Artturi Lehkonen’s home ice: The Turku sites that shaped the Avalanche forward
New York TimesTURKU, Finland — Ismo Lehkonen is a hockey lifer, but he didn’t pressure his five kids to go all-in on the sport. “I’d trade 10 first rounders for him right now,” teammate Nathan MacKinnon said after Lehkonen’s overtime goal sent Colorado to the Stanley Cup Final. And after Artturi and the Avalanche beat Kucherov and the Lightning in June’s Stanley Cup Final, Lehkonen brought the Cup back to Varissuo Ice Hall during his day of celebration. Ismo calls that one “the money maker.” Since Niemeläinen first met Artturi, he’s viewed the hockey player as a driven athlete. But he was already pretty good.” Finnish league players, as well as one KHL player, skated with Lehkonen and Hurme that summer, and the coach remembers him outpacing his training partners when they’d skate laps.
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