He won Olympic gold with Finland. Now, Petteri Lindbohm can make his mark with the Panthers
Petteri Lindbohm has already experienced one celebration this year. He was part of Finland’s ice hockey team that won gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, recording two assists in six games.
“When we had the stadium party afterward, it was snowing like hell and it’s negative-10 degrees, but the whole stadium is packed,” Lindbohm said. “I have a lot of respect for the Finnish fans that came out that night. It was a great experience.”
He’s hoping for another great experience in the NHL as he begins his tenure with the Florida Panthers and hopes to make an impact on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
And he made quite the first impression in Florida’s 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at FLA Live Arena.
Overall, Lindbohm was on the ice for 12:14 over 22 shifts while working with Brandon Montour on the Panthers’ third defensive pairing, recording a takeaway, two blocked shots and three hits.
None of those hits were bigger than the one midway through the second period. With just under 13 minutes left in the frame, Lindbohm laid out the Flyers’ Scott Laughton, sending him into the boards.
Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny took exception to the hit, so he dropped his gloves and fought Lindbohm. The two were assessed five-minute major penalties for fighting.
“He’s hitting guys and fighting,” Panthers All-Star winger Jonathan Huberdeau said. “I was really impressed with his first game. I’ve never really seen him play. Obviously he won the gold medal and that’s good. A great guy to have on the ice. Just happy to see him have a good first game.”
Lindbohm is with the Panthers on a one-year deal and adds serviceable depth to their blue-liners. He had 40 career NHL games under his belt prior to signing with the Panthers, with his last game coming April 7, 2017 while with the St. Louis Blues.
Before signing with the Panthers, Lindbohm was playing with Finnish-based Jokerit in the Kontinental Hockey League, but Jokerit pulled out of the league’s playoffs in late February because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
That opened up the door for Lindbohm to pursue other hockey opportunities, which led him to the Panthers. Lindbohm officially signed his deal on March 1.
“When the situation started, I got a call from my agent and checked out what was available,” Lindbohm said. “For me, if my season ended now, it would have been a long summer and I like to play hockey. So we were trying to find a place where I’d be able to play. Then, he told me about this opportunity that they were interested and I was ready to pack almost right away.”
That started a busy week-and-a-half for LIndbohm, who was formally added to the roster on Monday. He had the comfort of being with some former teammates — he played with Florida forwards Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen on Finnish national teams in the past.
“That helps. I’ve had a few rides from the guys to the rink. I don’t have to worry about that, so that helps a lot,” Lindbohm said. “They know the city and I’ve played with all of those Finnish guys, so it’s easy to come along with them, but the other guys have been good too. It’s been nice to meet them.”
And they’ve liked what they’ve seen from him so far.
“He managed the game really well,” Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought he brought a little physicality to the game, played with a little hardness. You can tell he’s a veteran. He managed in the third period—did some really smart things and put himself in good positions. So, it was good to see him.”
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