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BBH · 07-14-2013, 03:32 AM

It was a 20-degree afternoon in Toronto, and outside the Air Canada Centre in southern Ontario, a lanky Finn came up to the building's entrance off of Bremner Boulevard. The security guard patrolling the door quickly let him in after seeing the 6'7" goofball's ID card. Looking back, seeing the large spire of the Rogers Centre to the west, he entered the arena and followed the directions to the room where the press conference was being held. Jaska met with the general managers of his new club, the Toronto North Stars, in the preparation room.

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[Image: Brian+Burke+Richard+Peddie+Brian+Burke+P..._2j9jx.jpg]

Krever and Wong exchange banter before Jaska's arrival.

This was the first time that the two parties had formally met, aside from passing glances in the locker room hallways. Adjusting his tieless suit, Jaska stepped out, following the preset order of Krever, Wong, Tiilikainen. Krever spoke first.

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Krever talks to the Toronto media about his acquisition of Finnish goaltender Jaska Tiilikainen.

"Thank you all for coming down to the Air Canada Centre today. In wake of yesterday's trade, the Toronto North Stars can now confidently say that they have solved their goaltending dilemma." As he spoke, Jaska thumbed through his notecards, looking back and forth between the general manager and the speech he had written in his scrawly handwriting on the index cards laying loosely in his fingers.

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This is the next potentially great North Stars goaltender, according to his player mugshot.

Krever continued, "And it is with great pleasure that today, we introduce the newest great Toronto North Star. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Jaska Tiilikainen to the North Stars." A chorus of applause arose from the media crowd below. The three behind the table stood, while Wong produced a North Stars jersey from underneath the table that they sat at. The trio held the jersey up, proudly displaying the North Stars logo, then flipping to show the name and number on the reverse side, each time posing in a professional and photogenic fashion.

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Jaska speaks to the members of the Toronto media during the press conference.

As the three North Stars sat, Jaska began to speak. "I would like to thank Mr. Krever for giving me a chance to help this franchise to the promised land. I can tell that, as a team, we're all very hungry for a championship, and we have the squad to do it. I'm really excited to come back to Canada, I spent my first three pro seasons in Canada and loved every minute of it." Motioning towards Wong to speak, the co-GM said, "The three of us will now take questions."

Interview

This is a question for all three of you. How did it come about that you came to acquire Jaska, and why him?

JT: "Well, after a certain point in West Kendall, it became apparent that the best interests of the club conflicted with my best interests. I want to win a championship before I retire, and I really, truly believe that Toronto is my gateway to that. It was a mutual need."

JJK: "We were informed that West Kendall was going to implode the franchise, and that Jaska submitted his NTC list with our team as his number two. So we went ahead and negotiated a six-piece deal that got us Hogan as well, which was big for Maxy. I'm glad that things worked out the way they did. A big thing about him was that he was an active goalie on a team that was looking to start a fiiresale, I knew that a piece like him would slot in well with our puzzle."

BW: "West Kendall also knew we had prior interest in a goalie, and that's when they knew that we'd be the primary destination for Jaska."

Interview

How does it feel to be in such a hockey-driven town as Toronto?

JT: "I'm ecstatic. You go to Miami, and the weather's beautiful, but hockey's not a part of the culture, so you don't have such a large fan base, and it kind of takes away from the experience. But Toronto, there's so much tradition, people bleed hockey here. It's a big reason why I loved living in Canada, hockey is so engrained into the minds and culture of people, they're so rabid and passionate, it's great."

Interview

Why did you choose Toronto as your number two team on your trade list?

JT: "It was something where, you know, I thought that the Jets had a better team, I thought I could help mentor Prikulis, I thought that they might be interested, which is why they were my number one. But I knew, also, that Toronto needed a goalie and they were depserate for some playoff consistency. Looking back, if I could change one thing, I wouldn't, though. I've learned how to value different teams and experiences really well over this past experience."

Interview

To the GM's, do you think that this team can win a championship as is?

JJK: "With this roster, I know, Ben knows, and the players know, that we definitely can win. We finally have a legit goaltender, which really was the missing piece of the puzzle for us, and we're ready to show the league what we're capable of in the playoffs. I'm definitely excited about this season and the future, the guys feel just the same way. We're cautiously optimistic, but still hopeful."

BW: "We know it's not fair to the guys that have been here for a long time to have to labor through loss after loss in the playoffs. It's an inconsistency that we think we've addressed. We have what we believe is the best first defensive pairing in the league, with Richan and Darian. Behind that, we have a more than capable goaltender who can take this team where they want to go."

Interview

Jaska, what do you think of Alex Smirnov?

JT: "I'm going to answer this one seriously, sorry. *laughter* He was a great teammate, really committed, and I know that he'll be a big part of the future in New England. However, we've gone our separate ways, and I just want to stonewall the bugger. *laughter*"

JJK: "At this time, we will conclude this portion of today's press conference. Please feel free to take a twenty-minute intermission while we prepare for the next leg of the conference. Thank you, and Jaska, welcome to Toronto."

After the applause died down, the three exited the stage, and the media began to disperse and the crowd buzzed with chatter. Mr. Krever welcomed Jaska to join the team downstairs, saying that periodical security guards would recognize him and guide him in the right direction. Quickly learning the hallways, Jaska navigated his way towards the team locker room. He opened the door, and was greeted with the clanking of silverware from the breakfast buffet, and the sporratic shouts from the players immersed in an intense match of Mario Kart Wii.

"The first to take notice of me was Richan, my former GM in Calgary. It was good to see him again, it made me feel more comfortable with someone I already knew," Jaska said of his introductory experience to the locker room. "I grew into the groove of things real quick, they welcomed me, and I started bonding and participating right from the get-go." And he also participated in his first Toronto morning skate, with his old, puck-battered, red-white-and-blue Platoon pads protecting him while his custom Bauer's were being fashioned in Ontario.

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They didn't arrive until a little later, but Jaska will rock these Bauer Reactors at the beginning of the season with Toronto.

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[Image: Ray+Emery+Pittsburgh+Penguins+v+Chicago+...8Vqbsl.jpg]

Jaska's first morning skate looked akin to Ray Emery's arrival with the Blackhawks.

And such is the first day of a new franchise. For Jaska, it was everything he could have hoped for: recognition as a franchise cornerstone, a smooth transition into the locker room, and an immediate welcome from the rest of the team. The reasons to love playing in Toronto are, according to current and former players alike, abundantly multitudinous. So, SHL, Toronto's message for the rest of you is, "Look out."

Code:
1338 words, 8 pics (6 if pads count as one total)

jkrever · 07-14-2013, 11:25 AM

what I don't remember saying these things...

haha nice read, we're excited to have a goalie of your calibre.

BBH · 07-14-2013, 03:10 PM

Quote:Originally posted by jkrever@Jul 14 2013, 09:25 AM
what I don't remember saying these things...

haha nice read, we're excited to have a goalie of your calibre.

I'm excited to play in a place where the word is spelled calbre. :lol: