Finnish hockey stick company gets cheeky with twig offer to Canada's Noah Dobson
What's the Finnish word for sassy?
It's kind of like the opposite of adding insult to injury.
That's sort of what a Finnish hockey stick manufacturer did when it tweeted out a photo of one of its hockey sticks with a note to Team Canada world juniors player Noah Dobson.
In the note, the company felt "sorry your equipment gave up on you at the worst possible moment."
Worst is right! Dobson, a native of Summerside, P.E.I., had an open net staring him in the face in overtime, but upon contact with the ice, the twig literally snapped in two during Wednesday's quarter-finals against Finland, which stunned Canada 2-1 in overtime.
Letter to Noah Dobson<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pamahockey?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pamahockey</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pamahockeystick?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pamahockeystick</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/madeinfinland?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#madeinfinland</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoahDobson?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoahDobson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wjc2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wjc2019</a> <a href="https://t.co/ksPlSiebou">pic.twitter.com/ksPlSiebou</a>
—@PamaHockeyIt all came crashing down on Canada in a matter of moments.
A few shifts earlier, captain Maxime Comtois was awarded a penalty shot early in the extra period after Canadian defenceman Evan Bouchard was hooked on a breakaway. But Comtois, chosen to take the shot by Canada coach Tim Hunter under new rules this year, was turned aside on his low blocker attempt.
The seconds after Dobson's stick broke on his glorious chance, the unexpected turn of events gave Finland an odd-man rush the other way. Unlike Canada's missed opportunities to close the deal, Finnish defenceman Toni Utunen, who just happens to be a Vancouver Canucks prospect, finished off Canada at his future home with a blast that deflected off the stick of Glass and over the left shoulder of goalie Michael DiPietro.
WATCH | Finland defeats Canada in overtime:
'Gift for a great hockey game'
Friday's note went on to say the company was sending along a new stick, the PAMA PHX Carbon, as a "gift for a great hockey game."
The company was lauded online with its clever and timely offering:
Well played PAMA well played. Great marketing's skills. Good luck to the Finns.
—@Krcg83Though others were still feeling the sting of defeat:
<a href="https://t.co/VD8mjAGtnS">pic.twitter.com/VD8mjAGtnS</a>
—@kdcat17Was this a selfless gift for a great game, or an unbelievably clever and cheeky marketing scheme? Who can say for certain?
And as for the offending equipment?
Word on the street, it was a Bauer Nexus … but you didn't hear it from us.
With files from Tim Wharnsby