King of Finland

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Risto

“The Crown Princess waved at me!”
– Son, outside the Royal Castle in Stockholm, June 19, 2010 at 6 pm

We made the trek from our Stockholm suburbia to downtown Stockholm, the self-proclaimed Capital of Scandinavia, now, thanks to the Royal Wedding also doubling as the love capital of the world. The subway ride was free partly to make sure no idiot – especially a Finnish-born idiot – would decide to drive to the city, and partly because the Princess herself wanted to keep her wedding as environmentally friendly as possible.

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A backstory

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Risto

In hindsight, it was obvious. The unwillingness to admit a mistake and the bossy attitude were there. He even had that certain look, that posture, the quick step in his walk, and the majestic jaw – a “Disney jaw” his old school nurse had called it, the same one who always said he’d grow up to be Somebody.

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Open letter to the guy who went without Internet for four days: me

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Risto

Welcome “back”, man.

I know it’s tough to find great participatory journalism projects, something to really throw yourself into these days, and I suppose your “stunt” is just a sign of the times, but still, dude, “to be without Internet”?

Two words, buddy: “Oooooooooooo-ooooh.”

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To boldly go where Newman has gone before

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Risto

A few days ago, I heard an interesting radio show about an experiment some Washington Post reporters ran, on themselves.

So when eight Post reporters got to talking about their attachment — no, addiction — to their BlackBerrys, phones, Twitter and Facebook, it was only natural that someone said, okay, let’s go without, if only for a week. No Web, period. If you need to talk to someone, do it in person or by phone.
Everyone got excited: What would our friends and loved ones think if we didn’t respond to their texts and e-mails? Would we be able to do our work? Could we make it five whole days?

Some of them did.

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NHL.com: A sleep-deprived nation cheers for its heroes

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Risto

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.

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Ten things I’ve learned about life by playing hockey

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Risto

I don’t know how many hours I’ve spent playing hockey, and even less, how many hours I’ve spent sitting in a locker room, or in the parking lot, talking to teammates about the games, and … stuff.
Or how many hours I’ve spent watching, listening to, or reading about hockey.

Let’s just say that I started about 35 years ago, and haven’t quit yet.

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Stanley Cup Magic

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Risto

Here’s one from the archives, from the pages of Off The Post. A story about Father, Son, and the Stanley Cup.

And he was even happier when he saw the blue travel case.

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Hello, neighbor

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Risto

I guess that just like we all like to think of ourselves as great drivers – or at least better than average – we all probably think we’re the ultimate neighbors. Because – realistically – who wouldn’t want to live next to me, right?

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Coming out of the dark

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Risto

Last week, I shared an elevator with a Russian man who was wearing a pink pullover and pink pants. We shared the elevator going down and I went to see if I couldn’t find a place where I could buy chips and a Coke, he to see if he couldn’t own the dance floor at the Piano Bar in the lobby.

He was successful. I wasn’t.

A big man.

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Andy Niemi

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Risto

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.”
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.

Read the story here (pdf, 3.1MB).