A day with Thorvald Gunnarsson, VHLM hopeful [1/2]

[Saelven88 58]

As he prepares for the VHLM draft goalie prospect Thorvald Gunnarsson hasn't changed his daily routine much. He still wakes up at 0530 and goes down to the practice facility he has used for the last two years as a Lahti Pelican. He works out for about 2 hours and then heads for a hearty breakfast with lots of bread, cheese, yogurt and washed down with lots of coffee and milk. He spends the rest of his morning doing drills and exercises off ice. A break for a large lunch with several varied meat courses signals the end of the hardest work of his day. He takes a few hours away from the rink running errands for his family and returns around 2 to skate for 30 minutes. He says he feels fine and heads for home.

 

According to Gunnarsson this is a fairly typical day for him during the off-season. Dinner at home with his parents and two sisters is fairly standard, although the past few weeks have seen an uptick in excitement. The anticipation of draft day has been harder to ignore the closer it has gotten. To deal with the stress Gunnarsson has been spending his evenings fishing with his father and friends. It's this time of day that has Gunnarsson worried. "I've never been outside of Finland," he stated, "so I don't know what my life will be like in the VHLM."

 

He says he's not worried about the challenge of playing abroad, but more the living abroad. "I didn't really think about that growing up. I always thought I would stay around Lahti. But when [foreign] scouts started to show a lot of interest in me I thought it could happen." Gunnarson comes from a close knit family that has been in Lahti for many generations. They can trace their family tree back to the 1400's and many members of the family have lived in the area.

 

"I have reached out to [Ottawa Lynx center] Eeli Harju to ask about adjusting to playing outside of Finland. His home is about 90 minutes south of me so I thought he might understand what I was going through. He has been very helpful." Gunnarsson hopes that he and Harju can continue to build a friendship even if they end up on different teams. "That's sports," Gunnarsson says. "We can be friends who play for different teams. Maybe we get to play together for Scandanavia some day."

 

Looking forward Gunnarson says that he and his family will probably spend all day at home during the draft. It will start around 0400 local time for the family. "My mother offered to make all my favorite foods for the day. We are going to have a small party all day with some family and friends. My parent's already took the day off from work." With the possibility of Gunnarsson leaving the family has tried to make the most of the remaining time.

 

As I was saying goodbye Gunnarsson had one final statement. "I just want to play hockey. I don't mind leaving home, as long as I get to play." I asked if he was challenging a potential teammate for playing time. He smiled as he responded, "Chess, soccer, video games, I play to win. Doesn't matter if it's only for fun, it is more fun to win." I guess only time will tell if he can keep those promises at the next level.

 

573 words, using for PT week 4/22 – 4/28

[Phil 5,028]

Good luck tomorrow!!

[Saelven88 58]

Thank you.

[Renomitsu 930]

Review - I think this is a well-constructed insight into the background of your player, and would encourage you to bring this style and creativity to your biography. The fact that you include details about a morning routine, never having been outside of Finland, and connecting your recruiter to your player are all nice touches that make this media spot feel a little homey, even. Good luck in Halifax, and don't be shy about reaching out to other members for questions.