“I feel super excited about the upcoming game! Especially since it’s a one-game series. These are the games young players dream about,” he started.

Olkinuora has played in big games and been in tough positions throughout his lengthy career, meaning the 33-year-old Finn is somebody the team can turn to for guidance about handling pressure. But how does he personally go about handling everything that comes with a CHL Final?

“The key is to realise the importance of the situation,” explained Olkinuora, “then it’s just a game, you really just need to feel alive."

"The entire season is on the line, it doesn’t get better than this!”

The 33-year-old started this CHL season playing for the Lahti Pelicans in Liiga but transferred to Genève ahead of their Quarter-Finals Return Game against the Växjö Lakers. Since then, he’s manned the net in all of their games in Europe’s biggest club ice hockey competition.

“I have only been along for the last bits of the team’s journey. The team has a lot of character, especially puck-handling skills are world class within our group. The two-game aggregate-scoring series in the CHL is tough, so everything needs to fall into place in order to make it this far and be successful,” said the goalie.

Just two remain

24 teams started their quest for the European Trophy and title of European Club Champions back in late August and now just two remain.

“There are plenty of high-level games in the CHL,” noted Olkinuora, “ever since my JYP days I remember that it was great to see what kind of hockey teams from other countries play, as I hadn’t experienced that much back when I was a younger player.”

Olkinuora has been lucky enough to have travelled around the globe with hockey. Domestic leagues often slide into routine and expectation, while in international games and competitions – like the CHL – the playground stays fresh.

“In this sport there are times when you get these mental images and presumptions about different teams, but with the CHL you get to meet totally new teams – and that has been super nice!”

When going through Olkinuora’s thoughts on the 2023/24 season, the talks turn back to the fact that started the season in a different place than where he’s going to finish it.

“Yeah, I changed club in the middle of the season. It’s not always easy when you enter a new league,” he started, “the start of the season was tough for me, but once I got here my game got better. It’s interesting to be here and see the hockey – it requires a little different style of playing. But that’s only refreshing – as a player you need to adapt to various situations all the time.”

How has he adapted to Genève’s style of play?

“The game here is quite offensive-minded, and the defencemen support the plays quite aggressively,” he commented, “the game shifts from side to side a lot, and there can be some uneven plays and such.”

“I would say that here in Switzerland there are more goals scored per game compared to Finland. That’s why I also need to give myself a bit of slack when looking at my stats.”

Behind a goalie's mask

They say the game of hockey always looks a bit different from behind the goalie’s mask. Let’s let Olkinuora put us in his shoes (or should we say skates?)!

“Our team’s defending and penalty kill are awesome. We also control the puck a lot, so there can be long periods of play where I don’t even touch the puck. That’s a bit of a challenge.”

Genève’s penalty kill has indeed been outstanding. With 91,89%, they sit third in the entire CHL this season.

Just days to go now until the big game comes around, how does Olkinuora see CHL Final 2024 playing out?

“You always get two really good teams facing each other in a final and it’s clear that Skellefteå are one of them. As I played against them last season, I know they play quality hockey,” he said.

The CHL Final will be played on Genève’s home ice, does he see that as an advantage?

“That’s a great bonus for us and we need to be able to appreciate that in the right way. We need to utilise the extra energy from our crowd and the city,” responded the Finn.

Even though Olkinuora has been in tough games and glorious moments throughout his career, he most likely won’t be the first to give advice or pep talks to his teammates in the days before the Final.

“We have plenty of guys who are even more experienced and successful than myself, so I’ll be focusing on my own thing."

"Of course, I'll try to keep the atmosphere light and stay social, but most importantly focused,” he ended.