Finns Get Wins: Tuomo Ruutu, Jussi Jokinen, and Joni Pitkanen
By Chris Baker
As we have discussed, “Finns Get Wins” in Raleigh, spawns a hockey version of the great “nature vs. nurture” debate that crops up in education, psychology, and parenting. If it is the Finnish inculcation of the dictum “Sisu”, or the style of hockey being played in Raleigh at the time, Finnish players thrive here in the land of the long leaf pine. The “second wave” Finns forwards Tuomo Ruutu and Jussi Jokinen, and defenseman Joni Pitkanen were not only successful on the ice, but have extended their stay with the Carolina Hurricanes well beyond their time in Raleigh.
The Hurricanes signed Tuomo Ruutu to a one-year contract worth $2.25 million in 2007. Ruutu promptly tallied 4 goals and 7 assists in just 14 games to finish out the 07-08 season. Ruutu quickly fell into his role in Raleigh as a heavy man on a team of lighter skill players. Before Andrei Svechnikov was backing his bark up with some bite, the Hurricanes were counting on Tuomo Ruutu to bring a heaviness to their game. In 2010-11’s full season, he put up a ridiculous 309 hits nearly 4 per game, which was good for second among all NHL players and he consistently lead the Canes in pops
Ruutu’s best season with the Hurricanes was the next year when he had 54 points (26 goals, 28 assist) and a playoff goal. In total he would score 91 with the Canes, and have 126 helpers before being traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Andrei Loktionov
For what it is worth, Loktionov would only play one season with the Hurricanes and net 3 with 7 assists.
One thing that has remained constant with the Carolina Hurricanes, besides the steady diet of Finns, is the capitalizing on other team’s mistakes. Jussi Jokinen was placed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Lighting on February 4 2009 and later, on February 7, 2009, was traded to the Hurricanes in a trade for Wade Brookbank, Josef Melichar and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick
During the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, Jokinen made his mark in Raleigh hockey history as well as the NHL record book. In Game 4 of the quarter finals, he scored the latest regulation game-winning goal in NHL playoff history, with 0.2 seconds remaining in the third period, as the Canes beat the New Jersey Devils 4–3. He would finish the playoff that season with 7 goals, 4 assists and 3 game winners.
Jokinen spent his most successful time lined up with Eric Staal & Matt Cullen but had good numbers later with fellow Finn Tuomo Ruutu and Jeff Skinner. In all, over 255 games as a Carolina Hurricane (3 seasons and change) Jokinen would put 69 biscuits in the basket (including the 7 in the 08-09 “yoffs”) and sport an impressive 54.3% success rate in shootouts. At one point in his tenure with Carolina, that number would creep up to as high as 76.9%.
During the lock-out of the 2012-13 season Jokinen would return to Finland to play with Kärpät and was released on waivers by Carolina in March, where he was picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Joni Pitkanen only scored 25 goals for the Carolina Hurricanes, which to the modern (2023) Canes fan seems a little low for a defensemen. However, in three full seasons and two injury plagued partial seasons with the Hurricanes, he also helped with 124. Oddly enough Pitkanen’s time in Raleigh might still be the most impactful of this group of Finnish Hurricanes.
We modern Caniacs have Pitkanen to thank for the games we see nightly.
In what was deemed a “race car” injury (the amount of force needed to cause it), Pitkanen broke his heel in a meaningless game in the final months of the 2012-13 season. His injury left Carolina with a huge defensive gap and, with hindsight, was the impetus of their current offensive first defensive strategy. Overtime, the Canes would acquire more offensive defensemen leading to the current line up we have today. You could say there is no Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, or Brett Pesce in Raleigh without Joni Pitkanen first.
But Joni Pitkanen was impactful while he was skating for the Canes too. During the famous “Shock At The Rock”, Pitkanen would play the perfect pass to Jussi Jokinen, sparking the infamous “Turn on the Juice” by John Forslund as the play would tie the game at 3 with less than 1:20 left in regulation.
Besides sharing a native homeland, Tuomo Ruutu, Jussi Jokinen, and Joni Pitkanen all have experience playing with none other than Rod Brind’Amour. From the time Ruutu came to Raleigh in 2007 until Brind’Amour’s retirement from playing in 2010, one or more of these Finns were playing with “Rod The Bod.”
It would have to be that Brind’Amour’s experience with Ruutu, Jokinen, and Pitkanen would lead to his effectiveness in coaching the current crop of Finns. Although Sebastian Aho, and Teuvo Teräväinen were already with the Hurricanes when Brind’Amour became the head coach, Antti Raanta and Jesse Puljujärvi have joined the team since. Though Puljujärvi has been slow to start in the short time he has played under Brind’Amour, Aho, Teräväinen, and Raanta have all thrived.
Finns Tuomo Ruutu, Jussi Jokinen, and Joni Pitkanen would combine for 185 goals as Carolina Hurricanes. Their time in Raleigh would span 7 season and in that time Carolina would make their last playoff run (2008-09’s loss to the Pittsburg Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals) until 2018-19’s loss to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. And while their on ice presence was felt, a case could be made that their impact on Carolina is lasting in the development of both the offensive minded defensive model and their exposing Rod Brind’Amour to the Finnish mindset of “Sisu”