One Finn has been in the headlines on the Swedish side in recent days. His name is Emil Larmi. The fresh Swedish ice hockey champion from Monday evening.
Larmi was taken, for example, to the filming of Aftonbladet, one of Scandinavia’s largest newspapers. Larmi was painted gold. He posed with his upper body bare.
– It was perhaps not the most pleasant experience. I wouldn’t necessarily have been the first volunteer in line, but traditions are traditions, Larmi laughs to Urheilu on Wednesday morning.
Aftonbladet has organized similar events in the past.
– It had to be taken care of from below. Certainly a nice memory for the future. If once Jörgen Jönssön has received the same fate before and will receive the same himself. You can put someone’s memory on the shelf, Larmi says and refers to one of the greatest legends of Swedish ice hockey.
By Tuesday morning, the gold color had worn off.
– As far as I know, there is no color anywhere anymore. Yes, it was possible to shake it off a bit. After all, it was a slippery color. There was no need to take a barrel bath, Larmi described.
Larmi was Växjö’s big hero in the Skellefteå final series, as he was awarded as the most valuable player of the playoffs. The award is named after the Swedish goalkeeper of the Yaroslavl KHL team who died in a plane crash Stefan Livin by. Larmi is the first goalkeeper to win the Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy.
– As such, I don’t really care who gets the award. Winning the championship is the biggest thing. Compared to that, this award is a very marginal thing, but of course it feels good. After hearing after the fact, after whom the award is named and it has not been distributed to the goalkeepers. The award increased its value afterwards, Larmi describes.
Ghost fighting went in a fog – even after the championship, there was work
The goalie from Lahti gave a boost in the fifth final match that decided the final series, especially with one ghost save. It garnered praise from many directions. NHL legend on Swedish TV Kevin Lowe hailed the save as one of the best he had seen.
Larmi laughs when asked about the save.
– On average, every visitor has asked about it. It was one situation among others. Glad it happened that way. The situation went in a blur when there is so much at stake, Larmi acknowledged.
In the fight, however, the hand had time to take a hit when the puck hit the thumb. It is swollen, but the situation improves with teeth clenching.
However, there hasn’t been much need to grit your teeth in recent days. You can hear cheerfulness over the phone in any case.
The Finnish goalkeeper is generally in a cheerful mood when he gives an early morning interview by phone.
– There was quite a lot of representative work pushed into yesterday. So he has also been able to work. Then maybe it’s a bit more in good shape, Larmi laughs.
Future fatherhood has put things on the scale
Larmi got to celebrate the Finnish championship in 2019, when HPK surprised Oulu Kärpä in a dramatic series of seven matches. The championship was decided in the overtime.
– This spring I especially remembered how even and competitive the SHL series is. There is no easy night in the regular season. It’s even tougher in the playoffs. The level of demand is really high, says Larmi.
Larmi reminds us that even in the quarterfinals, Växjö had a hard time. The number one in the regular season faced 10th ranked Luulaja, but Luulaja forced Växjö to the end in the seventh game of the match series. Växjö won the decisive match by one goal.
– It tells about the hard level and consistency of the series. You can compare so much to the 2019 Finnish championship that this was an even more difficult season. Of course, the memories are pretty golden, Larmi says and reminds that the mental situation was different three years ago.
At that time, HPK was the underdog. Now Växjö was the one expected to win the championship.
Between the coming seasons, however, something bigger than hockey awaits Larmi. Larmi is going to be a father in a couple of months. His partner was also at the rink on Monday evening to congratulate him when the championship was decided.
Fatherhood is a huge deal for Larmi.
– All along it has been a balancing factor, Larmi says.
The 26-year-old ice hockey player remembers one moment in particular from the season. The match against Oskarshamn was, according to the goalkeeper’s own words, “quite purely in the notebook”.
– It was good that I could fit in the door when I got home. Such a big peg grew on his forehead. Then at home that same evening, for the first time, I felt my own child’s kick. That moment put things into perspective and opened up what is really most important. There will be a relieving and balanced feeling that hockey is just hockey. Some things will remain, no matter what happens in the rink, Larmi concludes.