Christian Ruuttu, who turns 60 today, saved the life of joker legend Otakar Janecky.
Christian Ruuttu scored a total of 445 power points in the NHL. Pekka Jalonen
A dramatic and almost fatal incident happened Otakar Janeckyn in a farewell match in his hometown Pardubice twenty years ago.
The players who participated in the match, a large part of which were familiar to “Oto” from his years in Finland, had dinner in a restaurant the night before the game.
– I was leaving from there to the hotel and hailed a taxi in front of the restaurant when Janecky came around the corner and couldn’t breathe, Christian Ruuttu tells.
– I don’t know where it had been, but he was stuck chicken wings throat. The man was already quite pale.
Otakar “Otto” Janecky played in Finland between 1990 and 2000. He is remembered above all as a legendary player of the Jokers. IL ARCHIVE
In the situation, you had to act quickly, because saving a life was a matter of minutes at most.
Ruuttu pushed Janceky from behind with the so-called Heimlich hold.
In this, the other fist is placed under the diaphragm to be helped, the fist is grasped with the other hand and jerked strongly backwards and upwards. If necessary, the jerk can be repeated five times.
– I didn’t even know how to do the Heimlich, but I just thought that somehow it must be done this way. And that chicken wing flew from his throat, Ruuttu had a relieving moment.
– Juha Lind as I remember, he then said that this was really meant to be a farewell match.
Poster on Jagr’s wall
Jaromir Jagr said goodbye to the Pittsburgh audience the night before Monday, Finnish time. AOP / USA Today Sports
The next day, Ruuttu sat in the dressing room having participated in Janecky’s farewell game Jaromir Jagrin next to.
– Jagr said that he had my picture on his wall when he was young.
Ruuttu, one of Finland’s NHL legends, was naturally flattered.
– I said no in hell, it sounds great! Jagr said that it was the only poster you could get in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet era, Ruuttu laughs.
– I told Jagr that you lift me up and then you drag me down.
So the Czech legend first lifted Ruuttu up and then pulled him down.
The Pittsburgh Penguins retired Jagr’s game number 68 the night before Monday Finnish time.
– Pretty cool stuff. It was definitely a wonderful opportunity, says Ruuttu.
– But of course it was good that they lost that game. That was the main thing, he laughs.
Ruuttu works as the director of the European talent search at the Los Angeles Kings, who applied for the Swede Adrian Kempen with two goals from Pittsburgh in a 2–1 away victory.