MONTREAL — Cale Makar and Devon Toews have had a long time to get excited about a lot of things with the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Amid the wonder, anticipation and joy of playing for Canada, one part of their first experience with best-on-best hockey at the men’s senior level elicits a slightly different emotion — now they’ve got to play against Artturi Lehkonen.
Now, the top defense pairing for Canada and the Colorado Avalanche will see what the rest of the NHL’s defensemen have dealt with in recent years.
“That’s been talked about religiously by us on the way out here. Just not looking forward to seeing him on the other side ripping down on us,” Toews said. “He’s not a guy you can really scout for with tendencies. He just goes out there and works, and you’ve got to deal with it. We’ll deal with him as best we can, but he’s always a force out there.”
Makar and Toews are going to skate against some of the best forwards in the world at this tournament. They already dealt with Filip Forsberg, William Nylander and friends in a 4-3 overtime win Wednesday night against Sweden at Bell Centre. Next up is the most talented United States team ever assembled on Saturday night.
The final group stage game is Monday in Boston against Lehkonen, Mikko Rantanen and Finland. Lehkonen isn’t on any of the promotional posters for this event, but the Avs defensemen know he’s going to be a problem.
“Oh yeah, it’s been talked about a little bit,” Lehkonen said with a slightly sinister chuckle. “I told them I’m not going to give them any room out there. It’s going to be fun to play against them, for sure, and to try and beat them.”
Lehkonen has been one of the most underrated players in the NHL for years and something of a mystery man — even in Denver. He’s a coach’s dream, a highly-skilled player who also doesn’t shy away from hard work, defense or the dirty areas of the ice.
He has earned a reputation for scoring huge goals. Lehkonen had the Western Conference Final-winning goal in overtime against Edmonton, then the winner in Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final to deliver a third championship for the Avalanche.
Before the trade to Colorado, Lehkonen also scored the biggest goal in the history of Bell Centre. He sent Montreal to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final with an overtime tally in Game 6 against Vegas.
“I know the area pretty well,” Lehkonen said of being back in La Belle Province. “It’s fun coming back here for a bit. Brings up some memories for sure.
“It took us a while to get out of here (that night). It was, uh, pretty intense outside.”
Lehkonen is the only player from the 2021 Canadiens team at this tournament. Mark Stone, who is skating with Nathan MacKinnon for Canada, remembers that night well from the other side.
“I wasn’t thrilled about it,” Stone said. “You know what he does? He does the things a lot of guys don’t want to do. He retrieves pucks. He gets to the net. Really just goes about his business quietly. Players that are ‘underrated’ usually aren’t the flashiest guys, but he’s been a good player in this league for a long time.”
Lehkonen will get a warm reception when Finland plays Thursday night against the United States. The one quirk about the biggest goal in the history of this building — there were only 3,500 fans in attendance because of the COVID-19 protocols at the time.
It’s been harder for him to stay below the radar this season. He’s having the best year of his career, already reaching a personal best with 23 goals in 45 games.
“Hopefully he plays terrible, especially Monday in Boston,” Avs center Nathan MacKinnon said. “No, I think he’s starting to get more recognition. I think he’s still super underrated. He’s getting better every season. We love (Lehkonen). If you ask the guys on our team, he’s probably everyone’s favorite teammate.
“He’s just an unassuming guy. You’d never think he plays hockey or any sports if you see him walking around. But then he’s just an animal out there when he gets on the ice. It’s like he’s a different person. (The Finns) are lucky to have him.”
A reporter asked MacKinnon why someone might not think of Lehkonen as a hockey player.
“He’s just a small, unassuming guy,” MacKinnon responded. “He loves comic books and Marvel and Harry Potter. He’s just an awesome person.”
Lehkonen doesn’t speak with the Denver media all that often, and personal details like the ones MacKinnon let slip are a rarity. He did confirm part of that, at least.
“Not comic books, just the movies,” Lehkonen said.
Does he have a favorite?
“The first ‘Iron Man’ is pretty good,” he said.
And back he goes to answer hockey-related questions — often with an affable laugh or a wide smile, but rarely with any more information than precisely what he wants to reveal.
His play on the ice talks for him. And the players at this tournament know how good he really is.
“It’s good that he’s on our side,” Finland and Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz said. “He’s just a really good player. He works hard but he is still really skilled. He can make plays and score goals. He’s an all-around player. Everybody likes those guys on their team.”
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