MTV: A direct opinion from a Tappara star on the league’s preseason games: “Sometimes it’s kryptonite for me”
The defender Joni Tuulola, who has won four Finnish championships with Tappara and was awarded the most valuable player in the playoffs last spring, shared his candid opinion about the league’s preseason games with MTV Sports.
Tuulola states to MTV that he is on the ice only to pursue victory. Consequently, the preseason games leading up to the season can be challenging for him at times.
– I have always believed that we could play two practice games and then start playing for points. Points and the fear of losing are what drive the focus. Practice games are sometimes kryptonite for me, to be honest, Tuulola grins.
Tappara has already played four preseason games during August. They have one more practice game against Kärpät before the regular season begins.
Additionally, Tuulola admits that with age and long springs, preparing for the next season is becoming more challenging year by year.
– It is surprisingly difficult. Fortunately, we had a segment with the team where we got it started, so it was easier to transition to independent training. A few summers have been completely self-directed. The first week of those is really challenging, and you start to think, “Do I really have to do this?”.
– But when you force yourself, the athlete’s nature comes out, so it is still enjoyable work and you are getting paid for it, Tuulola says.
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