With the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi just around the corner, teams are now announcing their official rosters and preparing to battle it out for the gold.
Finland’s roster looked just as it was expected to look, minus a couple expected players.
| Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Kari Lehtonen | Goalie | Dallas Stars |
| Antti Niemi | Goalie | San Jose Sharks |
| Tuukka Rask | Goalie | Boston Bruins |
| Lasse Kukkonen | Defenseman | Kärpät Oulu |
| Juuso Hietanen | Defenseman | Torpedo Nizhni Novgorod |
| Sami Lepistö | Defenseman | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg |
| Olli Määttä | Defenseman | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Sami Salo | Defenseman | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Kimmo Timonen | Defenseman | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Ossi Väänänen | Defenseman | Jokerit Helsinki |
| Sami Vatanen | Defenseman | Anaheim Ducks |
| Juhamatti Aaltonen | Forward | Kärpät Oulu |
| Aleksander Barkov | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Valtteri Filppula | Forward | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Mikael Granlund | Forward | Minnesota Wild |
| Jussi Jokinen | Forward | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Olli Jokinen | Forward | Winnipeg Jets |
| Mikko Koivu | Forward | Minnesota Wild |
| Leo Komarov | Forward | Dynamo Moscow |
| Petri Kontiola | Forward | Traktor Chelyabinsk |
| Lauri Korpikoski | Forward | Phoenix Coyotes |
| Jori Lehterä | Forward | Sibir Novosibirsk |
| Antti Pihlström | Forward | Salavat Yulayev Ufahttps://www.hookedonhockeymagazine.com/wp-admin/post-new.php |
| Tuomo Ruutu | Forward | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Teemu Selänne | Forward | Anaheim Ducks |
Missing from the list are names like Pekka Rinne and Saku Koivu.
While Rinne did not make the team due to inury, Koivu chose to withdraw himself from the team. Koivu was on the list until just days before the announcement but withdrew citing that he was not happy with his recovery from the concussion he sustained in October while facing the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“I feel that in my case dreams and reality are conflicting,” Koivu stated, ‘I would prefer to be replaced by a better-prepared player.”
Overall the team is looking strong and preparing for competition in Sochi.
Brendon Carlton
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