Artturi Lehkonen, who won the NHL championship in June in the ranks of the Colorado Avalanche, did not want a big public celebration, but he will travel with the trophy to the people who are important to him.
Stanley Cup winner Artturi Lehkonen got to present the coveted trophy at the Varissuo Ice Hall in Turku.
Lehkonen, who won the NHL championship this year with Colorado, moved to Avalance in the middle of the season.
In the playoffs, Lehkonen scored 14 points in twenty matches, eight of which were goals. He decided the championship in the sixth final.
He signed a five-year contract extension with the club.
No big parties
Artturi Lehkonen arrived with his father Ismo Lehkonen and with the two men guarding the Stanley Cup trophy to Varissuo’s ice rink on Friday morning. The visit had been kept in the knowledge of a small circle, as Lehkonen did not want a big public celebration.
A few of the juniors who got there could easily get autographs.
– I have spent quite a lot of time here as a child. During the day, I go around the places where I spent time when I was young. I show this to those who have said Jesus along the way, says Lehkonen.
Field nurses in their spots
Field nurses Jari Lucenius and Leif Vaine closely followed the traffic coming into the hall from the surveillance cameras. Ismo Lehkonen had warned that Artturi Lehkonen would come to feel at the familiar hall in the morning.
Field nurses see thousands of Juniors in training and matches. Many hall users have become Finnish champions, but Lehkonen is the first Stanley Cup winner.
– He always played with his parents and was damn clever even then at a young age and stood out from the crowd. Great to see that the road has gone this far. An NHL victory is the dream of many hockey players, says Lucenius.
– Yes, you can always tell the good ones apart. Ars became good. It’s good to retire in a year. I came after seeing this too, says Vaine.