Antti Pennanen: heavy personal revelation – “I can't take it anymore”

The head coach of the Lions, Antti Pennanen, appeared on Friday at the Villa Hockey Gratitude Day held in Pirkanmaa, which took place as an event for youth substance abuse rehabilitation at the youth treatment center located in Kurun, Ylöjärvi.

Pennanen was a guest speaker at the event, and he opened up about the difficult periods of his life with exceptional honesty in his speech.

– In my personal story, there have been many challenging and mentally constricting places. A lot of feelings of guilt, shame, and anger. There have been many moments when I felt like giving up, I can’t take it anymore. But someone has always kept me going, Pennanen said in his speech.

He emphasized the importance of openness and bringing oneself forward in the process of change and growth.

– Ultimately, all growth and change happen through becoming visible. Love can only meet what is visible. It has been absolutely essential for me to dare and learn to be seen, and that phase took me a really long time.

– Sometimes in life, there are moments when a person has to take a big risk to become visible with their issue. At that point, the other party has the responsibility for how they receive it. Without judgment, without advising. I have been grateful that I have had good people around me, Pennanen continued.

The speech also touched on hockey and the internal atmosphere of the team. Pennanen highlighted the leadership of Aleksander Barkov and Mikael Granlund as examples.

– Sasha (Barkov) and Mikke (Granlund), amazing leading players. Sasha never puts another player in a situation where they have to feel shame. That’s why it’s good to be next to him, and everyone feels good in his team.