Kevin Lankinen Discusses Finland-Themed Goalie Mask for 4 Nations Tournament

Representing your country is a special honour; one that deserves a fitting look. It’s been five years since Kevin Lankinen has represented Finland and he’s created a new mask to accompany his international threads.

Lankinen brought the design to life with the help of from a friend in Finland, as well as renowned Swedish goalie mask painter, David Gunnarsson (DaveArt).

Lankinen opted for a design similar to his Canucks’ mask, which has the orca logo on either side with the word “Canucks” written on the top of the mask. He likes to keep the same design pattern on his masks similar, so his style is identifiable.

“I wanted to stick with the same design I had in my Vancouver mask this year. I liked it and I have little bit of a design that I stick with to make sure I have something of my own,” Lankinen said. “I have a guy in Finland who helps me with the designs and obviously DaveArt from Sweden who does the paint job. I’m really thankful for their help and I love how it turned out.”

The flower on the front of the mask and the lions on both sides are designs derived from the Finnish coat of arms. The large flower on the front is outlined in yellow and the smaller flowers in the same design can be found all over the mask in a faded black.

“It represents the Finnish logo, on the logo there is a bunch of flowers, and I just wanted to put something special in there – a small little detail,” Lankinen said.

The lions on either side have crowns and in the coat of arms the lion represents strength, honour, and courage while symbolizing the country’s political and military history.

To top of the mask has the word “Suomi” which is a Finnish word that means Finland. Most of the mask is white and the designs are outlined in blue, making them stand out, harkening to the Finland’s flag which is white with a blue Nordic cross.

Lankinen represented Finland at the 2019 World Championships where they took gold, defeating Canada 3-1 in the final. He talked about the pride he takes any time he gets to represent his country.

“It’s a great thing of pride, obviously. It’s been a while since I last wore the Finnish jersey so, I’m really excited and thankful for the opportunity to be back and play alongside all these guys. We’ve got the best on best, so it couldn’t be any better,” Lankinen said.

Lankinen joked that he wouldn’t talk to Canucks’ forward Elias Pettersson, who’s representing Sweden, until they are back in Vancouver.

“It will be a great challenge, obviously. He’s a heck of a player, I’ve seen him closely this year, I know what he’s capable of, so, going to keep an eye on him, but pretty much the whole Swedish team and everybody is here because they are world-class players so it’s going to be a great experience and opportunity to showcase my talent,” Lankinen said.

With a fresh mask and a chance competition on the international stage again, Lankinen is embracing the challenge. As the tournament unfolds, he’s ready to help his team and create new memories in the blue and white.