Rantanen embracing trip home to Finland for Avalanche Global Series games

TAMPERE, Finland - Mikko Rantanen had the look of an awestruck kid seeing his hockey heroes for the first time.

In a sense, he was.
The Colorado Avalanche forward had never been to the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame before Thursday. But there he was, sitting in a chair in the middle of this impressive museum alongside teammate and countryman Artturi Lehkonen, waiting to do a television interview, all while soaking in this outstanding tribute to his country's rich hockey history.
Among the jerseys hanging behind them was that of the great Teemu Selanne, the all-time leader among Finnish players in NHL games played (1,451), goals (684) and points (1,457). Not too far away was the No. 9 jersey of Mikko Koivu, the first player to have his number retired by the Minnesota Wild.
"It's cool," Rantanen said. "Those guys are the ones I grew up looking up to. They're legends in Finnish hockey history, and rightly so. They had incredible careers in the NHL and for the national team. So, it's really cool to be here for the first time.
"I really enjoyed it."

He was asked how much more he would enjoy it if he had a display of his own in the Hall someday.
"It's hard to think about that," he said. "I still just turned 26. So, I'm still pretty young, I would say.
"I don't know. It would be cool one day if I could play that good of a career that I earned a spot here. It would be an honor, obviously."
He is on his way to doing just that.
With 419 points (169 goals, 250 assists) in 417 NHL games, the forward from Nousiainen is averaging a little more than a point per game. He also is a Stanley Cup champion, winning hockey's Holy Grail last season with Colorado.
Fans in his native country will get the rare chance to see his elite skills in person during the 2022 NHL Global Series, which features a two-game set between the Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets beginning at Nokia Arena on Friday (2 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, ALT, BSOH). And judging by the way young fans were screaming at the sight of him during the Avalanche's open practice Thursday, he's a big deal here.

Rantanen, who enters the game Friday with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in nine games this season, has helped filled the void left by captain
Gabriel Landeskog
, who is expected to be out the next 10 weeks after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Oct. 18. The fact that he'll be playing in front of friends and family who are making the 112-mile trip to Tampere from Nousiainen only adds to his motivation.
Rantanen knows that the defending champions have been inconsistent at best to start the season, going 4-4-1 and coming off consecutive losses to the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders last weekend. As much fun as it's been to show off his country to his teammates this week, he said it's time to get down to business.
"The last couple of days have been fun, getting to show around the team," he said. "But now there's two big games coming up. And we're just trying to start focusing on tonight and getting ready for the weekend."

It has been an eventful week for Rantanen and the Avalanche to be sure.
It started Sunday when mechanical issues grounded the team's charter at JFK Airport in New York. After a four-hour delay, they were asked to deplane so they could take a different plane to Finland.
The Avalanche arrived in Helsinki on Monday afternoon and held their first practice in Finland on Tuesday. Then it was off to have a sauna on the shores of the Baltic Sea, where a number of players braved the frigid waters in what Rantanen said is a Finnish tradition.
After a day off Wednesday, the Avalanche took a 90-minute train ride from Helsinki to Tampere on Thursday. Then it was time to unpack and take to the ice at the impressive Nokia Arena, where thousands watched the open practice.
Once practice was over, Rantanen and Lehkonen were driven to the Hall of Fame where they had the chance to embrace the tributes to players who formed the foundation of Finnish hockey before them.
"Without those guys before us, we wouldn't be here," he said. "It's very impressive.
"It's been a great week, getting to see things like this. But now it's time to win hockey games. That's what we're here to do."