HELSINKI – It’s a tale of two trips for Tuomo Ruutu.
In 2010, the former NHL forward played two games with the Carolina Hurricanes under head coach Paul Maurice against the Minnesota Wild at the Premiere Series in Finland.
Back in Finland more than a decade later, he's now helping the Florida Panthers prepare for the 2024 Global series as an assistant coach under Maurice.
Despite the shift from player to coaching protégé, he’s hoping for a similar result.
“It’s a special moment for all our Finns,” Ruutu, a native of Vantaa, Finland, said during his media availability from a market in Helsinki on Tuesday. "I was fortunate enough to play here once with good results – two wins. Hopefully we can get another two wins this time.”
If you talk to Maurice, he’ll tell you Ruutu has already played a hand in many wins.
Since being hired by the Panthers as an assist coach in June of 2021, the 41-year-old has already enjoyed great success, including helping the team capture last year’s Stanley Cup.
If you watch the way the Panthers play, Maurice said you’ll see shades of Ruutu every game.
“How he played the game 10-15 years ago is exactly the way we try to play now,” Maurice said of the 12-year NHL veteran. “There weren’t many guys that could do it. He spent most of his career bruised from playing so hard, flat out. He’s been great in that. Clearly the story would be he’s a Finn on the coaching staff, but he’s a great resource as an ex-player.”
Maurice believes Ruutu has been particularly important in developing Anton Lundell.
Given their similarities, it makes perfect sense.
Both are former first-round picks, both wear No. 15, and both grew up in cities just outside of Helsinki (Lundell is from Espoo). Already in his fourth season with the Panthers, Lundell and Ruutu also both made their debuts with the Panthers during the 2021-2022 campaign.
Still only 23 years old, Lundell credits Ruutu for helping take his game to another level.
“He’s been a huge help so far in my career,” said Lundell, who’s gotten off to a hot start with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 11 games this season. “He’s such a smart guy. He helps a lot, our forwards. The way he sees the game, he played himself and sees a lot of great small details on things that I can do better. It’s been a lot of fun to work with him.”
Even while teaching, Ruutu admits he’s also still learning.
Just a few years into his coaching career, he's not getting ahead of himself.
“It’s a long way to go,” Ruutu said. “Working with him (Maurice) and with my colleagues, it’s the best school you can have. I’m learning every day. I just try to be better every day and challenge myself. … When you surround yourself with smarter people than you are, you’ll learn. I’ve learned a lot. I just try to keep my ears open, my eyes open and learn from the coaches but also from the players. We have great players, good human beings”
Outside of the Panthers, Ruutu, a 10-time international medal winner, said that he’ll be serving as an assistant coach for Finland at the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off in February.
“Finns have always been proud to represent our country,” said Ruutu, who won gold at the IIHF World Championship in 2011. “We’re passionate. I think we’re a team-first country. I feel like that’s always been our identity. We want to show that, and I think we can do that.”
Down the road, Maurice thinks Ruutu could be calling the shots for a team in the NHL.
“He’ll be a head coach in the National Hockey League if that’s what he wants to do,” Maurice said. “He’s wired for it. He’s built for it. He’s got a passion for it. He’s got a way better insight into the offensive parts of the game than I do. He’s a critical piece to our staff.”
Catch Ruutu behind the bench when the Panthers and Dallas Stars drop the puck for two games at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland for the Global Series on Friday and Saturday.
To follow the action, visit FloridaPanthers.com/HowToWatch.
