Laine on NHL return and being named to Team Finland: ‘It’s been a journey and a half’
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Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine has only played one regular-season game since Dec. 14, 2023, but was named to Finland’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-off in February.
Laine broke his clavicle last December as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. In January, he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to address his mental health, and did not return for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
He was traded to the Canadiens on Aug. 19 along with a second-round pick in exchange for defenceman Jordan Harris. Laine was injured in a preseason contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs after a knee-on-knee hit with forward Cedric Pare, delaying his return to NHL action.
The 26-year-old forward finally made his regular season debut with Montreal on Tuesday night, scoring a power-play goal in the second period and was named the game’s first star.
“It’s been a journey and a half,” Laine told the media on Thursday. “But just being able to play again and enjoy what I’m doing for a living, sometimes we forget how cool this is, so now I’ve kind of found that again, it’s really special.”
Laine said he had discussions with Finland’s management group in the summer and knew he was on the list of players being considered despite barely playing the past year.
“I knew if I’m on my game and if I’ve been playing I could help the team and probably should be, so I was happy to be named to the roster,” said Laine. “It’s really special.”
The Tampere, Finland native has had success playing on the international stage.
He had eight goals and 11 points at the 2015 U18s to help Finland earn silver. He took home gold in 2016, scoring seven goals and 13 points as Finland beat Russia in overtime and was named to the tournament All-Star team. Later that year, he had seven goals and 12 points at the World Championships, earning tournament MVP and best forward honours as Finland earned silver.
After all the excitement of playing his first game with the Canadiens at home and scoring a goal, Laine is ready to turn the page as Montreal hosts the Nashville Predators Thursday night.
“My emotional tank was pretty empty after Tuesday,” said Laine. “Overall, just happy to get that first game out of the way, now we can just skip all that ceremonies and all that stuff and now we can just play.”