competitions since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This includes both club and national teams. The decision was taken after several nations, including Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic, refused to play against Russia.

Infantino pointed out that Russia’s return is not only about sport but also about peace.

– If football can play a small role once peace is established, we will certainly contribute.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin also expressed support for Infantino’s view. However, he made it clear that Russia’s re-entry will only happen once the war in Ukraine has ended.

– I have said it many times and I can repeat it: If the war stops, they will be allowed back, Ceferin told the congress.

Gianni Infantino referred to past examples where politics prevented teams from participating in tournaments, such as Serbia’s exclusion from the 1992 European Championship in the wake of the Yugoslav war.

– We must always strive to use football to bring people together, to unite countries, especially in our world that is so divided, said Infantino.

Meanwhile, other organizations, such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), have also discussed the possibility of allowing Russian athletes to participate, but under a neutral flag.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/sport/alexander-ovechkin-becomes-nhls-all-time-goal-leader/

Sport

Alexander Ovechkin becomes NHL’s all-time goal leader

Published 7 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Alexander Ovechkin celebrated his goal record with the "seal" gesture in front of a packed home arena.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Alexander Ovechkin has made history. With his 895th goal in the NHL, he now passes legendary Wayne Gretzky’s 26-year-old record and can now claim the title of the league’s all-time leading scorer.

The record, which many thought was impossible to break, fell during the Washington Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders on Sunday night.

Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal came 7:26 into the second period at UBS Arena. On a power play, he took a pass from Dylan Strome and sent a hard wrist shot from the left faceoff circle past goalie Ilya Sorokin. The goal marked a milestone that will live on in hockey history.

The game was then briefly stopped for a tribute ceremony, where Ovechkin was celebrated by his teammates, opponents and the crowd. Wayne Gretzky, who was on hand to witness the moment, personally congratulated Ovechkin on the ice.

– They say records are made to be broken. But I’m not sure who’s ever going to be able to break this one, Gretzky commented on the historic goal record.

The “unbeatable” record

Wayne Gretzky, who ended his career in 1999, set his previous record with 894 goals in his 20-year career. He passed Gordie Howe’s then record of 801 goals on March 23, 1994.

Gretzky still leads the league in scoring with 2,857 points and 1,963 assists compared to runner-up Ron Francis, who had 1,798 points and 1,249 assists during his career.

However, his scoring record has now fallen to Alexander Ovechkin, who has played his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals since being drafted number one in 2004 from Dynamo Moscow.

With his powerful shot and physical style of play, the now 39-year-old Ovechkin has been a consistent scorer in his 20 seasons in the league. This past season, he missed several games due to a broken left fibula but still managed to reach 40 goals for the 14th time – also an NHL record. He also has the most power play goals (325) and game-winning goals (137) in league history.

With his latest goal, based on available data, Alexander Ovechkin has now scored against a total of 183 different goalies, including Sorokin.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/sport/youngest-vasaloppet-ski-race-winner-ever/

Sport

Youngest Vasaloppet ski race winner ever

Published 3 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Myhlback beats the record from 1922 when 22-year-old Ernst Alm won the first Vasaloppet.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Alvar Myhlback, 18, won Vasaloppet 2025. He became the youngest winner in the history of the race.

Myhlback finished the race with an impressive sprint and passed his competitors on the run-up. This secured him the victory in the prestigious race.

– I‘ve never felt better in my entire life, it’s so damn crazy. I can die happy, says Myhlback to tax-funded SVT.

Myhlback participated in Vasaloppet 2023 and 2024, where he placed eighth and third respectively. Now he becomes the youngest winner in the history of the race, beating the record from 1922, when 22-year-old Ernst Alm won the first Vasaloppet.

Stina Nilsson, 31 years old, made her Vasaloppet debut and won the women’s category.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/sport/armand-duplantis-breaks-yet-another-world-record/

Sport

Armand Duplantis breaks yet another world record

Published 2 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Armand Duplantis shows off his latest world record - 6.27 meters above sea level.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish pole vault king Armand Duplantis has once again set a new world record in the pole vault. This time it happened during Friday’s All Star Perche gala in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The new record is 6.27 meters above sea level.

Armand “Mondo” Duplantis has once again shown his superiority in pole vaulting by setting his breathtaking eleventh world record.

During Friday’s French pole vault gala, the All Star Perche in Clermont-Ferrand, he cleared 6.27 meters on his first attempt – improving his previous record by one centimeter.

– I’m in good shape. So I knew it was possible, says a happy Duplantis to tax-funded SVT.

Own pop song gave “energy”

Duplantis, now 25, showed his class by clearing heights of 5.65, 5.91, 6.02 and 6.07 before going for the world record height.

The jump took place to the tune of his own new song “Bop”, energizing both the crowd and the pole vault phenomenon himself. “Mondo”, together with songwriter and producer Emil Berg and Rasmus Wahlgren, helped create the song.

– I didn’t know how it would be. I jumped to my own song, I didn’t know if I would be able to focus. But it actually made me really excited. It gave me a lot of energy.

With the new record, “Mondo” continues to cement his position as one of the greatest pole vaulters of all time. Armand Duplantis will next compete on home soil in Uppsala on March 13, where he will host the Mondo Classic pole vault gala.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

N

Polaris of Enlightenment

News

Other

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Follow TNT socials!

X-twitter Facebook Telegram Instagram

© 2022-2025 The Nordic Times TNT.
All rights reserved.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Donate

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Donate
Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.