Olli Maatta is just one of a handful of LA Kings participating at the 2021 World Championship. On Thursday, he spoke with the media.
While the LA Kings‘ season may be over, many of their players continue to see action this month in Riga, Latvia, for the 2021 World Championship. One of those players is defenseman Olli Maatta, who is set to represent his native Finland when they open their schedule against the United States on Saturday.
Maatta was asked why he wanted to participate at the Worlds.
“Well, when you think about how messy the season has been, and I haven’t played these games before, and you never know when the opportunity comes, it’s a major tournament and it would be great to come along,” said the veteran defenseman. “My own state and condition, that was the main factor for my decision to go because everyone is on their own about how it has been and how it feels, so the decision was my own.”
While he may not have had his best season in North America in 2021, the Kings blueliner hopes to redeem himself in Riga.
“I want to show internationally that I am a top player, of course, but mostly it is about the team and my belief on the team that they will do perform good,” Maatta noted.
While there is a palpable sense of excitement to have the World Championship back, the tournament is nonetheless playing in a bubble due to the ongoing COVID–19 pandemic. Maatta was asked how he felt about playing in a bubble.
“It has been tough to live in the bubble and it made it so much harder to play as well, and I thought about it if I was prepared to go through it all over again,” he admitted. “But, this is such a great opportunity that I couldn’t say no despite some thinking through.”
As mentioned, Maatta and Team Finland will begin their tournament schedule against Team USA on Saturday. Action will begin at 9:15 am ET (6:15 am PT).
*Thank you to Arto Palovaara for translating Olli Maatta’s quotes, which were said in Finnish.