FEATURE: Finnish friends

EDMONTON, AB - For what began with a simple request for a picture with Jesse Puljujarvi at the Helsinki airport, Finnish teenager Jonatan Raatikainen didn't expect much else to come from it.
But weeks later, during warmups of last Saturday's final pre-season game at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Raatikainen was snapping a photo through the glass with one of his nation's most-endeared hockey icons, holding a stick Puljujarvi personally inscribed for the 17-year-old after arriving at the game with tickets the Oilers forward provided him.
"A nice little feature by Jesse was that he signed the stick and wrote in Finnish 'For Jonatan', so that was really cool," Raatikainen said.
The feel-good story between the two Finns began at the gate of a passenger flight bound for Frankfurt, but the above-and-beyond generosity of Puljujarvi helped turn the chance encounter into an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience for Raatikainen at last Sunday's exhibition.
Today, they still message each other almost daily.
"I think that tells a lot about Jesse's personality and all that, getting tickets for me and giving me a signed stick. Jesse is a really nice person when you get to know him."

While preparing to board the first flight of Raatikainen's extended 30-hour travel day from his hometown of Rauma, Finland to Vancouver Island, where he was set to begin the academic year and Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) U-18 Prep season at Shawnigan Lake School, the teenager noticed two familiar Finnish hockey faces at the same gate.
"When we were boarding in Finland, I saw (Markus) Nutivaara first from the Florida Panthers," he said. "Then I saw this tall guy walking next to him, and I recognized him as Jesse."
On the plane, Raatikainen sat in the third row, with Puljujarvi a row in front of him. On arrival as they bussed back to the terminal, the teenager asked for a picture so he could remember the moment he met one of his favourite NHL players before they both went their separate ways.
Puljujarvi happily obliged, but they both still had long layovers to kill before their next flights.
"We flew from Helsinki to Frankfurt, and we were both in business class," Puljujarvi said. "We sat pretty close to each other, and when we landed in Frankfurt he asked if we could take a picture.
"We took the picture, and I was asking where he was going. He was going to Vancouver. We both had six hours to wait for our next flights, so then I said, 'Yeah, we should go for lunch together.'"
Raatikainen didn't even need a moment to think before accepting the Oilers forward's proposal.
"He asked me if I wanted to come with him to lunch. Of course, I said yes," Raatikainen said with a laugh. "Jesse is a guy I've been looking up to. It was really cool."

It was a gesture that the teenager never expected to receive, and one that he says epitomizes Puljujarvi's kindness and friendly nature.
"I can say so many good things about Jesse," he said. "First of all, when I met him in Frankfurt, I thought he'd be like a normal NHL player where after the picture, he would just go on his way. But Jesse asked me if I wanted to come out with him."
The two talked plenty of hockey, including Jonatan's favourite players and his decision to leave home and come to Canada - a decision that draws parallels to Jesse's first move to Edmonton after being drafted fourth overall in 2016.
"We were sitting there at lunch, eating food and chatting about hockey," Raatikainen said. "We were talking a lot about me and how I chose to come and play in Canada. It was a great time getting to talk with him having been through that whole process going from Finland to the NHL.
"He gave me some things to work on and told me how he got through all the things like living in a new place, meeting new people, and things like that."
Puljujarvi knows firsthand the difficulties of adjusting to a new country, but knows the teammates, teachers and coaches the teenager has at Shawnigan Lake School will provide him a great foundation.
"For sure it's hard," Puljujarvi said. "But then you go and you get used to it. He has a really nice school there and good friends. Those are really good (resources) to have at that age."

The two exchanged Snapchats before Puljujarvi extended the gesture further by offering to get him tickets to any game in Edmonton or Vancouver that would work best around his schedule. The two continued to talk, eventually settling on last Saturday's pre-season game.
"We were planning it out trying to find a game where I could come watch, and it was that weekend we had a Thanksgiving break from school," Raatikainen said. "So I went to one of my friends' houses that weekend, and Jesse got me two tickets for that game."
The stick exchange and candid moment between the two Finns during warmups received plenty of attention in both Canada and their home country of Finland.
"It was unreal," Raatikainen said. "I didn't expect it to be such a big thing, to be honest. It just blew up everywhere in Finland. All my friends were texting me and it was crazy."
The pair are already orchestrating further plans to connect again at the beginning of November when Raatikainen visits a friend in Edmonton to take in a three-game Oilers homestand against the Seattle Kraken, Nashville Predators, and New York Rangers.
Jonatan just hopes, at the least, he can pay Jesse back for picking up the lunch tab.
"I was texting Jesse before the (Home Opener) about that, saying that if we can go to lunch again together, I will pay for it as a thank you."
"Maybe he can even take me for a little tour."