NHL: Olli Määttä received a surprising phone call in the middle of the night

Philadelphia

Olli Määtä30, life changed quickly a week ago.

The two-time Stanley Cup winner was just about to go to sleep at his home in Detroit when the phone suddenly started ringing.

The GM of the Detroit Red Wings was on the other end of the line Steve Yzermanwho recommended the Finn to get up from between the empty spaces and start packing his things.

Yzerman had just traded Määtä from the Red Wings to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for a third-round draft pick for next summer’s draft.

The information about the player trade was exceptionally published only close to midnight, and Määtt didn’t receive information from Yzerman much earlier.

“You didn’t have to read it on Twitter anyway,” laughs Määttä.

“Right after the phone call, I got out of bed and started packing. At the same time, I called a couple of additional information about where I should be and at what time.”

Määtta stuffed a pile of clothes into his suitcase. There was no time for careful packing, because the Finnish pack had to get up at five in the morning, head to the airport and travel to Salt Lake City.

There, Määtt headed straight to the ice rink with his clothes and hockey equipment. In the evening, he put on a Utah jersey for the first time and worked on the rink for more than 20 minutes.

“In the evening at the hotel after the game, I had to pinch myself to see if this could be true,” sighs Määtta.

“Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t even have time to internalize it.”

Field are pawns in the NHL, which the club management and coaches move according to their needs. When the player trade hits, the life of a puck player throws a bull’s-eye in an instant.

Määtta had no idea when he was doing his evening routines at home in Detroit that he might be traded.

“It came out of nowhere. Of course, I knew something was going to happen soon, because we had eight kits in the NHL lineup, and things don’t work that way. But I couldn’t have guessed that the transfer would happen to me.”

“After all, this is a cruel world. Friends and family are amazed when they see how things are happening here. But on the other hand, the good sides of this job are so good that I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I get to play the sport I love,” Määttä says.

The majority of Määtä’s teammates were already sleeping in the evening and only heard in the morning that the Finnish team no longer appeared in the hall as usual.

“The phone started ringing and messages came when I was already on the plane. The move probably came as a surprise to everyone. I was in Detroit for two years and there are a lot of good guys on the team. It’s a bad thing that I didn’t have time to see them again.”

Määttä sent a message to the Red Wings Whatsapp group in which he thanked for the games together.

“I didn’t really know what to write. I just wrote that I hope to see you soon.”

My teammate Moritz Seider told Detroit Free Pressille that he saw the news of the transfer in the morning on Instagram.

“I texted him right away, and by then he was on his way to the airport,” Seider said.

Guessing left an apartment and a large part of his belongings in Detroit. They will have to wait a while now, because Utah went on an away tour almost immediately after Määtä’s first match.

Määtt will stay in a hotel until she finds an apartment in Salt Lake City. Määtä doesn’t have to figure out all the everyday issues in his new hometown all by himself, because two Finns already played in Utah: defender Juuso Välimäki ja striker Matthias Maccelli.

“It’s nice to be able to speak Finnish. Sometimes I feel like I’m already becoming an American,” says Määttä, who is already playing in his 12th season in the NHL.

Määt can also rely on the NBA star representing the Utah Jazz Lauri Markkasen. The two have known each other for a few years, as they both played and lived in Chicago at the same time.

Määtta represented the Blackhawks and Markkanen the Chicago Bulls in the 2019–2020 season.

“Lauri was among the first to send me a message after the transfer. He welcomed and said he liked the city. At least I know who to call if I need help with everyday things. However, he has lived here for a couple of years,” says Määttä.

In Detroit, Määtt didn’t get to play in the playoffs at all. So far, the rise of the club has been waited for in vain. Suomalaispakki is not satisfied with its contribution.

“I am a better player than I was in Detroit last year and at the beginning of this season,” Määttä assures.

“Even though I turned 30 in the summer, I feel like I’m still getting better. The joints are not dented and the back does not hurt. I can play for many more years. And not just to play, but to develop, although sometimes they say that this is going downhill.”

Määttä is known as a disciplined trainee who takes care of his body with piety. Therefore, the statement is easy to believe.