February 27, 2009
Prospectus Q & A
P.J. Axelsson and Kimmo Timonen

by David Laurila

Long-time mainstays in the NHL and on their rival national teams, P.J. Axelsson and Kimmo Timonen are as similar as they are different. Each is a 33-year-old native of Scandinavia who shoots left-handed, Axelsson as a defensive-minded forward for the Boston Bruins and Timonen as a two-way defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers. Born in Kuopio, Finland, Timonen made his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators in 1998. Axelsson, who hails from Kumgalv, Sweden, debuted with the Bruins in 1997. Axelsson and Timonen, in separate interviews, answered the same questions for the initial offering of Puck Prospectus Q&A.

David Laurila: Thinking back to when you were drafted [Axelsson in 1995, Timonen in 1993] are you at all surprised that you’re still playing in the NHL in 2009?

P.J. Axelsson: I’m really surprised. I didn’t think when I first got drafted – it was more of a bonus, I guess. When I was in Sweden back then, my goal was to play for the national team to begin with. Then, when the Bruins called I got really excited, and here we are, all these years later. I’ve had a great time here in Boston. It’s a great sports town, and my family and I really like it here.

Kimmo Timonen: Well, when I got drafted, you know, obviously I was pretty happy. But I was a really late draft pick. I don’t think that there are 10 rounds any more like there were at that time. That kind of gave me a chance to play in the NHL, maybe someday. It didn’t work out with the LA Kings, who drafted me, so they traded me to Nashville who gave me a really good chance to play hockey, and I was there nine years. Now I’m in my second year here in Philadelphia. So, I can’t really say that I’m surprised that I’m still here, but I am maybe surprised that I got a chance to play.

DL: How would you assess the career you’ve had in the NHL?

Axelsson: Well, I’ve had a great time. I got an opportunity to play in the best league in the world and I’m still trying to make the best of it every day.

Timonen: I would say pretty good, you know, considering that I was a really late draft pick and LA didn’t really give me a chance to play. The GM at Nashville – David Poile at that time – said that he was going to give me a chance to show what I could do. I have to really thank him for giving me a chance, and since then it’s been fun. The coaches I’ve had have trusted me, and that kind of stuff, so I’m happy to be here.

DL: How has your game evolved over the years?

Axelsson: It’s probably pretty similar. I have the same role I’ve had for years, a defensive-minded forward, and I’m not trying to change that. I just come to work every day and do whatever it takes to win. I got this role when I came here. When I played in Sweden, my last two years, we had a coach that was really defensive-minded, and the whole league, in Sweden back then, was really defensive. So that role really fit me when I came over here.

Timonen: Well, obviously I have more games and more experience, and I’m probably not that nervous anymore, and that kind of stuff. But I think it’s the same game; I haven’t changed my game. I do the same kind of things I did 10 years ago.

DL: Could you have been a goal-scoring forward?

Axelsson: I would say that – I don’t think I’ve ever been a real good scorer. I scored some goals in Sweden, but this is a different league. This league is so much better; the players are so much better. So I don’t know; it’s tough. I think the role I have now fits me better than being a scorer.

Timonen: It’s hard to say. I’ve never played forward, even going back to my junior times or when I first started playing hockey. Somehow I was always a defenseman, so it’s really hard to tell if I would have been able to play as a forward -- but probably.

DL: Does who you’re playing with [Axelsson: line mates, Timonen: defense partner] impact your game?

Axelsson: Yes, but I try not to change too much, because if you try to overdo things it just isn’t going to turn out the way you want. So I try to play the same way, no matter which line I’m on.

Timonen: It does sometimes, a little bit, but usually when you make it to the NHL there are a lot of good defensemen anyway, so it doesn’t really matter who you play with. They’re pretty good players, and I’m happy to play with good players.

DL: You played in your homeland during the lockout in 2004-2005. What was that experience like?

Axelsson: It was pretty cool, actually. Every arena was packed, because we had a lot of NHL guys come over and play, and we had a lot of media and people in the stands. It was hockey, and it kind of got hyped up, which was a good thing. It was home, in a way, but [afterwards] I wanted to get back here to play.

Timonen: That was pretty good, because I’m a part owner there with one team, so it was nice to go over there to help my team, and all that kind of stuff. You know, play in your hometown. It was a pretty nice experience.

DL: How do the fans in your homeland compare to your team’s fans here?

Axelsson: That’s actually a really good question. There’s such a hockey tradition with this being an original six team. They really know their hockey, so if you’re not playing well, they’re really going to be on you. But at the same time, they’re always supportive. They can be tough on you, but they really like their hockey, that’s for sure. As far as comparing, there’s not a whole lot of difference because hockey is such a big sport in Sweden. They know their hockey too.

Timonen: You know, in Finland, hockey is pretty big; it is probably the biggest sport there. I would compare Finnish fans to Canadian fans. They’re pretty passionate about their sport. And actually, the fans in Philly are pretty good, too. So, overall I think it’s almost the same. But, like I said, it’s the biggest sport in Finland, so they’re pretty passionate about it.

DL: How would you describe the Finland-Sweden rivalry?

Axelsson: It’s a huge hockey rivalry, kind of like Boston-Montreal almost. We don’t like to lose to each other, but at the same time, I think both teams have a lot of respect for one another. It’s usually a big media thing that they try to hype up, but yeah, we definitely don’t like to lose to each other.

Timonen: It’s pretty good. It probably goes back in time, but every time we play each other they are good games. Both countries have a good league, so it’s going to be a good match-up and it’s always nice to play against them.

DL: Are Finnish and Swedish players essentially the same, or do they differ in any way?

Axelsson: They’re pretty similar, I would say. We kind of grew up in the same hockey environment.

Timonen: I would say that all of the European players are; you can find the same type of players. We used to play on the big rinks, and that means you’ve got to have a lot of skill. Usually, we have pretty good skaters and that kind of stuff, so I would say that all of the European players are almost the same.

DL: When you think about hockey history, what comes to mind first?

Axelsson: Bobby Orr would be one thing. Since I’ve been in Boston, it’s kind of been the Boston traditions, like the whole ‘70s era. With history for Sweden, players-wise you’ve got Borje Salming and those guys in that era – Hakan Loob. Those are the guys you looked at when I was young. And another guy, for me, is Wayne Gretzky. He probably changed the game.

Timonen: Well, if you go back in time, probably Jari Kurri for [Finland]. What he has done in the NHL – any time you talk about hockey history, he comes to mind.

DL: Do you see any similarities between hockey and soccer?

Axelsson: I like my soccer. Both are team sports, and that’s probably the main thing, I would say. You also have systems that you try to play; you try to come together as a group. Other than that, I don’t see too many similarities. You just defend when you don’t have the ball and you try to score when you have it.

Timonen: You know, I used to play soccer, and I actually had to stop playing soccer when I was 17 because I had to choose which sport I was going to start playing. I think that there are a lot of things the same. You have to do a lot of things with your feet, balance-wise, and that kind of stuff. So all of the kids who are thinking about playing soccer and hockey, I really recommend it.

DL: If you were a professional soccer player, what would your role likely be?

Axelsson: I would probably [play the same position], yes. When I played, I started out being a scorer in soccer, but I ended up being back on the back line.

Timonen: When I played, I was a midfielder. That was my favorite spot, because you can play defense and you can attack. I would probably like to play that position, yeah.

DL: Is hockey a simple sport, or is it complicated?

Axelsson: It’s complicated if you make it complicated. My take on it is that if you try to make it simple, it gets easier. Watching me, it doesn’t always look that way, but you try to make it as simple as you can.

Timonen: Well, I would think that it’s not that complicated. If I go back in time to when I was young, we didn’t have any system or anything like that; we just went out there to play. Obviously, when you get bigger, and the in NHL, there’s a system, but as a kid, it’s not complicated at all.