Olli Jokinen is just the third Finn, and 13th European-born player, to captain an NHL team.

Mike Keenan had heard all of the bad things said about Olli Jokinen.

The veteran coach refused to listen to the knocks hurled in Jokinen's direction -- slights resulting in Jokinen quickly wearing out welcomes with the Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders. Instead, Keenan saw an almost perfectly formed hockey player that was playing far below his potential.

In his first days with the Florida Panthers back in December of 2001, Keenan watched the 6-foot-3, 215-pound center tear up the ice with his powerful skating stride and fire hard, accurate shots at his goaltenders during practice. Then, Keenan watched -- slightly bemused -- when a less timid version showed up for the Panthers games that season.

Unlike others who had given up on Jokinen in the past, Keenan refused to dismiss Jokinen as a player who would never reach the potential that saw Los Angeles draft the talented Finn third overall in 1997.

Instead, Keenan applied his famous brand of tough love, a tactic that has broken as many players as it has helped. Fortunately, Jokinen fell into the latter category.

After scoring 45 points in his first two years with Florida, Jokinen had a breakout year in 2002-03, which just happened to be Keenan's first full year behind the bench. That season, with Keenan often riding him unmercifully, Jokinen responded with a career-high 65 points, including a team-high 36 goals. That performance earned him a spot in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game played before his home fans in Sunrise, Fla.

After that, Keenan bestowed upon Jokinen the greatest individual honor for an NHL player, naming him the team's captain to start the 2003-04 campaign. Jokinen is just the third Finn, and 13th European-born player, to captain an NHL team. Montreal captain Saku Koivu and Teppo Numminen, who captained Phoenix from 2001-03, are the two other Finnish captains in the NHL.

"He's shown an incredible amount of progress over a short period of time," Keenan said at the time of Jokinen?s appointment. "He's respected by his teammates, and he respects his teammates. I think that's a key component of being a captain. He's earned it. And I think he'll now have the confidence to flourish with the responsibility of the additional leadership role."

Jokinen has indeed flourished under the responsibility of being captain. But Keenan is no longer around to enjoy the maturation process of the 25-year-old center. Keenan was dismissed as Florida's coach in November, replaced behind the bench by Panther GM Rick Dudley, who turned the coaching reins over to John Torchetti later in the season.

"I think (Mike Keenan) made me a stronger player." -- Olli Jokinen

Yet, Keenan's lessons remain with Jokinen, pushing him to maintain his status as the Panthers' go-to guy. This season, he leads the team in goals (26), game-winning goals (8) and average time on ice (22:33) amongst the team's forwards.

"I think he's made me a stronger player," said Jokinen just days after Keenan's dismissal. "I'm thankful to him because he made me a better player."

The responsibility and attention heaped on the shoulders of a team's most visible leader have kept Jokinen focused on his game.

Florida defenseman Lyle Odelein, 35, is a former captain. He has watched Jokinen's maturation with admiration.

"I think he's done a great job," said Odelein, who was a captain with the Columbus Blue Jackets. "Olli's got all the things needed to be a good captain in him. He says the right things in the room. He leads on the ice and off the ice.

"Mike (Keenan) did help him out a lot, but Olli wanted that responsibility and he has embraced it."

Jokinen is one of the youngest captains on one of the NHL's youngest teams. Like many of his teammates, he is still finding his way in the NHL.

Olii Jokinen has emerged as the player so many envisioned he could be when he arrived to accolades from Finland in 1997.

But, Jokinen refuses to hide from the situation. The desire to melt into the background was drilled out of him by Keenan's tough love. Now, Jokinen remains front and center as the most visible image of what the Panthers can be.

He would have it no other way, hoping his development as an impact player will remain the lasting legacy to a coach that has made all the difference in his career.

"It's obvious when you get tested, you want to emerge as one of the best players to emerge from the situation," said Jokinen. "I'm not one of the most vocal guys around, so I just try to lead by example."

So far, at least, Jokinen has emerged from the most trying time of his young career as the player so many envisioned he could be when he arrived to accolades from Finland in 1997. Just as importantly, he has emerged as the player Keenan believed he could become.