The Handiwork Of Hartikainen

Rarely do I post about the same team two days in a row, but the Oilers are getting mentioned again today thanks to some of the players they once had in their system. There's no denying that they've had massively-talented players who simply didn't pan out, but the names of players who have wowed fans in the shootout are striking. There was Linus Omark and Rob Schremp made their marks in shootouts for a number of teams, but one guy who never really showed his full range of talents was Teemu Hartikainen. Today, he can add his name to the list of former Oilers who dazzled an entire arena with a shootout move thanks to the spectacle he performed today in an international game.

Sweden and Finland met today in the Swiss leg of the IIHF-sanctioned Euro Hockey Tour tournament that's happening in Fribourg, Switzerland, and Teemu Hartikainen suited up for the Finnish squad. After battling to a 3-3 tie through regulation time where Hartikainen picked up an assist on Finland's third goal, the two sqauds used a shootout to determine a winner. With Sweden unsuccessful on its first three attempts and Finland unable to score on its first two, Teemu Hartikainen skated out to center ice.

I've watched this a dozen times, and I still don't know how he did it.
Holy Hartikainen, Batman! Forget the fact that he didn't score; that was awesome! The strength in Hartikainen's hands, forearms, and shoulders must be insane to pull off a move like that, and I applaud him for his creativity and willingness to pull off a move like this. As I said, I watched this a dozen times, and I still can't believe he was able to make this happen. Had he scored, this would have been the top goal of 2022. No questions asked.

What should be noted is that Sweden scored on their fourth shot, and Finland tied the shootout on their final initial attempt. In the extra attempts, Finland shot first and was stapped before Marcus Sorensen, who plays for Fribourg this season, ended it for Sweden on the Swedish squad's sixth attempt to send the Tre Kronor to the 4-3 victory. No one really talked about the victory, though, because that Hartikainen attempt still had the crowd buzzing!

The 32 year-old Finn likely has been working on his moves as he and Linus Omark are teammates this season with Genève-Servette HC in the Swiss League. His 18 goals leads the team, and he's two points up on Omark in team scoring. The weird part? He's tied with Daniel Winnik in points and trails Valtteri Filppula by five points for the team lead. Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Sami Vatanen, and Josh Jooris all play on the team as well, so it's no surprise that this team of former NHL players leads the Swiss League with a 17-4-3-5 record (W-L-ETW-ETL) and 62 points - three points better than Biel HC.

It's good to see Teemu Hartikainen doing well, and it's a reminder that not every player's development happens at the same speed. Hartikainen is likely a better player now than when he was suiting up for the Oilers, but I'm not sure anyone expected the kind of moves he showed today in the shootout. Let's just hope the next time he tries this move that he scores.

Officially, we can call this shootout move "the Hartikainen". It's his handiwork, so he gets the credit for the move!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!