Mikko Rantanen did not back down from pointed comments directed at a teammate’s father late Monday night, but he and Avalanche coach Jared Bednar felt certain there were no lingering issues one day later.
It’s not the type of storyline that pops up every day for a professional sports team.
With Rantanen mired in his longest goal-scoring drought in six seasons, Artturi Lehkonen’s father, Ismo Lehkonen, made public comments questioning the Avalanche forward’s offseason dedication over the summer. In an article published Monday by Yle, a national media outlet in Finland, he said Rantanen spent a lot of time traveling to events and possibly not training as hard as in previous years.
Later that night, Rantanen scored his first goal in 10 games in a 6-5 win against the Calgary Flames, and didn’t hold back on his thoughts.
“There was actually one thing where I got a lot of extra energy. One of our Finnish NHL players’ dad was talking (expletive) about me in media, that I didn’t train last summer like I used to,” Rantanen told reporters after the game. “He was making things up. That was for him.
“If you talk (expletive), it’s going to come back at you.”
This, of course, wasn’t a typical player-versus-media-member conflict, given that Ismo’s son plays for the Avs.
Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen both grew up playing for TPS in Turku, Finland, and were teammates at the club and national level before reaching the NHL. Lehkonen is out of the lineup right now with a neck injury but remains a critical member of the team.
“Everything is OK. It’s just a Finnish (journalist) who happens to be Artturi’s dad,” Rantanen said Tuesday after an optional practice. “I have nothing … me and Art are really good buddies, (have) been forever. We’re great teammates. I love him. There’s nothing between us.
“I think it’s just a journalist questioning my professionalism and lying about my whereabouts in summer. I think that’s what pushed me over the edge a little bit. Nothing between me and (Lehkonen), everybody’s good and I’m ready to put it behind us.”
The relationship between Rantanen and the younger Lehkonen was also the first thing on Bednar’s mind as he learned of the drama emanating from across the pond.
“I didn’t even know about that (Monday), actually. I talked to Mikko about it today, so apparently he’s addressed it,” Bednar said. “My only concern is to make sure that our guys in our room are good. (Lehkonen) and Mikko are good. They’re obviously best buddies, so that was my only concern. Mikko has put it behind him already and is ready to go.”
Maybe the elder Lehkonen’s comments were the final bit of motivation Rantanen needed to break out of his recent mini-funk. He had a monster game against the Flames with 19 shot attempts, the second-most by an Avs player this season (Nathan MacKinnon had 22 in San Jose).
The Finnish star also had eight shots on goal and was credited with 11 scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick. He had eight scoring chances two nights prior against the Philadelphia Flyers, and those are his two best games this season in that category.
“I thought he was a horse (Monday night),” Bednar said. “I thought last game was a big step in the right direction. … Oftentimes, when you start doing things the right way, it doesn’t just turn around overnight. You have to stick with it and believe that will get you out of a slump.”
Rantanen said he tries to avoid reading things in the media during the season, but he had lots of friends and family in Finland who alerted him to the comments. He had three points against the Flames — his fourth contest with three or more this season.
Even with a nine-game goalless streak, Rantanen is on pace for 38 goals and 99 points this season. And given the way he’s played the past two nights at Ball Arena, he appears to be on track to produce more like he did in the first month of the season.
“I think the last two games, I’ve been skating more, skating with the puck, demanding the puck even more instead of waiting for the puck to come to me,” Rantanen said. “I think that’s how I have to keep playing.”
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