Stefan Hedlund: The best sport in the world

As a final round up of the World Floorball Championships we have talked to Team USA headcoach Stefan Hedlund.

You finished the World Floorball Championships by defeating Canada and coming 11th?
- Yes it feels real good getting the best result ever for the US national team. As for the game we had a really bad first period. Canada where up by two but we played a really good second period and in the third we where great but we didn't score. We where in the lead by 5-3 but when they scored their 5-4 goal some minutes before the end it became a real thrilling game, says Stefan Hedlund.

You started the WFC with some wins but followed that with some tough losses, what where the feelings going into the last game?
- The feeling was that if we played with heart we would win. There where no bad feeling after the Norwegan game or after the game against Germany. We played two really good games so we had a good feeling before this game.

Speaking of the game against Germany, that was close?
- Yes really close. We had them "on the fork" as we say in Sweden but they slipped away and won in overtime. It felt really unfair.

The US team has a couple of veterans as well as some rookies. Did any players stand out in your mind during the World Floorball Championship?
- I think this is a fantastic team. It was real fun to se the new players as well as the veterans. I can say a lot of names but to just say a few would be unfair to the team. We had three really good formations and three good substitutes as well as two great goalies. I am sorry for the players who didn't play all the games because we have twenty really good players on the team.

What do you think of the future of floorball in the US?
- I think it has a bright future. We know that the development takes time so we have to let it take one small step at a time. I really hope some new people in the US saw one of our games and started to think about how they can help floorball grow in the states. It starts with one person who influences another and then those two people each reach one and so on. Then finally we have hundreds and thousands that want to develop the floorball in the states. And after a few years we are a team for the top eight nations in the World Floorball Championships, says Stefan Hedlund.

Why do you think people love this sport so much?
- It's because it is a game for skillful players. It's a fast game, you need a lot of technique and you need to work hard. Everything happens so fast, you can have a shot one second and the next second the opponent scores in a counterattack. So it's a fast game with a lot of chances and a lot of goals. It's the best sport in the world I think.

And if you have to summarize the WFC?
- It's been a great championships. Great organization here in Sweden as well as a great organization by USA Floorball with a lot of coaches and a lot of sponsors. I couldn't wish for more and the team! It's a great team. Twenty really good players that have done it all. They have given their all whole camp and the whole tournament so I am really satisfied, says Stefan Hedlund.

If you are interested in helping floorball develop in the states feel free to contact us, you can find our different contacts here.

And so Team USA's World Floorball Championships end but there is still a chance to catch some great floorball action. You can watch the semifinals live. There is one between the Czech Republic and Finland at 13:00 CET that you can see here as well as one between Sweden and Switzerland at 17:15 CET that can be seen here. The winners will play the final on Sunday the 14th of December at 15:30 CET and that game can be seen here.

For all the latest World Floorball Championship information visit their website.

Photos by Jussi Panula