Kapanen key for Finnish offense

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2002

By Lucas Aykroyd

When the tragic news of Saku Koivu’s abdominal cancer first broke in September, the first reaction of hockey fans everywhere was to wish the star Finnish center a full recovery from his illness. Next, thoughts turned to how Koivu’s absence might affect not only the Montreal Canadiens but also Team Finland at the Olympics. And this is where Sami Kapanen comes in.

While Teemu Selänne has struggled to get ice time and points in San Jose this season, Kapanen has flirted with the NHL scoring lead more than once, playing right wing on a savvy offensive line with Ron Francis and Jeff O’Neill of the Carolina Hurricanes. The nifty 5-10, 180-pound veteran has racked up 50 points in 55 games to date. As the only Finn among the top 20 NHL scorers, Kapanen looks like an obvious go-to guy for Suomi in Salt Lake City.

But in typically modest fashion, the Vantaa native insists that it’ll take more than just what he can provide for Finland to achieve success. Sure, he can fly. He won this year’s NHL All-Star Superskills skating competition in a blazing 14.039 seconds on February 1, repeating his victory from 2000. But he’s not Superman.

“I don’t think it’s just me,” Kapanen told IIHF.com. “I think it’s our whole team that has to pick it up. We’ve got to find other ways to score goals.”

A quick fix might be for Head Coach Hannu Aravirta to reunite Finland’s top scoring line from the 2001 IIHF World Championships in Germany. Kapanen, center Juha Ylönen and left wing Juha Lind combined for 29 points in nine games en route to a silver medal. Kapanen led the tournament with seven goals, including two game-winners.

“That is one option,” Kapanen acknowledged. “Or I might try to play center. I don’t know what they’re going to decide. Whatever is good for the team, that’s my job. I’ve got no wish list of whom I’m gonna play with. I just want to go out and have fun and play well.”

Undoubtedly, the 28-year-old graduate of Kalpa Kuopio and HIFK Helsinki will contribute more than the single assist he notched at the Nagano Olympics in 1998.

Even so, is it realistic to believe that his team has a shot at the gold medal in this tournament? In recent weeks, a subtle trend among players and hockey commentators has been to allude to the Big Five—Canada, Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the USA—rather than the Big Six. Like the rest of his Finnish teammates, Kapanen relishes playing the role of the underdog, and he sees an opportunity ahead.

“My expectations are fairly high,” said Kapanen. “It’s a short period of time to play those games, and basically you need to win the last three games in the tournament. We’re counting a lot on the defense behind our team, and if we get the special teams going on, it makes a big difference in a short period of time. I think we have a pretty good chance.”

With all the question marks surrounding this year’s Team Finland, it seems as if many people have forgotten that this little nation of 5,000,000 inhabits captured the bronze medal in 1998, emerging victorious in the last game against Canada with second-string netminding and without Teemu Selänne. This time, with no Koivu in the lineup, Kapanen will continue to promote the concept of teamwork.

“That’s the key for Finland every time we get together. We want to support each other and play for each other and that’s the way we get some success.”