Dear reader,

You are probably used to read my interview sessions from this print magazine. But this time I try to tell you about season 68 in my own words because I have heard that you love my fun, nice, exciting, wonderful, amazing, unbelievable, awesome, marvelous, fascinating, fantastic, incredible, stunning, surprising, brilliant, cool, enjoyable, pleasant, superb, sensational, terrific, outstanding, phenomenal, tremendous, chilly, unreal and exotic personality. That's why I am confident to write a short story all by myself.

Season 68 was a emotional rollercoaster. When it comes to Seattle Argonauts, we set many franchise records in the regular season. Our record was 7-1 after first eight games which meant that everyone on the team was right away ready to face challenges of the new season. We knew that it will a tough year because every night we would face an opponent who wants to win badly a reigning champion. There wasn't going to be easy games at all. I am proud of how well we responded to that challenge. We passed the test clearly because in the end our record was 54-9-3. We collected 111 points which was one more than Winnipeg. First President's Trophy in the franchise history was an amazing achievement especially when we were 5-6 points behind Aurora when the last week of the regular season began (39-8-2 after 49 games). But we won 12 out of last 13 games including 6-1 win against Winnipeg and that final spurt brought us some team glory. Our previous best was 43 wins so we improved it by 11 wins. That's why before the season I was happy to bet that we get under 46,5 wins but I was also happy to lose that bet so it was a win-win situation. I didn't expect that we could play so well when the expectation was that all other teams want to win especially us but it was cool to be wrong about our mental toughness.

Individually, I set my personal assists record which is now 53. In the beginning of the season I was a while even TOP3 in the whole league in the assists together with line mate and captain Podcalzone until I cooled off little bit and settled for 14th place in that category. But our true hero and leader was Max Manning who scored 66 goals and 113 points. They are both new records as you probably know already. Most of my assists were just giving puck to him and he just kept scoring, scoring and scoring. Unbelievable. I have to give also respect for mr. Lilja who played his third consecutive 100+ point season. Unique achievement.

You already know too what happened in the playoffs so to save time I don't want to repeat everything in this column. On the first round we swept easily Los Angeles. Next two series were little bit tougher but Calgary and Chicago lost us in five games. Personally, conference finals series against Syndicate was emotional because I played against two of my former colleagues from the Quebec City Citadelles. Of course, I had previously met both Mat Smith and Kev Kevens in the playoffs but now they were both on the same team. We celebrated together Four Star Cup on season 58 but either my or theirs dreams would be crushed. I felt bad for them because especially Kevens would deserve to win Challenge Cup thanks to his every day grind and work ethic. I am sure his time to lift the trophy will come in the future on both SHL and also international stage with Team Canada. On the other hand, I was happy to help my team to third straight finals appearance by collecting three assists together with Podcalzone in a 5-1 win.

Final series against Manhattan was again epic, to describe it with a one word. In the first game we continued where we left in the game seven (9-1 win) year before and scored eight goals that time. Maybe it was a wake up call for Rage and its defensive masterpiece tied the series in game two. After that, we won two road games in a row and had a chance to end the series in game five at the home. But bounces were not on our side on the next two games. Even though I tied game five for 2-2 ten minutes before the end, mr. Granstrom scored game-winner on the second OT period. It was a thriller. We were one goal away to celebrate Challenge Cup again in front of the home fans but Manhattan came to ruin the party even though Miller did his best in the net and saved one breakaway.

It was a New Year's eve when the champion of the S68 would be decided. I was at the Seattle where the year was still 2022 but in the Finland it was already 2023 when the game six began. I had just one wish for a New Year: to begin it with a one win in two games. We had two match balls left. We served the first one but Rage returned it and hit a winner in tennis terms. Inda Bagg saved all 31 shots and kept a shutout. We missed a lot of shots too from open chances. But I was confident that bounces should be on our side soon. At least home crowd would give us strength in a game seven.

Game seven. Two magic words. I thought year ago I would never experience it again in the finals and especially in front of home audience but there we were again in a same situation than previous season. I just tried to sense the energy and atmosphere in the building in the warm-ups. And when the puck was dropped, I was ready to give my all. Give my everything to the logo of Seattle Argonauts and its supporters. It was a tight hockey game. Manhattan took the lead in the first period thanks to Harrier. Miller kept us in a game before skaters woke up in the first intermission. Kermit Murphy scored a crucial PPG goal from the assists of Manning and Kahnwald early on the 2nd period. It was a nerve-racking game to watch from the stands, I think. But the emotion was same on the bench between your own shifts. I just tried to keep my energy levels high by drinking lots of water and be the best version of myself every time I stepped on the ice.

Luukas Lilja. You remember I mentioned him shortly earlier in this text? He stepped up four minutes before the end of third period. At 56:19, the puck was in the net of Manhattan. Mihailov and Kahnwald exited from our own zone cleanly and gave puck to Lilja in the neutral zone. Then they went to the bench to let fresh legs come to the ice. But Lilja stayed on the puck between 3-4 Rage players. His zone entry to the offensive area along the left wing was speedy and then he approached the left face-off dot. When Lilja reached it, he shot the puck between the legs of a defender. He was surrounded by three or four Rage players but still managed to put the puck on the top corner. It was a perfect shot. It was a shot which made Seattle Argonauts a back-to-back champion of the Simulation Hockey League. What a way to retire. It felt like time would stop for a moment when I watched that shot to go top corner from the bench. And when our defence was able to hold the lead, parties were ready to begin on the ice and in the crowd. We were in a paradise as a community.

According to this list, we were a first team to win back-to-back titles since New England Wolfpack (S30-S31). I thought Hamilton would have done it on the S50's but apparently not. Statistics are just statistics but I can't deny that to be a part of that kind of historic achievement feels good. And to win both Challenge Cups in game seven at the home ice is even more special. What a team. Pressure is a privilege and we had a lot of players who were at their best in tight situations.

Experience. You should never underestimate it. The cup-winning goal was created by three players who came to Seattle before the season 67 as cup-winners. Lilja and Kahnwald won the Challenge Cup in the Los Angeles and Mihailov with Atlanta. And now they all have three cups like Wagner too. Mihailov has won his three cups in a row which is insane. But some guys are just born to win. I think those guys are definitely that kind of players. We had also two rookies in the team, Benson Fiorentini and Angry Gilmore. It felt extremely good that we were able to give those guys a chance to lift the cup too because everyone else had already did it a season ago. Both of them played about 17 minutes a night and did a solid job in their first SHL playoffs. They weren't weak at any moment.

Individually, I scored 22 points (4+18) in 21 playoff games. It was a first time when I scored at least a point per game either in the single playoffs or regular season. I was glad to peak at the right time and put up at least once some solid offensive numbers even though my main job is to kill penalties and play a responsible two-way game but in the TOP6 role you need to be able to contribute also on the offensive zone sometimes.

*****

During the championships party I heard that IIHF event would be organized this time at Tampere, Finland. It gave me a chance to stay little bit longer in Seattle with my team-mates and then fly straight to home instead of going to pre-camp to another European country. It was also a unique chance to play in front of Finnish people first time since my amateur years. It gave me extra motivation to keep my body in shape also during the ceremonies and parade in the Seattle.

I am a old-fashioned person. What happens in a locker room, stays in a locker room. Well, almost everything. But I like to keep some things private and that's why you won't hear any party stories from me. I give mandatory media interviews and that's it. But youngsters are different and it is fine. You probably got to taste our feelings from the locker room when Manning held his Instagram live session straight after game seven with a beer in one hand and cigar in another. But he was MVP of the regular season and playoffs so why not? Hard work needs to compensated with hard relaxation. I have to admit also that I laughed a lot when Miller danced in the locker room wearing only his underpants and chest armor. On the other hand, in the corner seat Ramsbottom was already ready to update franchise TOP10 statistics until we said he should do it later and now is time to celebrate. And he did it with a style but as I promised I am not going to tell details. Captain Pod held a nice speech in the parade ceremony for the residents of Seattle. It was a touching moment also in my opinion.

Team Finland has been a powerhouse in the international hockey on the S60's. We had won three golds and two bronzes before latest home tournament. Our management duo Söderberg-Tremblay and Carpet has done amazing job for a creating culture which we have today. Without a good leadership group it is impossible to win anything. And when it comes to leadership, as a two-time SHL champion I got an honour to wear "A" for the first time in any team. Players voted about captains and their trust meant a lot to me. Of course, I have always led by my example on the ice when playing in Quebec City or Seattle. You don't have to wear a letter in your jersey to be a leader. That is something Zach Whitecloud from Vegas Golden Knights has taught to me. But it was still pretty special to be one of the captains in our home IIHF event together with Walton Stromberg and Lemo Pihl.

Round robin went well. We were hungry because previous tournament had ended for bronze. After 12 games, our record 9-2-1 was the best. Kampainen was our best scorer with 13 points but I have to mention also Kekkonen who had 0+11 stat line, hah. He refused to score in somehow meaningless matches. A quarter-final game is usually an ultimate pressure test in this kind of tournaments. Either you get a chance to play for medals or your tournament ends in a catastrophe. Now the pressure was even higher because we played at home and people had already bought tickets to medal games. They wanted to see us there. Switzerland was a dangerous opponent but Smith shut the door and we won 5-0. It was a very professional performance from the whole group.

In the semis Kekkonen and Rashford scored 1+1 and Smith was again excellent in the net (29 saves) when we beat Germany 4-1. After the game I shook hands with my friends Kahnwald, Murphy and Centerman IV. I wished them good luck for the bronze game and told they played a great tournament. Germany isn't every day a TOP4 team in the world. After the win I stayed on the arena to watch second semi-final. Austria lead twice but in the end Sweden won the game after the overtime. There were mixed feelings but most of us were very excited to play against Sweden in a "dream final".

As usual, I tweeted on the morning of the game day. This time it was a special game day because a World Championships final at the home ice was ahead. Tenth time in my career I had a chance to play in a some kind of final. My previous record was 8-1 in those finals. I had never before lost a final in the international stage. I felt calm in the morning but still asked support from the fans as always. I did same routines as always and checked my equipment three times before leaving the hotel room and walked to the team bus.

However, the end result wasn't the same this time. We led three times but every time Sweden answered and in the end won us 6-3. It was painful. The toughest loss of my career. There is no doubt about that. It was a gutsy win from Sverige. They silenced a whole arena in the third period. We tried our best but they blocked all shots. Credit for them. When I sat on the ice after the final buzzer and looked up the scoreboard, I felt guilty as an alternate captain because I wasn't able to help the team win and be a good enough leader in decisive moments.

It was still a unforgettable night to play a gold medal game in Finland. I will never forget that experience. Atmosphere was as electric as it was in Seattle during SHL finals. And when Pihl put us in the 1-0 lead from the back door from my cross-ice pass, it felt like roof rose ten meters. That moment is forever in my mind. A silver medal was something I was missing from international events after several gold and bronze medals but it would have tasted better in any other tournament than a home carneval. The only bright side was that my Seattle teammates Wagner and Miller were on the winning side but it was still too painful to say them anything else than briefly "good game" on the hand shake line after the final whistle.

Losing is a feeling you never get used to. At the same time it teaches you humbleness and is a crucial part of sports. Sometimes you win and sometimes you just lose. Not even Felix Sanchez or Mijain Lopez is unbeatable. Sanchez won over hundred races in a row at the 400 meters hurdles in the early years of 2000's and Lopez has four straight Olympic Gold Medals in wrestling (130kg+) but sometimes is just your turn to lose. What happens after that determines if you are a top athlete or not. And winning after losing tastes even better. You learn to respect moments of winning because they are rare.

My plan is to continue grinding after a short holiday. Because I have played in three straight SHL finals with Seattle and also we have been with Team Finland three years in a row at the medal games, I must have been played probably more professional hockey games than anyone else during last three seasons. In the national team my amount of games is 45 and in the SHL 264 when you add also all playoff games. That is a total of 309 games during last three seasons. Luckily I have exercised a lot as a child and have a good groundwork done but still at the moment my body feels pretty ripped and needs a rest.

Finally, a couple of words about upcoming season. I want to say thanks for Tig one more time about the work he did as a GM of the Argonauts. He build a franchise which is nowadays a model for many others. To be a small part of that journey has been a privilege. The journey continues with a new GM duo adamantium-Fischermann. I am excited to see how the future will look and just signed a fresh one-year deal to stay in Seattle. Season 69 will be for sure a nice and exciting as we try to win a third championship title in a row. I hope you fans stay on the board with us and continue the amazing support we get in every home game.

Best wishes,

William Salming

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Vamos!

VAMOS