The Teemu Hartikainen, 35, who has won Olympic and World Championship golds with the Lions, has made a revelation regarding the continuation of his national team career.

The forward, who has been away from the national team scene for two seasons, will return to the Liiga next season with KalPa after a 15-year break. The player from Kuopio has now opened up about the reasons for his absence from the national team in an interview with Savon Sanomat.

– I have two children. A four-week training camp, three weeks of competitions, and a total of seven weeks away from family – it wouldn’t have felt worth it anymore. For me, the timing has to be right.

– And when the opportunity to join KalPa came, I wanted to focus on that. To have a good and restful summer. If we had played long playoff games with Geneva and I had gone straight to the competitions from that, it wouldn’t have been a problem, Hartikainen explains.

However, the power forward has not completely closed the doors to the national team.

– The Lion jersey still interests me. At this age, though, I have to think about recovery, Hartikainen reveals.

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