Hockey|Marko Anttila is now the oldest player in the SM league.
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Marko Anttila starts the SM league season as captain for the first time in his career.
Anttila, 39, who dreams of winning the Finnish championship, decided to continue his career at least this season.
Last season’s bronze team Kärpät has gotten stronger and will start the season as one of the biggest early favorites.
Anttila has also had time to think about the time after his career.
My time as a lion Marko Anttila is remembered as the legendary gold captain of the national team. Surprisingly, he is only now starting the SM league season with the letter C on his chest for the first time in his career.
After the bronze medal last season, the continuation of Anttila’s, 39, career was at stake. However, he decided to sign a one-year extension with Oulu Kärppie.
“I wanted to give my body time after the season. By the beginning of June, I had a clear feeling that I still wanted to continue,” says Anttila.
Season number 21 of Anttila’s professional career is about to begin. Many of the current team-mates in the SM League weren’t even born when “Lempäälän jätti” was already in the series.
“Honestly, I thought that last season would have been the last. It’s pointless to say anything anymore,” Anttila laughs.
Anttila started his SM league career in Ilves in the 2004–05 season. Now the 21st season of his professional career is about to begin.
When Jarkko Immonen and Petri Kontiola stopped, and no Antti Pihlström the continuation of his career is still unknown, Anttila, who will turn 40 next May, has now become the oldest player in the SM league.
In addition to the national team, Anttila had previously been captain of the Jokers in the KHL for a while, but now, for the first time in his career, he is also a captain in the SM league. Kärpät announced the change in the summer. Another lion king Atte Ohtamaa handed over the letter C to Anttila.
“The coaching made the decision. We want to turn over all the stones. This is of course a great honor.”
“But we are such good friends with Ate and the leadership was already shared before that there is no drama here.”
Anttila has won two world championships (2019, 2022) and Olympic gold (2022) in a Lion shirt, but he has never won a championship in the club team.
With these kilometers away, Anttila is driven forward by one more thing. He dreamed of the first Finnish championship of his career.
It is a perfectly realistic possibility that next spring he will raise the Canada Cup in the air as champion captain.
When asked about this scenario, a small smile appears on Anttila’s face.
“Then the career would probably be there”, he reflects.
“The one and only reason why I still play is to win the Finnish championship.”
Flies is now stronger than in years. Last spring, Oulu returned to the medal pool after a five-year break, and for the upcoming season Ville Mäntymaan the crew has gotten even stronger. For example, it was brought in by Reid Gardiner (JYP), Michal Kovarch too (Jukurits) and of Ben Tardif (KooKoo), star players who have already proven their level in the SM league.
In the preconceived notions, Kärpät has been raised as the biggest challenger to the Tappara dynasty for a reason.
“The team is undoubtedly good on paper, but that doesn’t really matter at this point. In a cliché, daily work is what matters, and that’s what we’ve tried to strengthen all the time,” says the captain.
Anttila is now starting his third season in Kärpi.
Although Anttila’s role in the game is no longer very big, he feels that he is now more ready and fresher than in recent years.
Last spring, he did not go on the journey of the Lions World Cup team, but focused on taking care of his body, which had been battered during the long season. A long summer at the summer location in Vesilahti did good and prepared the lion legend for perhaps the last squeeze of his career.
Anttila has also had time to think about the time after his playing career. Even though the skates are going to be nailed at some point, Anttila is not giving up on hockey.
“All kinds of things have crossed my mind, but nothing more specific than that has been locked in yet. Self-development has become familiar over the course of my career, so I’m sure something will be studied or learned through work.”
“I have grown so attached to hockey as a sport and as a community, so I will definitely do something with it in the future. I haven’t made any decision about coaching, but hopefully a path will be found in hockey,” says Anttila.
The SM league season starts on Tuesday, September 10.
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