A Taste of Gold for Hämeenaho

Some moments in hockey happen so fast they barely feel real. One second, the game is hanging in the balance. The next, gloves, sticks and helmets are flying through the air as an entire nation erupts in celebration. For Lenni Hämeenaho, Finland's gold-medal victory at the 2026 IIHF World Championship was one of those moments.

Growing up in Finland, NHL games were often played in the middle of the night, long after most young hockey fans had gone to sleep.

Lenni Hämeenaho was one of those kids.

"I feel like maybe the NHL isn't that popular because it's always in the middle of the night," Hämeenaho said, fresh off helping Finland capture gold at the 2026 IIHF World Championship.

Instead, it was the World Championship that became appointment viewing. With games typically taking place in the afternoon or evening in Finland, the tournament was far more accessible to young fans and, for many, served as an introduction to their hockey heroes.

“Every Finnish people who even doesn't watch hockey, they always watch those games, so maybe that's the biggest point that," he said. "Follwing the NHL is hard, I feel like that's maybe why those world champs are so big for our country.”

With the return of Aleksander Barkov and the addition of Anton Lundell, Hämeenaho believed Finland had the pieces to make a championship run. What felt like destiny soon became reality.

All with a single flick of the wrist.

Ask Hämeenaho what it was like to see the puck cross the line off Konsta Helenius's stick in overtime, and he's still not entirely sure he can describe it. In fact, he may not remember it.

“It's just maybe one of the things that you can't really explain,” he reminisced. “He shoots and I didn't see that the puck went in, but I saw all the teammates jump out of the bench and went straight to the ice. So, I just followed them and throw my gear, sticks and gloves everywhere, and just went there and jumped into that group of guys and just screamed.

“It was so, so nice feeling and just can't explain that moment, really.”

While some of the celebration is a blur, Hämeenaho vividly remembers the atmosphere inside the arena. Finland was playing Switzerland on Swiss soil, with the Swiss crowd backing the home team.

“I just can't even explain how loud it was,” he said. “Obviously there was a little bit nervous (energy) in the rink because I feel like they didn't score, so they had to wait whole game to explode or something. I feel like it was maybe the most loudest rink that I have ever played.”

The release finally came from the Finnish side. Helenius' overtime winner beat Leonardo Genoni and sparked an outpouring of emotion, beginning a celebration that would stretch far beyond the rink.

After the on-ice celebration, Hämeenaho said he really took it all in sitting in Finland’s locker room. Each player gets a moment to hold and celebrate with the trophy.

That’s when it truly hit him.

He was a World Champion.

Headed back home to Finland from Switzerland, Finnish military jets escorted the team's flight back home.

“It’s kind of tradition that if Finland wins the trophy, then, I think they are kind of like highest military guys who are flying those little planes. It was pretty sick moment.”

The festivities only grew from there.

The team met with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, celebrated with thousands of fans in Helsinki and, perhaps most memorably, had a little fun at Switzerland's expense.

During the celebration, the Swiss goal song blared through the loudspeakers.

A coincidence? Not exactly.

“I think just their goal song was so good,” Hämeenaho shared, though you could almost hear the smirk through the phone. “But it's just so good song. So, we just wanted to listen it. the goal song was pretty good. I can't lie.”

And while Hämeenaho is still only 21 years old, he wasn't simply along for the ride. He was a contributor.

He finished the tournament with three goals and five assists, a total of eight points in 10 games, continuing a strong year that began with his first taste of NHL action.

In New Jersey, Hämeenaho appeared in 33 games for the Devils, recording two goals and six assists while showing the reliable two-way game that made him one of the organization's most intriguing young forwards. More importantly, he gained experience against some of the best players in the world.

“I feel like it was huge thing that I was playing some maybe little bit over 30 games with the Devils and get that experience,” he said. “So I feel like that was big thing for me. I was playing in that same World Champs last year, before last season, and I felt like I was so much more ready for those games this year because I was playing so hard games the whole season.”

The championship did more than add a gold medal to his hockey resume.

It gave Hämeenaho his first real taste of winning at the highest level, an experience that tends to change players. Once you've felt it, you want it again.

And again.

Now, after experiencing what it feels like to be a champion, Hämeenaho is determined to chase that feeling again - this time in New Jersey.

“This was my first experience winning,” he said. “So obviously, you want it every year. It makes my training better. I will be more hungry for next season, to win something (in New Jersey).”