Global Series special for Finnish players on Panthers, Ruutu says

HELSINKI -- Tuomo Ruutu is on a business trip, so his priority during his return to his home country are the Florida Panthers’ two games against the Dallas Stars in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland presented by Fastenal at Nokia Arena in Tampere on Friday (2 p.m. ET; Victory+, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SN), and Saturday (Noon ET; Victory+, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SN1).

But spending two days in Helsinki, about 25 minutes from his hometown of Vantaa, before taking the train to Tampere on Thursday provided the Panthers assistant with at least a little time to catch up with those close to him.

“We have a busy schedule, but I’ll try to see my brothers, try to see my parents and as many friends as possible,” Ruutu said Tuesday. “So obviously, it’s special.”

Ruutu, who is in his fourth season as an assistant with Florida, can appreciate as well as anyone what playing in these Global Series games will mean to the four Finnish players on the Panthers -- forwards Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen and defenseman Niko Mikkola. The 41-year-old, who played 12 seasons in the NHL (2003-2016) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils, experienced it himself with the Hurricanes when they played two games against the Minnesota Wild in the 2010 NHL Premiere Series in Helsinki.

“Obviously, it’s a special, special moment for all our Finns,” Ruutu said. “I was fortunate enough to play here once with good results, two wins, so hopefully we can get another two wins this time.”

With four players from Finland playing prominent roles on the Panthers, Ruutu has proven to be invaluable member of coach Paul Maurice’s staff, helping Florida win the Stanley Cup last season. Ruutu was the first assistant from Finland to win the Stanley Cup and joined Colorado Avalanche goalie coach Jussi Parkkila, who won the Cup in 2022, as the only Finns with their names on the trophy as coaches, according to NHL Stats.

He works with Florida’s forwards and Maurice credited him with helping Lundell, the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, develop during his four seasons in the NHL. But Maurice, who coached Ruutu with the Hurricanes and inherited him on his staff when he was hired in 2022, said his contributions go beyond being a liaison to the Finnish players.

“Clearly the story would be he’s a Finn on the coaching staff, but he’s a great resource as an ex-player,” Maurice said. “I was saying unkind things about a player in November the first year (2022-23) and he said, ‘Well, that’s a really hard play you’re expecting.’ And he explained it to me. It made complete sense to me, except I never played, so I had no idea that it was that hard. So having him on the staff has been great.”

Since retiring from playing following the 2016-17 season with Davos in Switzerland, the former forward has gradually been working his way up the coaching ladder. He was an assistant for Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and worked two seasons with the New York Rangers as a development coach (2019-20) and assistant director of player development (2020-21) before being hired by the Panthers in 2021.

“He will be a head coach in the National Hockey League if that’s what he wants to do,” Maurice said. “He’s wired for it. He’s built for it. He’s got a passion for it. He’s got a way better insight into the game, the offensive parts of the game, than I do, and he’s a critical piece to our staff.”

The first Finnish-born NHL head coach was Alpo Suhonen with Chicago in 2000-01. Ruutu is cautious when talking about whether he hopes to become the second, though.

“It’s a long way to go,” he said. “Obviously, working with [Maurice] and with my colleagues, it’s the best school you can have. I’m learning every day and just try to be better every day and challenge myself.”

Ruutu believes he’s grown as a coach in his four seasons with Florida and benefited from playing for and coaching under Maurice, who he called, “my best coach when I played.” Maurice is second in NHL history with 1,859 regular-season games coached, behind Scotty Bowman (2,141), and fourth in wins with 876.

“When you surround yourself with smarter people than you are, you’ll learn, and I have learned a lot,” Ruutu said. “So, I just try to keep my ears open, my eyes open and learn from the coaches but also from the players. We have great players, good human beings. All coaches come with all kinds of systems and stuff like that, but they all learn from the players, to be honest.”

Ruutu is focused on helping the Panthers (7-3-1) in their bid to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, but his education from coaching in the NHL will also help him when he works as an assistant for Finland in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. Ruutu will be the only NHL coach on Finland’s staff, which is headed by Antti Pennanen, who coaches Ilves in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland.

So his knowledge could be vital when Finland competes in the round-robin tournament, which will include only NHL players from Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States.

“He played in the NHL for a long time and now he’s been in the NHL as a coach for a long time, so, for sure, his input will be huge,” said Barkov, one of the first six players named to Finland’s roster. “Obviously, he’s going to be the only coach that’s from the NHL on our team, so he will have a lot to say there.

“He knows what he’s doing, and he knows what to say in different situations.”

Ruutu could also be helpful for Finland in selecting the remainder of its roster, which will be announced in early December and could include more players from the Panthers. Having represented his country at the IIHF World Junior Championship three times (2001, 2002, 2003), the IIHF World Championship four times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011), the Olympics twice (2010, 2014) and 2004 World Cup of Hockey, Ruutu understands what the 4 Nations Face-Off will mean to the Finnish players and their fans.

“I think Finns, we’ve always been proud, obviously, to represent our country,” he said. “We’re passionate. I think we’re a team-first country. That’s something that I’ve felt that’s always been our identity, so we want to show that, and I think if we can do that, we can do good things.”