How Mikko Lehtonen, Finland won 2022 Olympic men's hockey gold medal

Mikko Lehtonen has been here before.

Finland is counting on that being a huge plus for their men's hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics. After all, Lehtonen won a gold medal in Beijing in 2022.

That's right -- the Finnish squad is the reigning gold medalist. NHL players weren't competing at that tournament.

Lehtonen was playing in Russia then, and so he got to suit up and help lead Finland to gold.

That led to a special honor this time around: He was flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies.

“It was cool. An amazing experience,” he said, via the National Post. “I think that’s one of the biggest you can get as an athlete, carrying your flag in an Olympic ceremony.”

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There's also another fun quirk about Lehtonen's new Olympics journey: He got to practice by himself.

He was the first Finnish player to arrive, because the rest of the team from the NHL was coming a day later.

The ice was open, and so Lehtonen got a good workout in.

"Lots of reps," he said afterward with a laugh.

Lehtonen did play in the NHL briefly in 2020-21 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets.

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Most of his hockey career has been overseas, but he's a trusted veteran for the Finnish national team.

He also already has a gold, and that could prove immensely valuable as it gets deeper into this year's tournament.

Finland begins play with the opening match of the men's tourney on Wednesday against Slovakia.

The rest of Lehtonen's teammates have shown up, and they should be a formidable bunch. They're all hoping to join him by getting a medal, and maybe a special one.

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