Lumme still loving Vancouver

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000

By Lucas Aykroyd

They say you can’t go home again, but Jyrki Lumme of the Phoenix Coyotes is always welcomed back with open arms in Vancouver. The 33-year-old native of Tampere, Finland spent eight of his 12 NHL seasons with the Canucks. He proved as gracious and friendly off the ice as he was skilled as a defenseman. Known for his ability to throw a backhand sky-high out of his own zone and his characteristic wide-legged stance when carrying the puck into the opposing end, Lumme racked up 321 points in 579 games in a Vancouver uniform, good for 12th place among the team’s all-time leading scorers. His most memorable performance came in the 1994 run to the Stanley Cup finals, where the Canucks narrowly lost to the New York Rangers in seven games. His move to Phoenix as a free agent in 1998 dismayed many Vancouver fans. This year, Lumme shares the scoring lead among Coyotes defenders (36 points) with fellow Finn Teppo Numminen, and his plus-minus of +15 is outstanding. Lumme, who recently sold his house in the Vancouver neighborhood of Kitsilano, spoke with EuroReport about the good old days and adjusting to life in the desert.

EuroReport: So you and your wife Minna just had another baby?

Jyrki Lumme: Yeah, it’s another girl! We called her Viivi.

EuroReport: Everything went well?

Lumme: Yup. We just have to get them to sleep at night better.

EuroReport: You must be tired enough as it is with the Coyotes’ travel schedule.

Lumme: It’s probably the worst I’ve ever seen this season.

EuroReport: Are you getting used to the weather down in Phoenix?

Lumme: It’s been nice and sunny. We had a couple of cloudy days, and then you feel like sleeping all day. Couldn’t wake up!

EuroReport: You look pretty awake out on the ice. You’ve got to be happy with the kind of ice time coach Bob Francis is giving you.

Lumme: We have a pretty good team, so it’s nice to get the minutes. Overall, things have been pretty good for everybody. We started really good, and the last little while we’ve slowed down. But as long as we keep battling and trying to get our legs out there, we’ll be a pretty good team.

EuroReport: Playing with Teppo Numminen, Mika Alatalo, and Juha Ylönen, you must sometimes think you’re back in the Finnish League again.

Lumme: Yeah, it’s pretty good. They’re all good guys, and we have a lot of fun. I’ve probably found out more news about Finland this year than I did over the last ten years. Every morning, somebody’s talked to somebody. We’ve also got a Finnish massage therapist, Jukka Nieminen. He’s the local Finnish consul, and he keeps us informed.

EuroReport: How much more do you appreciate Teppo Numminen’s defensive game now that you’re on his team?

Lumme: Every day, he’s so steady. He reads the play so well. He’s always in the right place at the right time. He makes the game easy. You just have to work on your own job, and he’ll take care of everything else. I guess people are finally starting to realize how good he is. I thought I knew him pretty well before, but now I know him even better. He’s outstanding out there.

EuroReport: How did you feel about being named one of the thirty greatest Vancouver Canucks of all time this season?

Lumme: It’s a great honor! It’s pretty neat. Obviously we had a good team here for four or five years. To be picked from that group was special to me.

EuroReport: And have you kept in touch with your old Canuck teammate Petri Skriko?

Lumme: Yeah. I haven’t talked to him for a few months, but he’s coaching in Denmark. He quit playing and this is his first year as a coach.

EuroReport: Kiitoskia hyvin paljon! [Thank you very much!]

Lumme: Nakemiin! [Bye!]