WHL Notebook | T-birds goalie is a force on ice
Top goaltenders, like smart generals, survey the landscape and subtly maneuver all the defensive pieces around them.
Riku Helenius, the rookie goaltender of the Seattle Thunderbirds who is from Finland, hasn’t let a little thing like language get in the way of communication.
When Helenius gets really animated, he explodes into a steady cadence of Finnish and English. It’s a hybrid of discordant syllables, and though no one really understands each word, the meaning is clear.
“There’s some form of yelling coming out of his mask, but no one really knows what he’s saying,” Seattle coach Rob Sumner said. “He’s really into it, and all the guys on our team can really appreciate that.”
Helenius, who leads the Western Hockey League with a .925 save percentage, had helped Seattle to a 5-1-2-1 record heading into Friday night’s game against Saskatoon at KeyArena.
“It just comes out naturally,” Helenius said with a wide smile. “The players can figure out what I’m saying. There might be a couple of bad words, but those are bad words in Finnish, too.”
Seattle defenseman Thomas Hickey said everyone can appreciate the passion for hockey Helenius regularly displays.
“Even though English isn’t his first language, the things he says with his body language is what is most noticeable to the guys,” Hickey said. “He’s a big guy, and he’s athletic. You get those two going and you’re going to be a good goalie.”
Helenius, who is 6 feet 3, 202 pounds, and from Talkane, Finland, was selected in the first round of the 2006 NHL draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He sat out most of last season after arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder but has recovered.
So far, he said, his transition to the smaller ice surface in North America and the big city of Seattle has been easy.
“The game is different,” Helenius said. “There are a lot more screens, and I have to get used to it and work hard to follow the puck. So far everything else has been great. The only bad thing so far has been traffic.”
Imagine what he’ll think after he actually gets a driver’s license.
Interestingly, two of the 14 goals allowed by Helenius have been against former Finnish national teammate Juuso Puustinen, who plays for Kamloops.
“He’s my best friend and we talk on the phone two or three times a week,” Helenius said. “The only place we don’t talk is on the ice. I hope he keeps scoring, but not any more on me.”