Olli always looks on the bright side of life

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This article was published 22/02/2015 (3917 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Sugar-coating was never Olli Jokinen’s thing, even when he played for the struggling Winnipeg Jets.

The veteran Finnish centre’s brand of realism and professionalism has arrived in Toronto, not by choice, having been traded to the Maple Leafs by the first-place Nashville Predators last Sunday.

If anything, Jokinen calls it as he sees it and said Saturday he’s very much resisting the negative energy that surrounds the Leafs in 2015.

“I think anytime you come into a situation like this, you’ve got to be yourself,” Jokinen, 36, said after Saturday’s game-day skate at Air Canada Centre. In the game against his former team, he set up the overtime winner by James van Riemsdyk on a two-on-one, his first point in three games for the Leafs.

“I believe I do things right off the ice and on the ice. It’s pretty much the only thing you can do.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to focus on the next game and try to stay positive. The guys here, they care. They want to win. It’s been a tough slide.”

Having played in both Calgary and Winnipeg, Jokinen is well-versed in the pressures of Canadian cities.

“In a market like this, you get a lot of pressure from outside, a lot of pressure from the media,” he said. “It’s the best place to play when things go well. It’s probably one of the hardest when the team’s not winning.

“You’ve got to be able to handle that the right way. You can’t worry about what the media’s saying. There are a lot of experts around the team, so at the end of the day, you’ve got to find a way to play for each other and try to get some wins.

“It’s been good. It’s a good group of guys. It’s been very easy to come in here.”

Jokinen, who spent two seasons in Winnipeg before signing with the Preds last summer, said he is not surprised the Jets are currently a playoff team.

“No surprise,” he said. “I told the management and the owners after last season that the best thing that happened was hiring Paul Maurice. He turned things around last year. He was one of the best coaches I’ve had a chance to work with. They have not surprised me at all.

“Since he’s been there, you look at their record, they’re one of the top teams and a playoff team. He’s been turning things around. He’s very honest and he’s got that skill that he can get the best out of his players. He’s very good behind the bench and he makes everybody feel an important part of the team. It doesn’t matter if you play three minutes or 30 minutes.”

Jokinen said Maurice has provided a good deal of glue for the Jets, who he thought always had some good parts.

“When everybody’s happy and they believe they have a good role as an important part of the team, it helps collectively in winning games,” he said. “They work hard. There’s no easy fix. Winning’s hard in this league. A lot of times, if you happen to watch games, Winnipeg is outworking the other teams. They stick with their plan.

“I’m happy for those guys. They deserve to be in the position they’re in. They’ve gone through a lot there in the past. It’s great to see them doing well. I know those guys care and they’ve been going through tough times. With all that said, we want to win this game tonight. But good for them.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca