I stole this from main board.
Courtesy of Huokaus
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=103553073&postcount=53
"Olli Jokinen is one of the most controversial personalities of Finnish hockey history. No one can deny the merits and career of the veteran of over 1000 NHL games. Nevertheless, in Finland, there never has been much appreciation for Jokinen’s great career. It has always been because of Olli Jokinen's personality. There’s never been room for personalities in Finland.
Olli Jokinen, from Finland's Kuopio, has never wanted to work himself into the molds which Finnish athletes still are being crammed in. Those who are not willing to become grey mass will continue to too often drift outside of the box. The system that believes in everyone being equal doesn’t accept personalities. Jealousy churns.
Olli Jokinen is still thought to be the player and person that he was when he celebrated the WJC gold in Helsinki Arena in the winter of 1998; a cigar-smoking cocky kid. Olli Jokinen is something else. Olli Jokinen is a team player. Considering forwards, only Teemu Selänne, Jari Kurri and Saku Koivu have played a better NHL career.
KalPa and Bogdanov
Olli Jokinen started his hockey career in Kuopio’s Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) juniors. In the Kuopio organization there was a coach named Anatoly Bogdanov.
“Bogdanov made a boy into a man, when I got into the league at the age of 16. It was like old school Russia. The same what Vladimir Jursinov did in Turku. Bogdanov just was not as big a name. Back then we trained four to five hours a day with the league and then "Tolja" came and said that next you go to the A-juniors training. It pushed me really hard at the time. It was really rewarding. On Saturday I played the league and in Sunday B-juniors for example. Back then I just ate, slept and played. Then Bogdanov got kicked out, and I wasn’t let to play in the league anymore. Back to the outdoor ice, then. When the others went to school, I went on the outdoor ice in the morning for four-five hours and in the evening played in the A-juniors. KalPa fought for their spot in the top division (the bottom teams got relegated) so youngsters were thrown to the side. My job there got a little sidetracked, though I would have preferred to play there.â€
Jokinen eventually got transferred to HIFK in the summer of 1996.
“Jarmo Kekäläinen has contributed to my career a lot. Jampe was my first agent, and he played with my father in KalPa back in the days. Keku was HIFK’s general manager and he said that now I would be able to take my spot in the league and get trained by Mike Eaves before the NHL draft. I had some uncertain feelings when I went to Helsinki. Before the trade, I suspect that Junno (KalPa’s GM at the time) was planning the next season with trading me to HIFK in mind, without me knowing anything about it. In the negotiations KalPa’s offer was along the lines of “you’ll get a shell suit if you stay in KalPaâ€. However, I wanted to stay. We won silver in the A-juniors and we had a fun group of guys. We had good coaching there. However, after the departure of Bogdanov things changed. The coaching staff, of course, wanted to keep the spot in the highest division. Many people who work in hockey think about their own jobs, which is fair and understandable. At those times we sat in Junno’s office, and a year later I was playing in men’s World Championships. I don’t know if my career would have evolved in that direction if I had stayed in KalPa.â€
Jokinen’s rookie season in FEL ended up in him getting awarded as the rookie of the year, and playing in the lions (a nickname for the Finnish national hockey team) in the World Championships in his native country. In the World Championships Jokinen played in a line with Raimo Helminen and Juha Lind.
“Eaves was really tough and demanding. He helped me a lot. At that time the thought of possibly getting into the NHL came to mind. Eaves helped me to understand what is required if you want to get there. It was a difficult year for the team, but a good year for myself. I got to play with Mika Kortelainen and Pepe Lehtonen, as well as other club legends. I got a lot of playing time, I got to the national team and eventually the World Championships. Real big leap I took myself that year.â€
NHL draft
Jokinen was drafted to the NHL third overall in the summer of 1997. The following fall the 18-year-old Jokinen headed to the NHL.
“Training games went really well. I played first eight game of the season, but I didn’t get to play anymore. I was scratched for a couple of months and halfway through December I returned to HIFK. It was an eye-opening experience. Going to the training camp, I thought I was in good shape because I had been working out well. It’s a lesson when you quite quickly realize that you still have a lot of work to be done.â€
“Larry Robinson was a great coach for a young player. Hall of Famer. I had heard horror stories that in the NHL you will get a rough ride and no praise from coaches. Larry was the opposite. He helped me on the ice and off the ice. I didn’t not shy away from much there. I went there with confidence and I got well inside the gang. In those days there was a lot more toiling with rookies than nowadays. Making them carry your bags to the hotel and that kind of stuff. They very much taught that older players must be respected. And not at all in a negative way. For me it was a great thing in terms of career that there were a lot of older players who had achieved a lot.â€
In December Jokinen returned to HIFK from the NHL and ended up scoring the championship winning goal in overtime. Coaching duo Erkka Westerlund - Raimo Summanen made a great impression on the young player.
“I wanted to go back to HIFK. I hadn’t played for two months. For the last month I knew to wait for the transfer. It was an Olympic year and my goal was to get to the games. And you won’t get in the Olympic team if you do not play. Kekäläinen was in HIFK and the whole time we were in contact. It was a great thing considering my career. There always was the idea that the rear gate back to Europe is open. Erkka and Rami were a brilliant coaching duo. During that one year I got a lifetime lasting bond with them. Especially with Summanen. Rami was really demanding, knew what he was talking about and what strings should be pulled. They were one of the best coaching duos of my career. I got to play in a great team. Diamond-hard team.â€
In addition to the Ice Hall, Helsinki’s night life because familiar to HIFK players in the end of the 90’s.
“On Monday mornings we always ran around the ball field. We youngsters, that is. There were a few of us youngsters who might have been attracted to the glitter of Helsinki city lights on Sundays. However, on Monday mornings we were back in line training with Summanen. Rami taught us that you do not miss training, no matter where you had been. It was hard work. For me, it was a return to Bogdanov times. We did work over work. Of course, we werewinning a lot of games and the schedule was looser. We definitely got our fair share of the nightlife, can’t deny that, heh!â€
Tough, tougher, HIFK
HIFK’s championship team from the year 1998 is the best team of Finnish Elite League history. If the team was assembled back together now, it would still compete for medals in the watered-down league.
“Amazing players and personalities. Going into games we weren’t thinking about will we win the game; it was will we win by four or five goals. A great team. Everyone clicked on the ice and off the ice. Recalling those days still gives me the shivers. Kimmo Timonen, Brian Rafalski, Jere Karalahti, Kaj Castle, Jani Nikko, Bob Halkidis and Jarno Kultanen. Huge defense. Tim Thomas in goal, and Sakke Lindfors as a backup. It is inconceivable that such a team has been put together. Great thanks to Mr. Jarmo Kekäläinen and Frank Moberg for investing in that year.â€
“And what lines those were too! Davidson, Jarkko Ruutu, Caloun was number one. I, Kortelainen and Hurme number two. Kortelainen is just a great player in front of the net. Hurme is so underrated player in Finland as one can be. Would have even gone through a wall if he had to. He was small, but physical and a good skater. An excellent eye for the game. Line number three was Laaksonen, Sihvonen, Ruuttu. Mighty grinder line, who took the opponent’s first line off their games. All physical and really smart players. The fourth line was was Tuomainen, Elomo and Kalto. Olli Ahonen filled in sometimes, and me and Davidson got doubleshifted once in a while.
Tuomainen was a fourth liner and he played in the World Championships. That reflects how goo that team was. The 5-man units were built so that all are able to play. The game tempo and the style were something that has not been seen in Finland, except when Saku (Koivu) and partners played in TPS. In addition, coaching staff made sure that whether we had played a good game or a bad game, we would still work harder than before. We never forgot working.â€
In his second NHL season Jokinen played 66 games for the Kings, but didn’t find his role in the team. In the summer, the Kings moved from the old Forum to the new Staples Center and wanted to strengthen the team. The team acquired veterans like Zigmund Palffy and let the youngsters go.
“We were in Greece on a holiday with my wife when I got a call that I have been traded. It was like a lighting from the clear sky, what the hell. Could not be helped but to start preparing for another city. Wasn’t much more to it. My agent said that the Islanders were to rejuvenate the team. "You go there to play in a big role. This is good for you, this trade. 'â€
The season in really young Islanders was colorful. Jokinen still sought his place in the league and drifted into a defensive role, even though he played some big minutes. The financially troubled team was annexed by the league mid-season. There were twists on and off the ice.
“There was Butch Goring as a coach. I started wondering that okay, I’m probably not going to score 30 goals or anything in this situation, but let's try to play in both directions. The role was more of a defensive center, who plays against the opponent's best. The team was really young. Maybe, if we had gotten to play two or three years together, it could have become a good team.
It was a disastrous year. League took over the team. I went from the Kings, which is a top class organization, to a team where even food was counted. Prior to a road trip you were asked which one you want to eat, chicken or fish. The gang was wondering what the hell this is? If you ate chicken for lunch you got one piece of chicken breast. If fish, you got one fish fillet. If fifteen guys wanted chicken, there were fifteen pieces of chicken breast. If someone took two, then someone was left without.
We flew on regular scheduled flights. Sometimes we went on there-and-back trips to Washington on game days so the team wouldn’t need to pay for hotel rooms for the night prior to the game. In road trips we always stayed in the city the game was in because we didn’t have a charter. Well, you know what happens when there’s 23 guys and all of them are 19-25 years old. The rest of the evenings were always history! There always was a green light to go check places out when the next day was just a travel day. Colorful year. I enjoyed myself. A nice place to be.â€
Florida
In the summer, Jokinen was traded to Florida in perhaps the worst deal in NHL history. Islanders GM Mike Milbury let Jokinen and Roberto Luongo go, getting Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha in the deal.
“After the season the Islanders told almost everyone that you’re not gonna play here next season. That now a new owner has been found and that now we want older players. It was very clear that in summer there’s going to be trades. Milbury informed everyone of this very clearly. At the trade deadline there had already been rumors that I'd be moved to Florida. The deal wasn’t done then yet. In the summer, I got a call from Florida. I asked who else is involved in the trade. When they said that Luongo also moves, I almost dropped the phone. I asked if it’s a sure deal? In fact, I was prepared and expecting a trade, but for Luongo it was a big shock. For me, instead of getting traded, the biggest shock was who else was moving.â€
His early time in Florida was stiff and strange moves by the management didn’t help the situation.
“They acquired Igor Larionov that summer. The team went to the playoffs last year and he had a really good core group of Scott Mellanby, Pavel Bure, Ray Whitney, and Viktor Kozlov. Then I and Luongo came with it. Rob Niedermayer was already there. We started the season with the lines Larionov – Bure – Niedermayer, and me – Kozlov - Whitney. The start was really hard. We got maybe 2 wins from the first 10 games. Disaster start. Both Murrays were fired. Terry and Bryan.
The owner changed, and then the guys started to leave: Larionov, Whitney, Mellanby, Sillinger, Hedican. All the experienced players left during the season. They began building the team again. Duane Sutter, who had been the Director of Player Personnel, became a coach. He was later the same role in Calgary. Duane always was an assistant coach, coach or God know what everywhere. I’ve always called him a spare tire. Always when something happens and you need a man for something, call Duane, hah! I didn’t get to play much at the end of the season and was scratched too.â€
Sutter did not initially trust Jokinen. Few people remember that Jokinen fought a lot at the beginning of his career and collected more than one thousand penalty minutes in the NHL. If Jokinen will play in the NHL next season, the centerman moves to the all-time penalty minute leader of Finnish players.
“I was once in a meeting with Duane and he said: ‘Olli, this is your third team in four years. You think you're first, second line material. I'm sorry that I will now have to say directly, but you will never be better than a third line player. I would like that you start to fight and play a different style of game. Forget about making points. You will never make points in this league.’
I thought like, ‘okay’. I think I got over a hundred penalty minutes that year. I started fighting and playing a different kind of game with a different approach. I did what he told me. We’ve laughed at that meeting several times. Duane has said that you can’t always be right. It was enlightening time. I did a lot of work, because I had received the stamp of eternal prospect. I was thought as one of those top picks that don’t have a future. It brought me forward. There wasn’t much more to it. I had to do so in order to survive in the league. The game was different at that time.
You always got a dance partner, if you wanted to. I played with Peter Warrell and Paul Laus was there too. Me, Warrell and Laus were a line, and when we got a change, the guys nodded, like ‘now let's go’. Then we went! Generally, each team had a couple of heavyweights and one middleweight. I always took the smaller one, and let the big boys take the big boys. It wasn’t dancing on roses.â€
Mike Keenan
Eventually Sutter got kicked out too and Mike Keenan was hired as Panthers coach. Keenan finally made Jokinen the player the KalPa-raised player is remembered as. In his four best years Jokinen scored 34, 36, 38 and 39 goals in the NHL regular season.
“Keenan perhaps influenced my career the most. Mike became the team's helm in my second Florida season after twenty-something games. I think I scored one point when he came. 'Iron' said that he’ll see what I can do. He did not believe the scouts were wrong when I was drafted so high. I was one of his personal projects. He shoved me every day and let me play. Made me mentally tougher.
Every five games I had to tell him what I will do in the next five games and how will I reach those goals. I had to write those goals on a piece of paper. I remember that he once asked how many goals and assists am I going to score in five games. I said that two goals and three assists. Then Keenan asked how I'm going to make those goals. I said that I’ll shoot the puck a thousand pucks in the off-days. He invited me into his office and asked if I’m trying to lick his ass. 'Are you completely crazy ", he asked. 'A thousand pucks a day? If you shoot a thousand pucks in a day, you won’t be able to lift your stick in the next game! You’ll shoot 50 and I’ll pass them after every training session.’
Then I started shooting those 50 pucks. 50 was always Iron’s number. My career was at a turning point. I thought that if things do not work out now, I'll go back to Europe. It was my fifth season in the NHL, and I wasn’t able to play at the level where I wanted. Sometimes it felt like Keenan had put cameras in every place. He followed everything and knew everything about everything. I was in his office 4-5 times a day sometimes. He took care that I couldn’t ever know what’s going to happen the next day.â€
Keenan did not steer clear in ways to train Jokinen.
“One time we lost 2-3 to New Jersey in a Saturday game. In the game, I got a bad pass to my skates in kind of blind spot. If the puck had hit my body, I would have been in a hospital. Scott Stevens was coming at me sideways. He would destroyed me. I saw him at the last second and let the puck go past me. I would have been able to reach it, but then I would have been in the hospital.
I scored two goals and we lost. Keenan came into the dressing room and said that tomorrow is a day off. We went home. My phone rang three o'clock at night, and on the other end of the wire was Keenan. He said that you’ll tomorrow to the gym at eight tomorrow morning. I asked like, what? He asked me did I play well in my own opinion. I said that we lost, but I scored a couple of goals. 'No, no, you play like a lady. " He went through the situation in the phone. I was like, ‘okay’. ‘All right’. I went to the gym in the morning then, and Keenan made me ride an exercise bike for an hour.
The exercise bikes were the kind in which you place these keys, in which the training program was pre-programmed. Keenan was standing next to it. The bike had about 500 watts. Couldn’t even pedal it properly. The pedals didn’t move one bit. Then Keenan showed me the video from the situation where I let the puck slide past me and kept saying “look what a sissy you areâ€. I guess he actually used the word '*****', hah! He showed it for about an hour. After that, I haven’t let any pucks slide past me. I got the message. Mike is very much the same as Summanen. That style suited me very well. I had to be mentally strong so I was able to go through that every day. Some can take it, some do not. I took the daily girding, demanding and complaining like, ‘it could be worse’. If the coach wouldn’t not say a word, I would be more misguided. For a couple of years I was a top 3 forward in ice time.â€
"I’ve heard Keenan's style hasn’t changed in Magnitogorsk. Mike has those four aces, who play as much as they can. Then there is that when you go to kill a 3-5 shorthanded situation and take faceoffs in your own end, Mike will be behind the bench saying that ‘you go there and you’ll be there the whole two minutes’. But if you lose the faceoff, you won’t play at all for the rest of the game. Then you’re going to the opponent’s center like ‘let me take his one’, heh.â€
Captain
Olli Jokinen eventually became captain of the Florida Panthers for four seasons during Keenan’s time. Jokinen fully reached the respect of Keenan the evening when Florida faced Keenan’s previous team Boston.
“I played through many injuries which many others wouldn’t have played with. Mike had been with Boston the previous season. We had the legendary coach George Kingston as an assistant coach. In the final skating of the morning ice before the Boston game Kingston was behind the goal and leaned into the goal. George thought that I had gone past him already, but I was just behind the goal when he turned. He picked up his stick and turned in a 90 degree angle. I skated right into the end of the stick. The right side of my mouth tore off. 120 stiches to my face, of which 100 inside my mouth. All the mucosa membrane in my gums tore off. 8 teeth inside. A fracture to my cheekbone. Should have been sidelined for 4-6 weeks. I spent the whole day at the dentist and there was a game in the evening.
Iron told me to come to the rink directly from the dentist. I went and he asked immediately if I can play. I could not even talk! The jaw was not broken, fortunately. I came there 15 minutes before the beginning of the warm up, both cheeks the size of a basketball. Dr. Keenan just said ‘let’s put a chin protector on you’. The doctor said that if you don’t hurt, you can play. Can’t get worse than that. I played the game. We lost 1-7 and I scored a goal! In the end I didn’t miss a single game. A few games later I got an A in my jersey.â€
In spring of 2004, Jokinen was almost traded to Calgary, which ended up playing in the finals. However, the owner vetoed and prevented the deal that the GM already had done from happening.
“The thing in Florida was a roller coaster ride. Coaches changed, GM's changed, the owners changed. At least I was able to play with the top players. We were in Toronto at the 2004 trade deadline. A lockout was coming and there was no information are we going to try to get in the playoffs or will the players get sold. Keenan had been kicked out, and after that everyone who was a Keenan player was kicked out too. I was the only one who stayed, because the owner did not want to sell me. I was supposed to go to Calgary that year. There was Darryl Sutter, who wanted me. I understood that the trade had already been completed. GM was ready to do it, but the owner did not want to. It was Marcus Nilsson who ended up going there.
After the trade deadline, when we went on the ice in Toronto, we had a group of new guys in the rink. Bure left, Ozolinsh left, Nilsson and Kozlov left. I think we only got draft picks in return. A few ECHL-friends also came by. It was a hard. Guys left and no one came in to replace them. Those 15-18 games of that spring were the hardest of my career.â€
After the lockout Jokinen was playing the best hockey of his life. The Finnish Cannon sang and Jokinen scored 111 goals in 3 years. Mike Keenan had returned to Florida as a GM and signed Jokinen who had become a free agent.
Keenan was back, now as a GM. They made some good acquirements after the lockout. I didn’t have a contract. Florida would have liked to conclude an agreement before the lockout, but I did not want to, because it was unclear what was going to happen. Keenan hired Jacques Martin from Ottawa as a coach. The lockout ended, and Mike made acquisitions aggressively. Gary Roberts, Joe Nieuwendyk, Josef Stümpel and Chris Gratton. I thought that surely I won’t have to worry, because I am one of Mike's men. I anticipated a long contract. However, after the summer, I noticed that I’m still without a contract and the negotiations aren’t going anywhere.
I went back to HIFK and trained with Doug Shedden for a few days. Then I got the contract. Keenan told me to make a contract for one year. The rules had reportedly been changed, and I could be a free agent after one year. He asked me to come play and see in which direction the salary cap is going. ‘Let’s extend the contract during the season, or then in the best case you’ll be a free agent when you’re 27 years old’.
The team played well, although again missed the playoffs. Those couple of seasons after the lockout were my best. Keenan always wanted success and wanted to acquire an experienced team. Then came Roberto Luongo trade (to Vancouver) and again there was stuff that the players didn’t know about going on in the background. Soon Keenan got fired. Martin became the GM and the coach."
