"I said, laugh goddamn" - this is how the Finnish ice hockey legends learned English in Canada
Jets Finnish legends reminisced wild playing years in Winnipeg.
Veli-Pekka Ketola and Hexi Riihiranta return to Winnipeg, to memories.
Jets invited Veli-Pekka Ketola, Heikki Riihiranta and Markus Mattsson to Winnipeg for the events and celebrations of the ending week.
Ketola and Riihiranta played in Jets in WHA in 1974-77 and won the WHA championship Avco Trophy in 1976. Mattsson played in WHA in Jets 1977-79 and won the Avco Trophy 1979.
- It's been 40 years. This city hasn't changed a lot since then. I've visited here after the gaming years three times, and now I'm here taking care of Vellu, Hexi Riihiranta said.
- You don't leave buddy behind, said Vellu, who is in Winnipeg for the third time after his career.
Jets are paying the Finns four days accommodation and travel money.
- It's great that the club always invites to such events. The Finnish clubs should take lessons from such gatherings, Vellu said.
- Just an awesome thing this journey, said Hexi who came to Winnipeg in Tuesday for a week.
"Sauna evening"
Ketola and Riihimäki would have one million colorful stories to tell of the years in Winnipeg. Not all may withstand the light of day.
- The legends live on, Vellu grinned.
- When we played here, we had a sauna in connection with the locker room. Our superstar Bobby Hull didn't care for sauna. Once we came to sauna with Vellu and we put some sausage on the stove. Other players were amazed, Hexi recalled.
- It was the Finnish sauna evening on Fridays, Vellu said.
Language barrier
Winnipegian Lawyer Don Baizley was many Finnish player's agent, so also of Ketola and Riihiranta.
- Here Don's long and magnificent career as the Swedish and Finnish players' agent began. After all, he later on had other players, but with us he started. At first I did not trust Don at all, because he was left-handed and always turned his contract paper the wrong way around when signing it, Vellu told reporters.
- With us, he came to know the Finns' poor English language skills, Hexi said.
- Don started with the two worst, Vellu confirmed.
- During the first year we learned with Vellu to laugh in English. We went to see stand-up comedy, even though we did not understand anything. When the others started laughing, I hit Vellu in the knee and said that laugh goddamn, Riihiranta said.
Ketola and Riihiranta were the pioneers who paved the way for future Finnish professional players.
- There were no prepared ski tracks to ski on, Vellu told reporters.
Opponents - and sometimes your teammates - treated Europeans quite badly. Had a lot of fights.
- Even the buddies would give deliberately bad passes half a meter behind, so that the opponent could drive you cold, Hexi recalled.
- In the rink you heard all sorts of names. I was often called Veli by our own, but the opponents called me Chicken ****. We came here to eat their bread, so that's why we were hated, Vellu recalled.
Joints repaired
1970 players leisure facilities were a bit more moist than it is today.
- Vellu forced me to drink, Hexi grinning.
Riihimäki was interested in how long bars are now open in Winnipeg.
- In our time, the places were open as long as we managed to press, Hexi said.
- A milking cow should be killed. We were paying customers. We spilled more drinks to the floor than the others drank, laughed Ketola.
Ketola and Riihiranta do not play on Saturday in the Jets and Edmonton Oilers Alumni match.
- Here the best team does not always play. They're resting us, Ketola said with a twinkle in his eye.
http://www.iltalehti.fi/nhl/2016102222499190_nh.shtml