Finnish flavor: How the Stars have created a culture surrounding the Finns and their work ethic

The Finnish media is in town this week.

It’s pretty much an annual affair with the Stars.

After all, a third of the roster is from Finland, and that’s kind of normal for this franchise. Even more impressive, the Suomi Squad can pretty much be counted on to do something impressive on a nightly basis.

Roope Hintz scored two goals, including the OT game-winner, against Winnipeg Thursday. The assists were gorgeous from Mikko Rantanen and Miro Heiskanen. Rantanen also assisted on Jason Robertson’s goal and, oh yeah, had a hat trick on Tuesday to beat Boston in overtime.

To paraphrase Jimmy Buffet, opponents are seeing Finns to the left and Finns to the right.

It’s been a good formula for the Stars for years. Jere Lehtinen sort of started the tradition here in Texas, and it built pretty quickly from there. A fourth-round pick of the Minnesota North Stars in 1992, Lehtinen brought a style of play that fit with what GM Bob Gainey was building. The strong two-way diligence and attention to detail quickly landed Lehtinen on a line with Mike Modano, and the rest is rafter-hanging history.

I always felt that both Gainey and Ken Hitchcock looked at the performance of Lehtinen and said, “Where can we get more of that?” The obvious answer was Finland.

Players like Niko Kapanen, Antti Miettinen and Jussi Jokinen became late round draft finds. By 2005-06, Lehtinen was joined by all three plus Niklas Hagman and Janne Niinimaa. As the years went by, fans would embrace Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi and learn to pronounce Jyrki Jokipakka or argue over Julius Honka.

There was always something to bring in the eyeballs from Oulu to Espoo.

Which brings us to the current times. Not unlike Gainey, GM Jim Nill loved the work ethic of the Finns. His scouting staff inherited Esa Lindell and added Hintz. Then, in 2017, they took the biggest swing of all with Heiskanen being selected third overall, and the die was pretty much cast.

There will be key Finns in Dallas for decades to come.

That opened the door to trade for Rantanen and sign players like Joel Kiviranta and Arttu Hyry, and here we are. In a circle-of-life moment, Jere Lehtinen was responsible for getting several players to Dallas in his role of director of Finnish hockey for international play. The original Finnish Mafia member keeps adding to the pool with tips from his travels.

The phenomena really does feed itself. There was probably a reason Rantanen liked Dallas better than Carolina, and it probably had a lot to do with the Finns. There was probably a reason Kiviranta wanted to return, and you could see that on his buddies (Lindell, Hintz, Heiskanen) in all of his social media pics throughout the summer.

Birds of a feather, and all that.

The hope is that all of this familiarity will pay dividends. As coach Glen Gulutzan tries to build a culture, team defense is a big part of it. So when you have players like Lindell, Heiskanen, Hintz and Hyry, you are in a pretty good place to ask for some stinginess. Sure, there are plenty of non-Finns pulling on the rope, but having some of your best players be your most responsible players has a very significant trickle-down effect.

Can it all come together this year (or next)? Can the Lads in Victory Green sew a little blue and white into the fabric of their team?

Well, let’s allow the Finns the last word: Rohkea rokan syö.

That translates to: “The brave eats the soup.” Or, as we say here in Texas: Fortune favors the brave.

It seems that fits this group.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.