Report: Team Finland fires world junior coaching staff

Fredrik Karlstrom, left, of Sweden and Olli Juolevi of Finland battle for the puck at the WJC. (Paul Chiasson/CP)

After major disappointment at the 2017 World Junior Championship, Team Finland has fired the coaching staff of its junior team according to reports.

Sami Hoffren, a Finnish NHL correspondent, reported the team fired head coach Jukka Rautakorpi and three assistants after they were officially sent to the relegation round when Switzerland beat Denmark in a shootout earlier in the day.

Finland, who became the first defending gold medallist team to fall into the relegation round in the history of the tournament, will now play a best-of-three against Latvia. The loser of that series will get relegated to Division I of next year’s event, while the winner will return to the main group of the WJC.

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