RSS Feed
Stanley goes Method
Jun 29, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | Lighter side | Send to a buddy
Euro League IV: A new hope
Jun 09, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | Europe | Send to a buddy
If you’re a European hockey fan, you may want to circle September 9, 2012 in your calendar.
That is the rumored launch date for a new pan-European professional hockey league, that has its foundation in the existing major European leagues. According to both Swedish, Finnish, and German sources, teams are discussing things, but nothing specific has yet been officially announced.
Cont.
That is the rumored launch date for a new pan-European professional hockey league, that has its foundation in the existing major European leagues. According to both Swedish, Finnish, and German sources, teams are discussing things, but nothing specific has yet been officially announced.
NHL.com: A sleep-deprived nation cheers for its heroes
Jun 08, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | NHL | Send to a buddy
Here's one from NHL.com. Click here if you want to see it as is in the wild, or keep reading below.
Back in the day, when Finns dominated the world’s car racing circuit, an adage was born: "You need a Finn to win." It hasn't been as apt in the NHL, with only seven Finnish Stanley Cup winners, and with the first three earning their rings with the same team, the Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s.
Cont.
Back in the day, when Finns dominated the world’s car racing circuit, an adage was born: "You need a Finn to win." It hasn't been as apt in the NHL, with only seven Finnish Stanley Cup winners, and with the first three earning their rings with the same team, the Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s.
Cont.
Stanley Cup Magic
Jun 04, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | Hockey | Send to a buddy
Here's one from the archives, from the pages of Off The Post. A story about Father, Son, and the Stanley Cup.
Cont.
Cont.
Andy Niemi
May 28, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | NHL | Send to a buddy
Finnish goaltender Antti Niemi is one of the big stories in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs. I wrote a piece about him for The Hockey News June 7 issue:
"One day, my father called me to tell me he had been at the local rink to see a junior game and had seen a goalie that impressed him," said Markus Lehto, Niemi's Helsinki-based European agent. "My father is no super scout, but he used to be the CEO of another rink and a team manager with Jokerit, so he knows his hockey."Read the story here (pdf, 3.1MB).
Still, when his father mentioned "Antti Niemi," Lehto thought his dad was kidding. The only Antti Niemi he knew was the Finnish national soccer team's goalkeeper. But Lehto made a note and went to see the kid.
IIHF World Championship 2010
May 04, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | Worlds | Send to a buddy
I will be covering the World Championships in Germany, starting on Thursday, May 6. For the duration of the tournament, please join me at www.ristopakarinen.com where I will post photos, links, and writing, from this side of the mixed zone. And maybe some from the other side.
You can also follow me on Twitter.
You can also follow me on Twitter.
Opposites attract
Apr 25, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | Lighter side | Send to a buddy
IIHF.com: Long and winding road
Apr 18, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | Elitserien | Send to a buddy
STOCKHOLM – A Game 7 of a best-of-seven series surely is the ultimate showdown, but a final round of a round-robin series can be just as nerve -racking and exciting, just as long as the stakes are high. And that’s exactly what they were on the last day of the Swedish qualification series when Rögle and AIK Stockholm were after the one remaining spot in Elitserien next season.
Cont.
IIHF.com: The pride of Stockholm
Apr 01, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | Elitserien | Send to a buddy
STOCKHOLM – The fans were opposed to the move back to the bigger Globe arena, citing the better atmosphere in Hovet as the reason. The fans didn’t like Djurgården’s idea of handing out red T-shirts to people so that they would make up a formidable Red Sea in the stands, because the fans wanted to have their own ideas. The fans didn’t like the fact that Djurgården wanted to play in red sweaters in the first place, because “to them, Djurgården is always blue”.
But as long as the team’s winning, the fans don’t care.
Cont.
But as long as the team’s winning, the fans don’t care.
IIHF.com: Teemu's smilestone
Mar 22, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | NHL | Send to a buddy
Selänne scores 600th NHL goal as the third European player
STOCKHOLM – Teemu Selänne, the Finnish forward who a month ago became the all-time Olympic scoring leader, added another milestone to his resumé when he scored once in the Anaheim Ducks’ game against the Colorado Avalanche, and became the 18th player, and third European, to get to 600 regular season goals.
Cont.
STOCKHOLM – Teemu Selänne, the Finnish forward who a month ago became the all-time Olympic scoring leader, added another milestone to his resumé when he scored once in the Anaheim Ducks’ game against the Colorado Avalanche, and became the 18th player, and third European, to get to 600 regular season goals.
IIHF.com: There's no 'I' in Falk
Mar 15, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | Elitserien | Send to a buddy
STOCKHOLM – Between all great goalies, wonderful snipers, and the smooth-skating defencemen that continually push the game forward, and the grinders and the power forwards who give it another dimension, there’s another group of players that are just as special in their own right, and who personify the will to do anything to win.
Cont.
IIHF.com: Vatanen races to the top
Mar 06, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | SM-liiga | Send to a buddy
JYP’s 18-year-old defenceman breaks rookie record in Finland.
JYVÄSKYLÄ, Finland – Finland, like many European nations, seems to fall into despair with regular intervals. The past, looking back, always so glorious, and the future, unknown and scary. Sure, the Finnish national team came home - in a figure of speech as only three players returned to Helsinki airport after the tournament, and all three had connecting flights to catch - with a bronze medal, but who can Teemu Selänne, Saku Koivu, Sami Salo, Kimmo Timonen, Jere Lehtinen, and Ville Peltonen pass the torch to?
Cont.
JYVÄSKYLÄ, Finland – Finland, like many European nations, seems to fall into despair with regular intervals. The past, looking back, always so glorious, and the future, unknown and scary. Sure, the Finnish national team came home - in a figure of speech as only three players returned to Helsinki airport after the tournament, and all three had connecting flights to catch - with a bronze medal, but who can Teemu Selänne, Saku Koivu, Sami Salo, Kimmo Timonen, Jere Lehtinen, and Ville Peltonen pass the torch to?
Please sign
Feb 02, 2010 by RistoP | 1 assist | Hockey | Send to a buddy
Last weekend, I was in Minsk, Belarus, to see the Russian KHL’s All-Star Game. After the game, I was standing in the mixed zone, listening to former NHLer Ville Peltonen, also a Finnish national hero thanks to his hat trick in a World Championship final against Sweden in 1995, when some fans showed up.
They said, “pleez, pleez” and gave Peltonen some small flags, posters, and a pen. He said, “sure,” and signed a half a dozen autographs, and posed for a few photos.
(Some of my colleagues thought it was such a no-no that the KHL should be fined, but my story’s not going there).
Cont.
They said, “pleez, pleez” and gave Peltonen some small flags, posters, and a pen. He said, “sure,” and signed a half a dozen autographs, and posed for a few photos.
(Some of my colleagues thought it was such a no-no that the KHL should be fined, but my story’s not going there).
IIHF.com: It’s Petrasek’s time
Jan 21, 2010 by RistoP | 1 assist | Elitserien | Send to a buddy
JÖNKÖPING, Sweden – A beard is a funny thing. We’ve all seen all kinds of playoff beards over the years, from a few hairs to a full-facial hair masks, à la Henrik Zetterberg.
A beard also changes the way a person looks and by the time any playoff season comes to the final series, the players have transformed. It takes time, so the difference is most obvious only the day after, or a few days after the last final, when the players show up to a parade all clean-shaven.
Cont.
A beard also changes the way a person looks and by the time any playoff season comes to the final series, the players have transformed. It takes time, so the difference is most obvious only the day after, or a few days after the last final, when the players show up to a parade all clean-shaven.
Cont.
IIHF.com: Nobody does it better
Jan 09, 2010 by RistoP | Comment here | SM-liiga | Send to a buddy
All-time record seals Janne Ojanen’s place in Finnish hockey history.
TAMPERE – All-time records can be double-edged swords. On one hand, they are the true testament to the player’s impact to the sport, and a proof of excellence over a long period of time. On the other, they also often get dismissed because the player in question, the one breaking the record, is almost without exception not the same player as he was in his prime. (Martin Brodeur may be an exception.)
Cont.
TAMPERE – All-time records can be double-edged swords. On one hand, they are the true testament to the player’s impact to the sport, and a proof of excellence over a long period of time. On the other, they also often get dismissed because the player in question, the one breaking the record, is almost without exception not the same player as he was in his prime. (Martin Brodeur may be an exception.)
Cont.
Saku Koivu to captain Finland in Vancouver
Dec 30, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | Finland | Send to a buddy
Sixteen years ago, Team Finland entered the Olympic tournament with anticipation. It had finished seventh, after it beat France in the game for 7th place, a disappointment for a country that had won its first Olympic medal in Calgary, four years earlier.
Cont.
Cont.
Blast from the past
Dec 28, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | Hockey | Send to a buddy
One from the archives:
The first Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins was such a great success, and such a marketing kick for the sport, that it’s no wonder there will be a sequel to that. And this time there’s reason to believe that the sequel might even out-do the original.
Cont.
The first Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins was such a great success, and such a marketing kick for the sport, that it’s no wonder there will be a sequel to that. And this time there’s reason to believe that the sequel might even out-do the original.
Walk this way?
Dec 13, 2009 by RistoP | 2 assists | Hockey | Send to a buddy
Dear Hannes,
Last night after you’d fallen asleep, I had one of my hockey games again. We lost, which is never fun, but I scored a goal which is always fun, so all in all, it was more fun than not.
Skating is so much fun. When I was eight or nine, a little older than you now, I used to dream that it’d get so cold in Helsinki that all the streets would freeze over and I could skate to school. Skating was so much more fun that walking, or running. (For some reason, inlines don't do it for me).
But I did have to to walk to school and back. If I didn't walk with my best friend, I was always kicking pieces of snow and ice, and after school I’d play ball.
Cont.
Last night after you’d fallen asleep, I had one of my hockey games again. We lost, which is never fun, but I scored a goal which is always fun, so all in all, it was more fun than not.
Skating is so much fun. When I was eight or nine, a little older than you now, I used to dream that it’d get so cold in Helsinki that all the streets would freeze over and I could skate to school. Skating was so much more fun that walking, or running. (For some reason, inlines don't do it for me).
But I did have to to walk to school and back. If I didn't walk with my best friend, I was always kicking pieces of snow and ice, and after school I’d play ball.
IIHF.com: An artist arrives
Dec 12, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | SM-liiga | Send to a buddy
HELSINKI – This is exactly the way it wasn’t supposed to be. Jokerit Helsinki had announced that, having had first Doug Shedden and then Glen Hanlon behind the bench, and a string of failed imports on the roster – and several superstars, like Glen Metropolit, and Tim Thomas – this season, they would be an all-Finnish team.
Cont.
IIHF.com: Too Hot To Handle
Nov 20, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | KHL | Send to a buddy
MOSCOW – In 2008, Linköpings HC shocked its fans when it announced that it had rented its three star players, Magnus Johansson, Tony Mårtensson, and Mattias Weinhandl, to the KHL. Johansson went to Atlant Mytishchi, Mårtensson to Ak Bars Kazan, and Weinhandl to Dynamo Moscow.
Cont.
Modo gets heart transplant
Nov 17, 2009 by RistoP | 1 assist | Elitserien | Send to a buddy
ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK, Sweden – Peter Forsberg has crashed a few nets in his time, but on Monday, he - together with a lifelong buddy, Markus Näslund - crashed the Modo Hockey web server when it was announced that both of them would return to the team this season.
Cont.
Phoenix
Nov 16, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | Lighter side | Send to a buddy
On the move, again?
IIHF.com: Always the bridesmaid
Nov 11, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | Worlds | Send to a buddy
HELSINKI – All the Finns really ever wanted was a medal. The country had made its debut in the international stage at the 1939 World Championship in Basel, Switzerland, finished 13th, and then went to war. The real kind.
Cont.
Yeah!
Nov 10, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | Hockey | Send to a buddy
Let''s play hockey.
NHLPA
Nov 10, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | Lighter side | Send to a buddy
Puckarinen's hockey news from a parallel universe.
The finest Hennessy
Nov 06, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | North America | Send to a buddy
Russ Cohen reports from the other side of the Atlantic. He's been to the chocolate town, and has seen the future of Milk Duds. And so much more.
Cont.
Cont.
Karjala Cup
Nov 06, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | Europe | Send to a buddy
Fall break! Wooohooo!! Well, the national team breaks that bring the European leagues to a halt a couple of times a season aren’t exactly the time to hop on a plane to Florida. They’re there to give the top nations a chance to play their friendly games in markets where the national teams sell, and sell well.
Cont.
Always something
Nov 02, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | Lighter side | Send to a buddy
Introducing a new segment on Puckarinen where Mondays are fun days.
News from another hockey world.
News from another hockey world.
Golden Näslund
Oct 30, 2009 by RistoP | 1 assist | Legends | Send to a buddy
STOCKHOLM – We all love winners, and many books have been written about what exactly makes a winner, without a definite answer. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they come from the east and the west. They’re nice guys and they’re tough guys, and they’re forwards, defencemen and goalies.
Looking at a young player, it can be difficult to predict, or tell, who the true winners will be. They’re competitors, sure, but a lot of people compete without winning. There’s something special about the players who always seem to be able to win.
Naturally, they’re easy to spot after the fact - just look at their records - but none as easy as Mats Näslund, the former Tre Kronor and Montreal Canadiens star, who turns 50 on Saturday.
Cont.
Looking at a young player, it can be difficult to predict, or tell, who the true winners will be. They’re competitors, sure, but a lot of people compete without winning. There’s something special about the players who always seem to be able to win.
Naturally, they’re easy to spot after the fact - just look at their records - but none as easy as Mats Näslund, the former Tre Kronor and Montreal Canadiens star, who turns 50 on Saturday.
Cont.
Detroit of Russia
Oct 23, 2009 by RistoP | Comment here | KHL | Send to a buddy
Or maybe Phoenix. This just in:
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), closely watching the financial situation of the Lada Togliatti hockey club, adopted measures aimed at supporting the team. The decision to provide financial assistance to Lada was made by KHL President Alexander Medvedev, and the KHL Board of Directors endorsed his proposal at its recent meeting on October 17, 2009.It ain't easy being a superpower.
In accordance with the decision of the KHL Board of Directors, the KHL sent funds to Lada totaling approximately 17 million rubles (USD 580,000) to assist with operating expenses for the 2009-2010 season.