Jokinen: ''I'm glad we lost. Now I have more time to do things that I actually like, such as counting my money and watching highlights of my plays from Youtube''

[jRuutu 2,464]

Monday at 8.25 PM

 

End of the season for Calgary Wranglers. Expectations were high. It was not meant to be as LA Stars moved on to the next round. Before Calgary players and staff start their off-season they still have few PR events left. One of those is the end-of-season press conference. Not everybody has to show up to answer questions. Usually, the veteran players and high TPE players are still expected to participate. One of the players that participated at the end of the season press conference was defender Erlantz Jokinen, who did not have the strongest regular seasons. Collecting just 72 points after 92 points in the previous season could be seen as a disappointment. Not a surprise that many expected to see Jokinen step his game up in the playoffs. In the seven games, Jokinen had 0+3 with a +/- rating of -6. More was expected. Jokinen himself appeared to be on the edge right away as the first question was asked. When asked about his feelings regarding the loss to LA and start to the off-season, Jokinen had this to say:

 

''I'm glad we lost. Now I have more time to do things that I actually like, such as counting my money and watching highlights of my plays from Youtube''

 

Many fans online have questioned whether Jokinen should be prevented from talking to the media in the future. His commitment towards Calgary Wranglers as an organization was also questioned as such arrogance should be reserved only for true star players that make things happen on the ice. Jokinen was expected to finally be among the best offensive defenders in VHL this year, but the 92 points season has turned out to be a fluke. After the first question, Jokinen answered five more questions, including a question regarding LA Stars playing style. Jokinen claimed that ''meta'' was not the reason why LA won. Jokinen pointed out that luck had a far bigger effect on the series as he mentioned 94% was luck and 6% meta. After answering six questions, Jokinen stood up and walked away.

 

It remains to be seen what kind of off-season Jokinen will have. In previous years Jokinen has spent his off-seasons ''practicing'' in Finland. It has been reported that Jokinen did not spend nearly enough time working on his fitness levels during the last off-season than he maybe should have. Jokinen showed up to the training camp in poor condition. At the time Jokinen claimed he is ''too good'' to worry about fitness during the off-season. He managed to get back in shape by the time season started, but sources inside Calgary say that it was not easy and took a toll on Jokinen.

 

Many are still expecting great things from Jokinen. He is one of the highest-paid players in Calgary and if we judge purely by TPE, he is one of the best defenders in the league. The potential is there to even reach 100 points, but for that to happen Jokinen needs to keep working hard.