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Q & A with Tuomas Tikkanen |
Milton Keynes Lightning recently signed Finnish hot-shot Tuomas Tikkanen to give Nick Poole’s trophy challengers a revitalised attacking edge in the run-up to the end of the season, with the Lightning in contention for all three trophies. As he prepared for his first game with his new team-mates last weekend, ‘Tiki’ took a few minutes out to talk to us about his move to the UK and how he sees his role in the team.
What convinced you to sign for Milton Keynes Lightning?
“When the offer came through, I’d never heard of Lightning, and I’ve never been to England – I only know what I’ve seen and read on the internet! But I know Mikko Skinnari - I knew he had played for Milton Keynes, so I asked him what he thought – and he had only good things to say about the team, the fans and the place. So it was an easy decision to make. Right now I feel really good about playing in this city and with these guys.”
Do you know any other players in the English leagues, or any other Lightning players?
I have one or two friends who have played in the Elite league, and I’ve heard many stories about English hockey from them! I played against Andre Smulter many times, a few years ago. He’s a really good, offensive forward but I don’t remember too much detail – it was a few years ago.”
What do you think you can bring to the Lightning – what are your strengths?
“I have good vision, I can see the whole game...the bigger picture. I think I can bring something to the powerplay – that’s definitely a strong part of my game, I think I have a pretty good shot! But I can also pass, I’m good at passing to set up goals for others.”
Have you set yourself a target for how many goals you want to score over the rest of this season?
“No, I haven’t set any targets – I don’t want to think about it like that. I just want us to win every game we play, and to help make the Lightning champions. I feel really good about being in Milton Keynes, with my team mates and scoring goals, I want to help the team and do my best for the rest of this season – and hopefully maybe next season too.”
In the games that are left, can you outscore Leigh Jamieson?
“How many has he scored already? 27! (Laughs) No, I don’t think I’ll score more than him in the games that are left! He’s scored a lot of goals, I hope I can help him get even more by passing to him if I can. I’ll shoot whenever I have a chance, but if I can see that another guy is in a better position to score, then I’ll pass. But I DO want to score goals myself –that’s why I’m here.”
Do you have a song connected to you, that your past clubs have played when you score?
“I do, but it’s quite an old one about a retired Finnish ski jumper – I’m pretty sure you won’t know it!”
Most of the Lightning players have nicknames – what’s yours?
“Tiki – my friends call me Tiki.”
What do you do to relax – do you have any hobbies or play any other sports?
(When told that some of the Lightning players are keen golfers): “No, I’m not a golfer! I play a bit of pool, and I enjoy going to the gym to work out and keep fit. I don’t really have any hobbies, but I enjoy meeting up with friends sometimes, and I really like travelling, seeing new places. I really like Thailand, it’s so interesting and there’s so much to see – but obviously I can only go out of the hockey season because it’s so far away.”
Are there any sports teams that you support?
“In NHL, I support the Detroit Red Wings. Other teams? Liverpool for football.”
Your English is very good – what other languages do you speak?
“Finnish, obviously! Also a little bit of French, to help me when I played there recently. I learned a little German a few years ago, but not really enough to use.”
What are your favourite types of food and drink?
For food, I really like anything spicy. My real favourite is Thai food, and I like Indian food too. Anything spicy! For non-alcoholic drinks I like milk, for alcoholic drinks I like vodka.
Favourite movie?
“Pulp Fiction”
Favourite music?
“I prefer mostly heavy music – Metallica are good, and Rammstein”.
Post script: We spoke to Tiki immediately after last Saturday’s home game against Basingstoke Bison; despite the result he was very optimistic and looking forward to future games, speaking of what a great team spirit there is within the Lightning team dressing room, and how he’s looking forward to the rest of the season with us.
Everyone connected with Lightning welcomes Tuomas to Milton Keynes, and we look forward to the rest of the season with the Finnish flag on Lightning colours! |
