Ismo Lehkonen, Artturi Lehkonen’s father, explains why his son has joined the Colorado team so quickly.
When Artturi Lehkonen directed Cale Makarin line shot toward the Edmonton guard Mike Smith and then was able to shoot towards the empty goal, father Ismo Lehkonen at home time stopped.
– One second became three seconds. It felt like the Sámi wouldn’t pass by now, Ismo Lehkonen tells Urheilu.
When Artturi’s son fired the puck into the net, the father’s overwhelming feeling was relief.
– It’s exactly who scores the goal, even if it sounds like a cliché. There was a really relieving feeling because the match series ended 4-0. The main thing is that the solution came now, and they will be able to lick the wounds and the fuel tank a little, Lehkonen explains.
Lehkonen reminds that the team’s resources are limited. Now, however, Colorado has a nice time charging up towards the Stanley Cup finals and waiting for the opposing team to settle.
Sounds analytical and it seems that Lehkonen really thinks a lot about the situation in Colorado as a team.
How do you follow Arttur’s extracts in general, is it different from other matches?
– It may take a while. Between the other two teams, I look at both teams and how they can accomplish the winning things. When my own boy’s team plays, I watch that team perform, Lehkonen says.
Lehkonen says that he is following in particular how the team is able to do things differently according to the way they play.
– If it’s from others all the time, then there’s a strong feeling all the time that this will be a good thing. That’s why there’s been strong confidence here all along. Colorado now plays hockey so well that the opponent would have had to come up with miracles to make it, Lehkonen says.
“Positive surprise”
Lehkonen is already familiar with the finals, as he also made it to the finals of the Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup a year ago. Lehkonen also became the second player in NHL history to take his team to the finals twice with a rematch.
Previously, the same trick was successful Gordie Drillon between 1938 and 1939.
Father Lehkonen first laughs when he is asked where Arttur’s ability to solve big matches comes from. After that, he gets serious again, and speaks more analytically.
He raises the issue of recurrence again. In Montreal, Lehkonen played brilliantly with a clear game plan Philipp Danault’n and Brendan Gallagherin with.
– The entire Colorado team, on the other hand, has a clear game plan. If recurrence happens, then for someone it just happens to come. It was a nice positive surprise that for the second time in a row, the repetition, which has been done all the time, then clicked on Arttur, Lehkonen says.
In the home auditorium, change one at a time
Lehkonen, who moved from Montreal to Colorado in March, has quickly joined his new team. Laituri hit 6 + 3 = 9 in 16 regular season matches. The same pace has continued in 14 playoff games with 6 + 5 = 11 points.
According to Lehkonen, there are no huge miracles behind the successes.
– Artturi has been able to play in the NHL for an awful lot of years, in addition to which he once played in Frölunda. I’m not saying they played identical hockey, but the same style of hockey as Colorado. “Arsi” can now play with instincts. When it comes to going, Lehkonen says.
Colorado Avanlanche will play in the Stanley Cup finals against either the New York Rangers or the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last year, Lehkonen was with Montreal when the team bowed to Tampa Bay 1–4.
While running in Colorado, the Stanley Cup hasn’t circulated in Dad’s mind yet.
– If Colorado is able to play second-hand the way the head coach has been pursuing for two years now, then they really have a good chance of winning the pitcher. That’s why my follow-ups and all the stuff go one exchange at a time. No shift can be taken forward, even in the home auditorium.