There are stars in the lions’ defense, but also one invisible and completely irreplaceable hero, writes Jussi Paasi.
Completely from another world. In a class of its own.
Miro Heiskanen showed the World Cup crowd what an NHL elite player is like on Friday.
Movement, disc handling, sliding, delusions. All. Heiskanen makes the sport look ridiculously easy. He didn’t even have to sweat in the game.
Heiskanen still had to play with a little caution, as the World Cup is quite different from what a Finnish star is used to playing on the other side of the Atlantic.
Quality salmon, as an Sports expert Ismo Lehkonen described. At the World Cup meeting, Lehkonen opened in detail how exceptional the player is.
And at the same time, on the back lines of the Lions, a player who has once again received less, almost non-existent attention rumbles.
Usually Hietanen is noticed only after the Games. What is the reason?
First, that he does an invisible job in defending the Lions. Work that doesn’t fool the audience. Work for which no headings are written. Work without which Finland would not succeed.
Hietanen has been doing that for an astonishing amount of time. For a dozen years he has been a major player in the defense of the Lions. In complete silence. Hietanen only notices it if he doesn’t play on the back lines of the Lions.
Take a look at Hietanen’s excerpts in the next game. The first feed always leaves quickly and accurately. And it will definitely get there.
Ismo Lehkonen called for special monitoring of Hietanen’s performance. In one-on-one situations, Hietanen will not pass. Not with a disc, and without it.
Hietanen plays ice-cold. Risk control by Jukka Jalonen Hietanen is in complete control. He knows how to play at different stages of the game. There are simply no unnecessary risks in playing Hietanen. The routine level is incredibly tough.
After all, Hietanen stays healthy. Throughout his career, Hietanen, 36, has only played on club teams for intact periods, without injuries.
In this spring’s World Cup, Hietanen has played exactly as Hietanen always plays. Certainly, flawlessly, invisibly.
However, something strange happened in the third round of the Swedish match. One mistake occurred to Hietanen. Then it should be the only one in the Games.
I warmly recommend following player number 38.