Returning Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula spoke with the Finnish news agency STT regarding his decision to sign with the Red Wings. What follows is a rough translation (emphasis on rough–it’s Finnish, after all) of Filppula’s conversation:
Valtteri Filppula is happy to return to Detroit, and is planning his summer training closely
Valtteri Filppula signed a two-year contract with Detroit.
He’s played 14 successful NHL seasons already, and the solid forward will return to the Detroit Red Wings in the autumn. Ice hockey player Valtteri Filppula, 35, shines with a smile on his face.
After 14 successful seasons in the NHL, the solid forward will return to the Detroit Red Wings this autumn, where his trans-Atlantic career began and where he celebrated a Stanley Cup victory in 2008.
Filppula and the Red Wings’ GM, also a former teammate of the Finn in Detroit, found common ground with Steve Yzerman effortlessly.
“There were some other options, too, but the chance to take a two-year contract solved a lot. I’m not young at this point, and it’s a good feeling when you join a team where you’re wanted,” says Filppula.
When he was first drafted, it wasn’t clear whether Filppula would be drafted by the Red Wings. As many as 12 teams interviewed him before the draft.
“Detroit’s leading talent scout was Swedish and had a lot of European players. Maybe that clinched it,” says Filppula.
Filppula admits that he’s planning his training more closely.
“Summer training always plays an important role, and it’s also really essential in avoiding injuries. When I started in the NHL, I weighed 95 kilos, and now I’m 85. The difference has really helped,” says Filppula.
“And I’m not necessarily saying that I’ve slowed down, but these young bucks train even harder than we once did.”
