In the attention economy of the new age, superstar Mikko Rantanen is destined to be in the second basket, writes Urheilu’s NHL reporter Tommi Seppälä.
Tommi Seppälä NHL reporter
Teemu Selänne never managed back-to-back 100-point seasons in the NHL. Jari Kurri played no less than five consecutive 100-point seasons from the beginning of the 1980s.
It is incredible that Colorado Mikko Rantanen is already playing for the third time in a row through a hundred surfaces. The man from Nousiainte is hitting the scoreboard at the current pace with around 115 power points, which would be a new personal record for the winger.
For Rantanen, Kurri’s five consecutive hundred seasons is full of realism, which seems absurd.
Considering the times we live in with social media channels and all, Rantanen’s dominance seems to go by with surprisingly little attention.
During Kurri’s years, there were no opportunities for close monitoring, but Selänte’s sensational rookie season in the early 1990s was a phenomenon in itself. Despite that, the real-time monitoring was mostly limited to the legendary page 235 of teletext.
Now the cream of the NHL is available every day in such a way that at times Rantanen’s brilliance seems to get less attention and drowned in the never-ending flood of NHL news.
Are we already numb to superstar-level dominance?
The people of the TikTok era seem to be constantly thirsty for new stories and drama. Various twists and turns Patrik Laine or Jesse Puljujärvi in everyday life – also off the rink – are of more interest to the basic consumer than Mikko Rantanen’s nightly brilliance in the world’s toughest ice hockey series, which has developed into a cold, clinical one.
Rantanen just played a month (7.12.–7.1.) without missing a single match without power points. A fourteen-game point streak in NHL bowls is, to put it bluntly, a staggering performance.
Nine goals, including a hat trick, 23 power points and a power statistic balance of +10 tell everything about Rantanen’s current level – we are talking about the best winger in the world. At least we’re close.
Sure, Rantanen’s brilliance is taken into account, but more at the headline level.
The deep ranks of the people speak more when Patrik Laine returns to Columbus with Montreal and barks at his former employer. And there is nothing wrong with this either. Good stories and drama are an essential part of the NHL’s entertainment industry. These stories speak and that is why they are written about.
However, it is good to remind you from time to time where Mikko Rantanen is going right now.
Power points are the most visible part of the glory, but only part of it. The most incredible thing is the athletic level and endurance of the almost hundred-kilogram power forward.
For example, early Thursday morning in Chicago, Rantanen played an unimaginable 27 minutes for an attacker. Matali’s ice time recording in the previous four games was 24 minutes.
Of course, Rantanen can play smart even with a big load. An experienced and intelligent player understands that it is not necessary to participate in all lotteries.
Still, it’s incredible that Rantanen has only been on the sidelines for two games in the previous three seasons. That is, a power forward who thrives on passing and turning corners. A forward who has been tackled 328 times over three years, 16th most of all forwards.
Rantane has no weaknesses. The physics levels are cast in concrete, the skill level, game understanding and technical skills are world class. Goals and points are coming, but at the same time, in three years, this has the fourth most tackles among Colorado forwards and the second most puck steals.
The reading of the power statistics of the previous five seasons is plus 109 goals.
In the attention economy of the new era, Rantanen’s fate is, incredibly, to still be in the second basket. On the North American side, it means staying with your own teammates by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makarin into the shade. The NHL names that resonate most strongly in Finland are Jesse Puljujärvi and Patrik Laine.
There is irony in that when you think about the mess the NHL careers of the latter have been in in recent years. Rantanen is the fifth best scorer in the NHL in the 2020s. Stanley Cup winner and undisputed superstar.
And if we return for a moment to the Turku man’s athleticism: in this decade, only the attackers Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have played in the NHL more than Rantas.
All kinds of stories can fit into the computer age, but you shouldn’t sleep over Rantanen’s best years. The 28-year-old TPS breeder still has several best years left.
Frost is still coming to Finnish NHL hockey, so it’s worth enjoying now. We are spoiled by the Barkovs, Rantas, Ahoi and Heiskas, but time waits for no one.
There is an opportunity to watch the beach again in the coming night. It’s even worth a small sleep debt. Still.