Carolina has a bunch of players currently on the team from a country called Finland. They may even be one of your favorite players, and you did not even know it.
The Hurricanes have, and have had so many players from Finland that a popular saying among Canes fans is “Finns get wins!”
Before we get going on hockey too much, let’s learn something about the home country of the Finns on the Carolina Hurricanes.
Finland
Finland is a country in Europe.
People from there are called Finns. Sometimes they are called Finnish
Their language is called Finnish.
Finns make a lot of electronics, and they are involved in the timber industry.
In other words they cut down trees and use the wood to make things.
It is very cold in Finland for much of the year, so it is only natural they have good hockey players!
Sometimes, it is daylight for only a few hours of the day.
History
The very first Finn to play for the Hurricanes was named Sami Kapanen.
He moved with the Hartford Whalers when they came to Carolina and became the Hurricanes. A Finn named Keith Primeau came not long after.
Forwards Tuomo Ruutu, Jussi Jokinen, and defenseman Joni Pitkanen were all very popular with Carolina Hurricanes fans.
They would also help the Canes win the Stanley Cup!
“Finns Get Wins”
The Hurricanes have 5 players from Finland on the team right now
Sebastian “Fishy” Aho is from Rauma
Teuvo “Turbo” Teravainen lives in Helsinki (which is the capital)
Jesperi “KK” Kotkaniemi is from Rori,
Jesse ”Pool Party” Puljujärvi lives in Tornio
Antti “Father Fin” Raanta is from Rauma
“Fishy” Aho, and “Turbo” Teravainen often play on the same line together, meaning they are on the ice at the same time as forwards.
Forwards, remember, are trying to score goals.
All the Finns play forward EXCEPT “Father Finn Raanta. He plays goalie.
Finn Forwards Score A Lot!
All together, the Finns scored 66 goals for the Carolina Hurricanes this regular season.
That is 25% of the team’s scoring! 4 hockey players scored THAT MANY GOALS!!!
By himself, “Fish” Aho scored 36 goals. “KK” Kotkaniemi scored 18 all by himself.
The Canes won 25% of the time a player from Finland scored. That means when Finn scored the Hurricanes won 1 game out of 4.
“Father Finn” Shines
Antti “Father Finn” Raanta played very well all season, and in the playoffs against the New York Islanders.
He won 19 games this year, and had 4 shutouts.
A shutout means that the other team did not score a single goal against him.
“Father Finn” Raanta had a GAA of 2.23, which means he allowed just two goals per game. Do you remember how to calculate GAA? You take all the time the goalies plays, and divide it by the number of goals they allow.
The Finns get a lot of wins for the Hurricanes! So much so, that I wonder if they should just make Raleigh, part of Finland! Though that might not happen, we Kids Canes can cheer for their hockey players while they play for the Canes!
Kids Canes Challenge:
Where is the closest library to your house?
Kids Canes Answer:
We have learned all about Finland today. But here are some pictures of Finland to help you imagine what it looks like!
