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After losing in six games to the New Jersey Devils in the NHL playoffs, Carolina Hurricanes forward Sami Kapanen packed his hockey gear and headed back to his native Finland. Joining his national team just a few days after his return to Europe, Kapanen hopes to contribute to his team's success. They got off on the right foot with a 5-1 drubbing of Austria on Saturday, in which Kapanen was named game MVP. IHWC.NET's Peter Kiss had a chance to catch up with the 27-year-old Kapanen and ask him about the chances of Finland in this year’s tournament.
IHWC.NET: How much pressure is there on your team this year, especially when you guys came so close to the gold medal podium last year in Russia?
Sami Kapanen: There is quite a lot of pressure on us this time around. We just have to have a solid first couple of games and come out strong. Especially the first 20 minutes of every game is important – so we can get a good game that way. This round should be a good preparation for the next round for us, when we will face some tougher teams. But don't get me wrong here, we’re not underestimating any of our opponents, by any kind of means. What I’m trying to say is that we have to be ready for teams like the Czechs, Russians, Sweden or Slovakia. This is going to be a fun tournament.
IHWC.NET: How do you see your group and the possible outcome for Team Finland?
Kapanen: It is not an easy group at all. I think we had problems with Austria last year, so you have to be ready especially for your first game. It is never easy. The first game. Then, everybody knows the Slovaks, they are a very good team. They have some very good players from the NHL. Even the players who play back in Slovakia are highly skilled players, so you can’t take them lightly at all. If you look at all the groups, none is easy.
IHWC.NET: Did you have to get reacquainted with the bigger ice sheet after your return from the NHL?
Kapanen: You usually have to get used to the time change, but I don’t have problems with that. The ice size is no problem, I'm a pretty good skater, so I should get used to it. I only have to pay attention and remember that there is no two-line pass here. Realize what is going on. But I should be all right.
IHWC.NET: How is the team gelling together so far?
Kapanen: We’ve got here a couple of days ago and went through a few practices together and we had a good game against Austria. So the atmosphere is very good at this point. The guys are all excited, ready to go. This is a time for us to get to know each other, while we play for the points and toward the next round.
IHWC.NET: How much of that energy from the regular season, coming so close to the NHL Playoffs, did you bring along here to Germany with you?
Kapanen: I think that every time you step on the ice, you just want to win the hockey game. In Carolina we worked extra hard for the last month just to make the playoffs, and we were facing the toughest team in the league right now. New Jersey, they are playing extremely well and we made a pretty good run in that series. It was disappointing, though, not to advance to the next round. But even though I was disappointed personally, I wanted to keep on playing, so I decided to come here to the World Championships. That is the best opportunity to keep on playing. And if we keep on winning here, we've got a pretty good chance to make it to the finals. Once there, we only get that one chance to win that game. So I’m very happy to be here and help.
IHWC.NET: So you see your chances as pretty good?
Kapanen: As I said, there are so many good and strong teams in the tournament this year, it will also take a lot of luck as hard work to do well. But if we get some goals early on and stay healthy, this team can go all the way. And win the tournament.
Peter Kiss / IHWC.NET (29.4.2001)
