On Sunday, everything else is forgotten by the Lion when playing Olympic gold.
Captain of the Olympic gold Lions Valtteri Filppula37, has been able to experience great emotions this year.
Just two days before Filppula flew with the team to Beijing, his wife gave birth to the family’s firstborn.
In Beijing, the Lions have been in a fierce league. The team has not lost any games. Expectations for the final are high in Finland. Now is the best opportunity ever for gold.
The excitement can be intense in the home auditorium, but the athlete’s emotional state can also go overboard. Often experience helps – both in life and in the game itself.
– Hockey has always been a big part of my life, but in the big picture it is not the most important thing in my life, Filppula reminds me on the eve of the final.
– Of course, in a situation where you have been doing business for years, it is nice to get a good reward for it, if possible. In that sense, the finale is important, but there are bigger things too.
Once again, Valtteri Filppula has a chance to win something big. The NHL is behind us, and the Olympics four years from now will no longer be a realistic goal. ZUMAWIRE / MVPHOTOS
The best thing
Filppula is easy to say that the birth of a child goes to number one in life experiences.
On Sunday, however, it is time for a few hours to forget everything else and put into practice what has been practiced all your life.
– The birth of a child is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. When we’re in these games, at the moment it’s the biggest thing and then the focus is on other things.
Filppula has been playing to his family from Beijing at a fast pace and has seen during the tournament when the child has already grown a little.
– The family is sad, but you can get home soon.
Hunger is on the rise
Filppula may not even play for the biggest prize of his career on Sunday. The striker from Vantaa celebrated the Stanley Cup at the Detroit Red Wings at the end of the 2007-08 season.
The victory of the Stanley Cup did not satisfy hunger at the time, on the contrary.
– It goes a bit so that when you win, you want to experience that feeling again and again. And, of course, it’s not easy. A couple of times I’ve been a losing party in the finals since.
Filppula and Detroit were also in the finals in the post-championship season. In the 2014–15 season, Filppula was in the ranks of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL finals. The Chicago Blackhawks were better with a 4-2 win.
In addition, Filppula has an Olympic bronze from 2010 and two World Championship bronzes for those under 20 years of age.
– On Sunday, I’ll put everything in the game to get another win.
Expected feelings
The head coach of the lions Jukka Jalosen According to him, Finland was tense in the semi-final against Slovakia.
You can’t really afford it in the final. In the final, you should play smart but bold.
– Experience helps in the sense that when you have been in tight spots, you know how it feels and how to prepare. Can expect the feelings that come with such a game. I think that’s a good thing, Filppula says.
The Russian team is made up of KHL players, just like the Finnish team for the most part. Filppula plays in Switzerland, and his opponents’ players are not as familiar to him as many other Finnish players.
– Many have said that the Russian team may have a little more of a role that has not always been there. They have attacked the entire tournament well and scored a few goals. There will probably be a difficult game in terms of attack in both directions.