KUOPIO. From the Puijo tower, you can see far, even into the past. NHL hockey player Eetu Luostarinen25, has been able to reminisce last summer in the peaceful scenery of Puijo about the great, even unique moments of the Florida Panthers’ sensational playoff game last spring.
Unfortunately, the playoff memories are also accompanied by unpleasant memories that still haunt the mind of the young NHL professional.
In the NHL conference final between Florida and Carolina, one shot completely changed the direction of Luostarinen’s playoff spring. Carolina Brett Pesce received a pass to the blue line and let his shot sing straight towards Luostaris, who started to block. Pesce’s shot hit the Finnish striker’s leg with fatal consequences.
That loss also ended Luostarinen’s season. He was not able to play in the finals for the Stanley Cup because rehabilitating the injured leg in a fast time frame proved impossible.
– Everything possible was loaded into the first final, but even before the warm-up it became clear that nothing would come of playing and the leg wouldn’t last, Luostarinen recalls to Urheilu.
Luostarinen had to worry about his grim fate and swallow his disappointment until the end of the Stanley Cup final series.
– Of course, afterwards you always wonder what I could have brought to the team.
The Vegas Golden Knights finally defeated the Florida Panthers 4–1.
Luostarinen sometimes swam in deep waters mentally when the finals progressed and the attacker had to sit on the pipe shelf from night to night. The father, who was closely following his son’s moves, had to be informed by phone to Finland that nothing would come of playing after all. The wife also had to vent her dark feelings.
Got a lump in your throat?
– You can say that, he admits with a serious expression.
Florida’s pain was easily felt in the locker room after the finals loss, while Vegas wildly celebrated the championship at the same time.
– Everyone gave their all. Head Coach (Paul Maurice) thanked everyone for a good season and was very proud of every player… But not everyone can win in sports, Luostarinen reminds.
– There were really quiet men in the locker room at that moment.
Were there emotions on the surface in the dressing room?
– Yes.
Luostarinen wants to highlight the sacrifices of the players that Florida had to make throughout the playoff spring, including the Stanley Cup finals.
For example, the superstar of the Panthers Matthew Tkachuk played in the fourth final with a broken sternum and couldn’t even put on gear or get out of bed without help.
– It really says a lot about the spirit of the team that a player is ready to sacrifice himself even when broken for others. This says a lot about a person.
Good self-confidence is the result of the process
Eetu Luostarinen took his place among Florida’s credit players last season at the latest. The conscientious two-way attacker significantly increased his playing time compared to the previous season 2021–22, i.e. almost two and a half minutes.
Kuopiolainen also scored on the offensive end both in the regular season and during the Panthers’ sensational playoff run. The game-winning goal in the thrilling sixth game of the first round of the playoffs against Boston was remembered by many.
– I was able to maintain my own level the whole time, and my level of playing did not drop at any point. At the end I felt that I could even raise the level. That gave me the most positive feedback from the coaching staff, he says.
Panthers club management showed their trust in Luostarinen by signing a three-year contract extension with their Finnish striker in the summer. Also, the coaching management’s encouraging feedback at the end of the season kicks the team’s triple chain credit platform forward in the NHL season that is about to begin.
– They see that I have even more potential to move forward as a player. When you get that kind of feedback, you know you’ve done things right and are heading in the right direction as a player.
The characterization of the coach as a credit player even brings out a sense of pride in the man.
– One’s role is handled conscientiously as well as one can and things are done the way they should. There are many reliable and conscientious Finnish players in the NHL, so I may have fallen into this category. The role suits me.
Luostarinen’s chain mate and radar pair Anton Lundell freely praises his countryman, with whom he found working chemistry on the rink throughout last season.
– People may not notice how skillful a player he is on the puck in addition to his versatility, Lundell tells Urheilu.
Experience and successes in tight places drive Eetu Luostar forward at the moment. He emphasizes the courage of playing in all game situations.
– I know that I can play in the NHL at a good level. Even inside my head, I have the feeling that I play with good confidence and dare to try when I’m on the ice. There is always a feeling that my game is not lacking and I am not afraid of failure. Nothing depends on self-confidence.
Florida’s “Finnish mafia” has fun together
More Finnish color will arrive in Florida’s ranks for the starting NHL season, when Eetu Luostarinen’s KalPa teammate Niko Mikkola joins the Panthers defense. In Florida’s locker room, the “Finnish mafia” of four players is now influencing.
– It’s really nice when you can sometimes speak Finnish in the hall. It is a big help if there is something important and you can ask other Finns for advice if necessary. Especially from Sasha (Alexander Barkov) it’s easy to go and ask if something is bothering you, says Luostarinen.
It’s natural that compatriots interact outside the rink as well.
– We spend a lot of time together on away trips. At home, for example, Lundell and I live close to each other, so we are in close contact.
– Of course it depends on the match schedule, but at home in Florida we might play golf or just hang out or go to a restaurant to eat together, Luostarinen says.
Eetu Luostarinen is known as a restrained person, who is not necessarily the loudest or the loudest person in the group. The calm native of Kuopio also keeps a low profile in the Panthers locker room.
– Sasha and I are a bit calmer as individuals and we observe the booth from the sidelines. Anton is a bit more social by nature and he likes to talk. That man is not very shy, he reveals.
As experience and language skills accumulate, your self-confidence as a member of the team is also strengthened. A monk doesn’t need to be shy when talking with Florida’s self-aware superstar Matthew Tkachuk, for example.
– I dare to talk to anyone within the team. I’ve been in the team for a few years now, so I’ve gotten to know certain people better. The starting point in the team is that everyone dares to talk to everyone.
The mutual spirit of the team should also be transferred to the level of the rink in the starting season. However, the sky-high playoff sky in the spring gives the Florida Panthers a great starting point for the 2023-24 season.
– I don’t see any reason why we can’t do the same. The team has basically remained the same, as has the coaching. The gameplay is unlikely to be changed either. I believe that our team is capable of playing at the same level as in the spring, Luostarinen assures.
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The NHL Regular Season starts on Wednesday morning, October 11, Finnish time. Florida opens its game Friday morning at Minnesota.