I don't think Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen are going to stop smiling all the way back to Denver.
If I was in their position, I certainly wouldn't.
When I look back on an outstanding week for our team here in Finland, my highlight will be just what a special experience it was for our two Finnish teammates. You could feel their energy, the way they basked in the warmth they were shown in their home country. It was so special.
I think what I enjoyed the most was watching them take it all in. It being their place and showing us all around. It being their home and treating us like their guests. I think that's what I paid attention to the most.
The other thing is, it was a great bonding trip, traveling to Europe with your teammates and making memories. We visited the cities, went to saunas, and got to experience the different cuisines. And remember what I said earlier: Don't be scared of the salmon soup.
Still, the bottom line of coming here was to get the two points. That was the mission. We needed to move up the standings. Winning 6-3 on Friday and 5-1 tonight certainly helped.
I think tonight's game was more indicative of the way we want to play. We were backtracking hard, creating turnovers, breaking out in the transition game, generating offense off of that, playing a three-quarters game and kind of dominating, making it tough on the other team.
We skated well. When we do that, it's very difficult on the other team. We had a good flow going. It's about getting into rhythm. You gain momentum doing that.
Can we bring that momentum back home? Well, we have a couple of days off, then get back to practice. We need to tighten things up a bit because I think we need to work on doing that in the defensive zone. But we'll try to rest a bit because I think it's going to be difficult going back.
As I look back on Finland, I'll remember seeing Helsinki, seeing Tampere a little bit, the atmosphere at the games, the national anthem -- which was awesome and gave me chills both nights -- and the crowd singing, even though I didn't know the song.
Put all that together, and I have memories I'll cherish forever.
