Diehard NHL fans of the mid-aughts might remember the name Teemu Hartikainen.
The 32-year-old forward was the 163rd overall pick of the 2008 NHL draft by the Edmonton Oilers and spent the next few years going back-and-forth between Edmonton and their Oklahoma City affiliate.
In all, Hartikainen played 52 games in the NHL, scoring six goals with seven assists before returning overseas to play in the KHL—though he has won two gold medals at the Olympics and World Championships with Finland.
That lack of production on the NHL stage will no longer be Hartikainen legacy. Not after what he nearly pulled off this weekend with Finland’s national team in a Euro Hockey Tour matchup against Sweden.
After the contest went to a shootout, Hartikainen took the ice and put a dazzling spin on the lacrosse move that features an absurd amount of wrist strength and coordination.
Sweden’s goalie had no chance—and yet Hartikainen couldn’t put the puck past him.
Teemu Hartikainen 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1BDEgU1cgg
— Robin Söderlund (@RobinSoderlund) December 17, 2022
Goodness. That’s the hockey version of “down low, too slow”. The rare shootout attempt that impresses regardless of whether or not he scored.
The way Hartikainen pulls the puck back with one hand while scooping it up off the ice is just beyond belief. The physics of it all barely make sense.
And while Finland lost the shootout (and the game, 4-3), all anyone cares about is what Hartikainen dared to attempt.