The Florida Panthers secured the first Stanley Cup in their club history early on Tuesday, June 25. It will be two weeks soon.
Had a great season Anton Lundell22, even after returning to his native Finland, was embarrassed by everything that had happened and what was going on.
– Of course, it’s been incredibly great. It’s a dream come true in every way. It’s still hard to understand properly. We are winners for the rest of our lives.
– It’s been a pretty wild week and a half, Lundell admitted to Urheilu on Friday.
“It was pretty special”
In addition to Lundell, the captain celebrated the NHL championship in Florida Alexander Barkov, Eetu Luostarinen, Niko Mikkola and assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu. Lundell led the triple chain as a center so reliably that he got the nickname “mini-Barkov”.
It has been difficult for Lundell to have time to comprehend everything that has happened, because “it’s all gone now”.
– Everyone dreams of winning, even more of winning the Stanley Cup. I myself have watched the summary videos of everything in the world and probably every decision game of the finals over the years.
– Then suddenly you’re there playing and you win the prize you’ve always dreamed of.
At the championship party, the players wanted to walk around with the Stanley Cup trophy as much as possible, because according to Lundell, everyone understood how unique moments were lived.
Even though the championship parade was organized, Lundell brings up the moments immediately after the deadlock in the final series.
– One of the funniest moments was when we won in the home arena, then we celebrated in the locker room, families and friends came there. It was one of my highlights. We were able to share such a moment with loved ones and families. It was pretty special.
This summer, the Stanley Cup trophy will arrive in Finland on a historically extensive tour – that’s how many Finns were on the team. Lundell has never been to Finland to watch the Stanley Cup during the trophy’s previous trips.
Lundell still doesn’t know when it will be his time to lift the trophy in his home country. The timetables are not clear.
– It is eagerly awaited.
At least the “boy” can go to the sauna. All ideas are allowed as long as the trophy is not broken, Lundell smiled.
A salary increase of millions
Lundell’s wild weeks have been completed by a new contract extension. At the beginning of July, Florida announced that it has signed a six-year, $30 million contract with its center.
Panthers booked Espoo’s Palloseura and HIFK’s nursery in the summer of 2020 on the 12th of the opportunity. Lundell has played three seasons in the NHL.
– I fell in love with Florida as soon as I went there. It became home immediately. I have enjoyed every moment. It was an easy decision for me to stay in Florida, as long as we can come to an agreement.
– Now we got the job done, and I’m really excited about the opportunity. I hope to be involved in building something big.
In his previous, three-year rookie contract, Lundell made $925,000 per season. From that, the jump to the seasonal earnings of five million dollars, or 4.6 million euros, is a well-deserved but brisk salary increase.
– Well… I’m not used to these contracts and amounts, Lundell admits.
– Yes, the work is pushed even harder here. It’s great that the club showed their trust in me.
Sometimes there is a lot of scolding from the coaches
After his NHL booking, Lundell played one more season in the SM league at HIFK. He emphasizes that he doesn’t know how other NHL clubs deal with newcomers, but for him, the beginning in the money bowls went smoothly.
– First of all, there are only top personalities in our team. It was easy to get into. Of course, “Sasha” (Barkov) as a leader helped me a lot.
– I have tried every day to do everything as well as possible, to develop as a player and as a person. Three years have gone by really fast and nothing but good memories so far.
Lundell’s start in the NHL was so special that in the fall of 2021 he will be the head coach Joel Quenneville was allowed to leave because of a scandal that happened in Chicago back in the day. Since then, Lundell’s head coaches have been Andrew Brunette and Paul Maurice.
In order for his NHL career to have progressed so convincingly and his self-confidence preserved, Lundell emphasizes the open opportunity for development he received from coaching.
– Sometimes there were more difficult moments, sometimes the coaches have been quite hard on me. We learn from them. After all, they only meant well.
– I got the feeling that I wanted to give something back. I don’t know of a better way to show off than to win the Stanley Cup. I was able to show that this is why they booked me.
Difficult times can be found, for example, in Lundell’s second season, 2022–23. Paul Maurice brought a new game system.
– It took me a while to understand and learn. There were a lot of discussions about how I should play so that I can help the team more. But like I said, it’s part of a young player’s path that sometimes the coach breathes down his neck and sees how he performs under pressure. There’s a reason for that.
Fun from the Finnish gang
After moving to the NHL, Lundell lived with Barkov for a while. At that point, Barkov, now 28, had already been the club’s captain for three years.
Other Finns also helped in adapting. Ruutu started as an assistant coach at the same time. Luostarinen, 25, had time to transfer to the Panthers the previous season before Lundell’s NHL start.
Lundell says that he spent so much time with Luostarinen that other Florida players have dismissed the “brother duo”. For the championship season, the Finnish team was completed with 28-year-old Mikkola.
– It has been incredibly cool to have Finns around. We always have fun together. We are all really close, Lundell summarizes.
When the competition is fierce, the contacts and joys of free time are valuable. Even though the Finnish gang is having fun, Lundell is particularly excited about his wider club environment.
– It’s one of the best things. When we go on a guest trip, we are excited to be with you. That’s one of the reasons we won. We are like a big family.
Before returning to the Florida family, it’s time to calm down and practice. After the interview, Lundell headed to the cabin.
– The party is now celebrated. I have to go to the cabin to calm down a bit and fish. Trying to enjoy the Finnish summer. It’s nice to be at home in Finland and enjoy the company of loved ones and friends.