Joonas Pylsyn, 33, a successful floorball career is over. The two-time world champion and four-time Finnish champion suffered a cerebellar infarction during the warm-up of the match against Norway at the World Cup in Switzerland last year, which took the striker to intensive care at a hospital in Zurich.
Pylsy, who told Urheilu about the scary events in January, has rehabilitated well in a little less than a year, and there are no more symptoms. He has tried to return to the rink in the shirt of his Swiss club SV WIler-Ersigen, but the mental block is too great.
Playing scares and unnerves.
– In August, I visited a neurology specialist, who said that physical fitness and mental readiness could be a problem when it comes to returning. Physically I could probably play, but mentally there is nothing to give, says Pylsy.
– The event left big mental scars on life and sports. I’ve tried gaming, but right now I’m very scared, anxious and having panic attacks about the same thing happening again.
Read more: Joonas Pylsy, who suffered a cerebral infarction in the middle of the World Cup tournament, tells about his nightmare – his own baby was fighting for his life in the hospital at the same time
Pylsy has been training with Wiler’s representative team and the juniors, and the problems have not gotten as bad in the training sessions. He has also been in his team’s lineup in a few Swiss league games, but he has not been seen on the court in games.
– On training days, I have hardly been able to do anything but fear the upcoming training sessions. I’ve been working on it with a psychologist, but getting over this is such a big project that I don’t see any possibility of returning to the rink in a quick timeframe.
“At some point the game had to be interrupted”
Pylsy told his teammates about his retirement on Thursday, and the announcement concreted the decision once and for all. The team was surprised, because the Finnish center has nevertheless been able to play and participate in training.
The constant answering of questions about his health and when he will play again started to take its toll. Now he will move to junior coaching for the rest of the season, and no one has to ask anymore.
– I just went to the workplace and tried to finish from where the fence was lowest. I haven’t been able to enjoy playing the way I used to, and I’ve realized that I could never get back to the top level I’ve been at. It also started to rain.
The father of two children is happy and grateful, because the incident has not left him with any permanent physical injuries. Although the way to end a career is not ideal, it could have been much worse.
– Sähly is quite a small thing, even though it has been a big part of life for 26 years. Of course, the decision hurts and you wonder if this is the right time and the right solution, but at some point the game has to be stopped.
– There is life even after a sports career, and now we have to look ahead. This is now the beginning of a new era.
Summer cottage with electricity bills
Pylsy, who played 71 international matches, will be remembered in the field of sports as a tenacious fighter who always performed better the higher the stakes in the game. He won four gold medals in Finland with Happe (2014) and Classic (2017–2019), and he was chosen as the best center forward at the 2018 WC Gold Championships in Prague. Few Finns have a similar title.
FC Vaajakoski grew his ability to drive opponents to the brink of rage with his unyielding attitude.
– I’ve always hated losing, no matter what sport it was. Sometimes there have been tricks and other things in order to win, but the background has always been a passion for winning.
– There are certainly a lot of people who didn’t like my style. Apologies to everyone who has been upset that I’ve been a little mean, but maybe I’ve been a little different person outside the rink, Pylsy says with a twinkle in his eye.
Pylsy, who was chosen for the Finnish World Cup team for the fourth time, is proud of his career and what he accomplished on the rink. The excerpts were taken into account all the way to the office of the president of the republic, and Pylsy was going to represent the sport at the 2019 Linna party.
You can no longer perform in front of large audiences, but the memories are dear.
– I was never the most talented player, but with hard work I was able to go all the way to the top of the world. I have been able to play in the best teams and have had success as well. However, the journey has been more important than trophies and others.
– I really don’t miss everyday things, and I’ve been an individual athlete in a team my whole career. You miss playing for 10,000 people at the World Cup, because you don’t get that feeling in normal life. I am lucky to have been able to experience those moments.
The master of business sciences sees himself in the future in economic life and the financial world. Few people get a stone house earned by playing floorball, but Pylsy has come even close.
– Well, I was able to buy a summer cottage with sähly money, but I can’t retire just yet, Pylsy laughs.