A Highly Criticized Tradition in Stockholm

[thadthrasher 1,692]

An artist's depiction of the Stockholm Vikings setting sail into the Baltic Sea, on course for Oslo.

 

There is a tradition in Stockholm that has only recently caught the attention of VHLE fans around the world. It’s something that the Stockholm Vikings has done since the beginning of the VHLE in S80, but is only recently gaining any sort of international and world-wide attention, while it has become sort of a holiday in Stockholm. It’s the annual “Longboat Sail.” A rather risky, yet well received tradition.

 

S80

The first game that the Stockholm Vikings had was not only a home game, but was against a fellow Swedish team. In their first game in S80, the Stockholm Vikings hosted the Vasteras Iron Eagles. As a way to hype up the crowds, and call the city of Stockholm together, the entire team and staff of the Stockholm Vikings boarded a Longship, sailed up to Vasteras, blew Viking War  horns, and returned to Stockholm. It became a symbolic gesture, something that called back to the fighting spirit of the original Vikings.

 

S81

After seeing the pride that exuded from fans and players, the organization decided to do this again in S81 when the Vasteras Iron Eagles hosted the Stockholm Vikings. The Vikings, again, boarded a Longship and sailed up to Vasteras. This time, after blowing the Viking War horns, they left the ship and headed to the Iron Eagles arena.

 

S82

While everyone was behind this growing tradition, S82 threw a curveball at the team and organization as a whole. If they wanted to continue this tradition, they had to decide what to do if their first game was an away game for a team that was not within easy sailing distance. Well, S82 had the first Vikings game against Oslo, in Oslo! Without a direct route there by boat, the team had to think of something. After talking with players and staff, everyone agreed that the tradition was meaningful, and worth keeping despite the dangers of sea travel. So, everyone boarded a Longship at the Port of Stockholm, and they set sail in the Baltic Sea. They stayed close to the shore along the way, travelling around 16 knots, which got them to Oslo in just under 2 days. Because the team would need to rejuvenate after such intense travels, they left a few days before the first day to allow for travel and recuperation time. The trip brought 0 complications, and even though they were tired, the tradition that lived on breathed life into the team like never before. They truly felt like Vikings.

 

S83

When the VHLE announced that S83 was going to start the same exact way, the Stockholm Vikings knew what they wanted to do. Set sail. They followed the same procedure as they did in S82, and with the knowledge that they had from the previous trip, confidence was even higher this year. The team collectively learned various songs to sing, drank heavy amounts of mead, and feasted on the Longship whenever they could. It was as if Odin was truly smiling upon the team. This time, though, the Vikings not only landed in the Port of Oslo, but they marched throughout the city, blowing their Viking War horns, and they made their presence known.

 

While some have criticized this tradition, no one is made to participate who does not wish to do so. And, to this day, no player nor staff person has ever turned down the opportunity to dig deep into the roots of the Viking. To Valhalla!

 

 

A sample of what a Viking War horn sounds like. Imagine this echoing throughout your city....terrifying.

 

 

 

[Arce 755]

I was a big fan of the show Vikings, so I especially enjoyed this read. Love the creativity, Thad!

[thadthrasher 1,692]

16 minutes ago, Arce said:

I was a big fan of the show Vikings, so I especially enjoyed this read. Love the creativity, Thad!

Thanks!

[der meister 3,188]

I never watched the show Vikings and honestly know very little about that culture aside from the standard cliches, so I finally idea of a hockey team taking a long boat to battle, so to speak, quite interesting. I do have a glimmer of pride in this concept and the franchise; I briefly had a player on the Stockholm Vikings, way back in season 50, but it didn't work out so well, and I was traded to the New York Americans after my rookie season. Grammatically, this was an easy read, and I find no faults with the formatting. 10/10