Mikael Granlund has grown into one of the largest lion players of all time, writes Tommi Seppälä, a Sports NHL journalist.
Tommi Seppälänhl journalist
“Did you see which paint the guy strikes!”, Screamed at the lion’s voice Antero Mertaranta May 2011.
That’s where it started – Mikael Granlund Sky to be one of the all -time lion players.
Granlund, who had just moved to Helsinki just before Oulu, had just put a reel into the Russian network in the golden spring of Bratislava with iconic aircraft. And no more or less than in the second round of the semi-final in 0-0. Didn’t cold at the time of Granlund’s head at the time, and has not cold since then.
Granlund started in the same match yet Jarkko Immonen The 3-0 hit for the match. Even in the finals, the point ran into the account.
Oulunsalo -based Granlund will never reach Raimo Helminen or Lasse Oksanen match numbers when it comes to all time lion legends. The aforementioned Tampere legends played a total of more than 600 times in the Lion Shirt. Still, Granlund can already be considered one of the all-time lions at the age of 32.
Two world championships and many big personal successes at important moments have cemented the position.
Who finally was surprised when Granlund struck a reel on the Swedish network late Saturday night in overtime in the national team’s top tournament? In a match that Finland had to win.
Answer: No one was surprised.
Granlund is not the brightest jewel of Finnish top ice hockey. Of course, this is referred to as the dock on the dock canvas immediately after the aircraft was set. The smoothed Finnish ice hockey culture had not produced players to the NHL level in male memory, but now Finns would have Granlund-tomorrow’s NHL star.
The number one player from Granlund never came to the NHL, even though he grew into a brutally high quality and versatile player. Now this is already a second basket in Finland, as the new generation of superstars Alexander Barkov and Mikko Rantanen The leadership has passed.
The man of the big moments
But that’s something in Granlund.
Granlund has an incredible ability to emerge in the national team whenever the lions need it most. The list of successes is not short. In his first World Cup 2011, Granlund was the second best scorer in Finland. In the 2014 (Olympics) and 2016 tournaments, Granlund was a frontman on the point exchange.
In the Golden Home Games in Tampere, the investment was second and in the current top tournament in the current top.
And the point balance has not consisted of spoken second passes.
Sochi Olympics 2014. The quarter -finals of the tournament that has been invested in the tournament and, after the tournament, against Russia that has gone to Crimea. Granlund introduces a 2-1 hit by Teemu Selänne and finishes the final score to 3-1. In the bronze game, Granlund scored a 1-0 goal and a 4-0 hit, both by Selänne.
At Sochi Olympics only Phil Kessel and Erik Karlsson They made more power points in Granlund. That is, in the tournament, where all the best in the world played.
World Championships 2016. In the quarter-finals of power 2+0, in the semi-finals against Russia introduction Sebastian Aho for an important 1-1 leveling.
World Cup final in Tampere 2022 against Canada. Leveling to 1-1, lead to 3-1 and finally epic Sakari Manninen The transverse feed that led to the overtime hit by overwhelming another Oulu player tape. Classic 2+1 and gold medal on the neck.
Granlund is an invaluable glue and soul player for the national team. Not a soul player in the sense where opponents are driven through the end boards. Rather, where you go under the tackle yourself, no matter how hard the tackle is if you can make the game.
When the United States against Ahon, Roope Hintzin and Patrik Laine The second chain didn’t clearly work, who was dug out? Granlund. And always begins to happen. Tempo is rising, fighting is improved and loose discs begin to stay on their own players. The MG64 is like a defibrillator that restores your heart rate to almost any chain.
Or even in special situations. As an intelligent player, Granlund plays both the overwhelming and underpower at the elite level.
Almost invaluable
It is precisely the versatility, the high level of skill and the exceptional qualities of the solver have made Granlund a lion legend of his time. Granlund is not an individual Teemu Selänne and not as a leader Saku or Mikko Koivu A hard charisma leader, but still almost invaluable player to Finland anywhere in Karkel.
Granlund, a relaxed and relaxed nature, does not represent the traditional stubborn Finnish male type, but he does not like to bring himself out. After the games, Granlund is not in the dressing room waiting for the press or opening the secrets of family life or twists and turns somewhere in Aviis. But when the overalls are put on, Mikael Granlund is all that traditional lion values represent.
The work ethic is mercilessly hard and the team always takes precedence over the individual in Mikael Granlund. When combining this entity with a hard personal skill level and a ruthlessly hard game head, we talk about a tough winner.
A couple of world championships, the Olympic medal of the best tournament and the letter to the lion’s breast did not come by chance.