Teemu Pulkkinen: “We can win the cup, but we have a long path ahead”
Traktor’s newly-signed forward told KHL.ru about his preseason, his move to Chelyabinsk, and his family.
In this offseason, Traktor was among the most active teams on the market. The Southern Urals franchise signed several famed players, including the forward Teemu Pulkkinen. Previously, the Finnish sniper lined up for Dinamo Minsk, Dynamo Moscow, and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, always confirming his reputation as a prolific scorer.
“I’m already used to KHL-style preseason — it’s my fourth season in the league,” Pulkkinen starts the discussion. “I understand all the principles. The players first practice hard for a few weeks, then the preseason games start. In North America, the process is a bit shorter; it’s just three weeks before the regular season. In the KHL, there are more practices and more games. I like both options. Here in Russia, the preseason gives you a chance to be in optimal shape and not getting too tired as the season goes on. You need to be attentive, though; it’s not easy.”
Moving to Traktor, Pulkkinen needs to adjust to a new city and a new coach, Anvar Gatiyatulin. “I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary in his methods,” the forward says. “We practiced twice a day, with an accent on physical shape. Next year I will turn 30, and I can see that I have seen almost everything in hockey. I’m happy to have joined Traktor, and the team has excellent coaches.”
Last year, Pulkkinen had his preseason with Dynamo Moscow under Vladimir Krikunov, whose practices are notoriously long and exhaustive. “That preseason was a hard one!” — he says. “We worked very hard. But I have no problem with that — I know that it’s part of the game. However, last year the preseason was shorter due to the pandemic.”
Most likely, Gatiyatulin plans to place Pulkkinen on the first line with the Czechs Tomas Hyka and Lukas Sedlak. However, the former picked up an injury. “Nothing terrible,” the forward explains. “Hyka keeps on working with the team in the gym and will soon return to the ice. I’m currently practicing with Sedlak and Vitaly Abramov — they are both excellent players.”
Traktor had several problems with its powerplay last term, and Pulkkinen was signed to help the team improving its efficiency with the man advantage. “I’m more of an offensive player who can be useful in powerplay situations,” he says. “However, a single man can only do this much — hockey is a teams’ sport. We need to work together. I’ll do whatever I can. We already worked our powerplay during the practices, but we need to test it in a real-world situation.”
This summer, Pulkkinen was a free agent and is likely to have received more than just one offer after potting 23 goals last term, including seven in eleven playoff matches. “I knew that Traktor signed several good players this year,” he explains. “I wanted to be part of a contending team. Of course, names alone won’t win any cup; we have a lot of work in front of ourselves. On paper, Traktor looks excellent. But we need to show it on the ice.”
Moreover, there were rumors regarding a possible signing of a Canadian player, but in the end, Traktor opted for Pulkkinen due to his ’North American character’. “Yes, I play more of a North American style,” he confirms. “I like shooting the puck, scoring goals, and being a leader for my team. And I hate losing.”
However, last year, Dynamo’s bench boss Krikunov after sending him to Lokomotiv in a trade, said that ’Pulkkinen is an egoistic player, once he gets the puck, no one else will see it back. Many players didn’t want to play with him’. “I’ve nothing to declare regarding this,” the forward says. “I didn’t have any problem whatsoever while with Dynamo. I think I played well. However, today I’m a Traktor player, and I don’t want to think about what happened last year. I want to look forward.”
In Traktor, Pulkkinen will rejoin with Vladimir Tkachyov — the duo was excellent last season in Lokomotiv. “I knew that there was a good chance that he’d join Traktor as well, but you never know,” the Finnish recalls. “And just a few days after I signed my contract, Tkachyov signed as well. It’s great for our team: playing for Lokomotiv, I understood that he’s a great guy, an excellent player, and a true captain. It’s great when you have familiar people moving with you in a new team. Moreover, I played with Tomas Hyka in the Chicago Blackhawks system. All the Traktor’s international players are very friendly and help each other.”
This year, the KHL All-Star game will be held in Chelyabinsk, Pulkkinen’s new home. “Naturally, as each player of our league, I want to get there. However, it’s still half a year before the event; thus, right now, I’m more focused on a successful start of the season. Each year you set yourself the ultimate win as a goal, but only one team will reach it. I think that we have a good team. We can win the Gagarin Cup, but we have a long and challenging path ahead. I can’t wait for the start of the season to see how our team will do.”
One of the most known persons in Chelyabinsk is Evgeny Kuznetsov. Both were born in 1992 and faced each other at the U18 and U20 levels. “I perfectly remember playing against him,” he recalls. “He was a fantastic player already by then, and he keeps on playing excellent hockey today. At the 2011 IIHF WJC, he scored on us in OT at the quarterfinals stage, which was a bitter moment for us. We were up 3-1 with just four minutes to play. It was a great disappointment. But that’s hockey — you win and lose. I try not to think about that game — we lost, but life and hockey go on.”
Pulkkinen’s off-ice life is hectic, as he is a father to three daughters. “My daughters are the best thing that happened in my life,” he proudly says. “Last year has been a hard one due to the pandemic, and I was forced to live alone, without my family. However, this year we had a chance to spend most of our vacations together, and it has been fantastic. This year Finland had excellent weather; we just spent time outdoors with our daughters playing with them. I think that my family will be with me in Chelyabinsk this year, as there will be fewer restrictions. However, they will most likely stay in Russia not for the whole season, but just for a part of it.”
KHL.ru dossier
Teemu Pulkkinen
Born on Jan 2, 1992, in Vantaa, Finland.
Playing career: 2008-2013, Jokerit; 2013-2015, Grand Rapids (AHL); 2013-2016, Detroit (NHL); 2016-2017, Iowa (AHL), Minnesota (NHL); 2017, Arizona (NHL); 2017-2018 Chicago (AHL); 2018-2019, Dinamo Minsk; 2019-2020, Dynamo Moscow; 2020-2021, Lokomotiv; 2021-present, Traktor.
Achievements: Bronze medal, top scorer, and best forward at the U18 WJC, Liiga’s Rookie of the year, Liiga’s bronze medal, Calder Cup champion, IIHF WC’s silver medal.
