Tappara’s Waltteri Merelä, who suffered a bloody and dangerous injury while wearing a lion shirt, has returned to the league ice efficiently.
Waltteri Merelä’s hand is still not fully fit, but the man is still making a big mark on the league ice. Mika Kylmäniemi / AOP
Tuesday night’s home game against KalPa was Waltteri Merela fourth after a long absence, and his two hits took his tally in the same stretch to four.
With a 4–1 win, Tappara took third place in the standings and tied with Ilves ahead of them.
Merelä, 24, received a serious cut injury on her wrist that bled profusely at the Karjala tournament in November, which was immediately operated on the same evening.
– At first I was just satisfied that the hand is in the books of the living and I knew it would get better, the goal-hungry striker says after his recovery stretched over two months.
Hard times
Waltteri Merelä scored two goals in the KalPa win. Veli-Matti Savinainen earned an assist mark for both. Mika Kylmäniemi
A week after the injury, Merelä visited Amsterdam with her fiancé.
– We took a little vacation there. After that, to be honest, a little shit started, which lasted about a month.
– It was pretty cool grind, when I couldn’t get on the ice and had to not train for a while. However, it was quickly turned into a positive.
Merelä, so to speak, made a virtue out of necessity: when playing was not possible, there was more time for training.
– We trained a lot for a long day. After I got on the ice, I realized that the only way to help here is to try to improve my skating and do as much work as I can.
Merelä thanks Tappara’s physical trainer Tommi Pärmäkoskiwith whom he has collaborated for a long time.
– He worked really well as a regulator of both physical and mental load, and the rest of the time went really well. I went on CHL trips with the guys and helped with maintenance.
– Now, of course, it’s a good feeling that I was able to train well. It’s worked, and I haven’t been terribly good at games.
The hand is apparently fine too, since the goals have started to appear like on a conveyor belt?
– It’s still a bit stiff and sometimes slow, Merelä answers.
– It’s not quite normal, but I can play and fight. There is no fear that there will be some back pack. I can be confident that it will keep getting better.
A neck guard is mandatory in the League. Having learned from the injury, Merelä has started wearing cut protectors on her wrists and also on her ankles.
– I now have cut protection in my skate socks. It prevents Achilles tendon and calf cuts.