“I feel better and better as the matches go on,” says Antti Raanta, GE-Servette’s star goalkeeper – rts.ch

Good goalkeepers, GE-Servette has seen several pass between its posts during this first quarter of a century. Reto Pavoni, Gianluca Mona, Tobias Stephan and Robert Mayer – still present at Vernets -, to name but a few, have all marked the history of the garnet club. However, none has the makings, on paper at least, of the man nicknamed “the Scorpion King” across the Atlantic: Antti Raanta (35 ans).

Because the course of the native of Rauma is imposing, with his 301 matches played in the NHL. Champion in his country in 2013 with Ässät Pori, he also, 2 years later, won the Stanley Cup with Chicago.

Certainly, the defector from Carolina, winner of the Jennings Trophy in 2022 – prize awarded to the pair of goalkeepers having conceded the fewest goals in the regular season in the best league in the world – is one of the attractions in the National League. And this in the same way as the French Pierre-Edouard BellemareAjoie’s new offensive recruit.

Meeting with a talkative Finn – far from clichés, therefore – and eminently friendly.

We have to show our supporters that we are capable of beating Lausanne

RTSsport.ch: Before your arrival in Geneva at the end of September, you had not played since February 8 and suffered a lower body injury. How do you feel?

ANTI RAANTA: During the preparation, I skated a lot in my country, in order to keep myself in shape. But as a goalkeeper, it was boring and difficult to be alone, not to be able to train with a team. So I said yes without hesitation when Geneva showed me its interest. Here, the coaches were great and gave me time to get back into rhythm: I was able to train 2 weeks before playing my first match. It’s never easy to get back to your best level after an injury. But I feel better and better as the games go on, even if I have room for improvement. I loved my first month here. And now I know how my teammates shoot. So the workouts become easier for me (laughs). In any case, I focus on the present moment. Without projecting too much.

RTSsport.ch: You had to readjust to European ice rinks. Complicated, after 11 years spent across the Atlantic?

ANTI RAANTA: At first, during training, the larger size of the ice didn’t shock me that much. It was only during my first meeting that I said to myself: “ok, it’s still a little different”. The movements to make are not quite the same as in the NHL. I learn to know the opposing clubs, to pay attention to the players who play in power-play. It’s a new experience, in a league which is undoubtedly the best in Europe. Here, the style of play is rather offensive, which is a challenge for a goalkeeper.

RTSsport.ch: Tuesday at Malley, GE-Servette will face Lausanne in the 8th first leg of the Champions League. What do you expect?

ANTI RAANTA: I heard that when GSHC plays in Lausanne, the local fans are excited. They’re stopping our bus from leaving, things like that. But I’m looking forward to this duel, it will only be fun. Plus, the trip won’t be long. We lost to them twice in the league, so it’s about showing our fans that we can beat them.

RTSsport.ch: There is a nice Finnish presence at GSHC. How to facilitate your integration?

ANTI RAANTA: Yes, it’s great to have 5 compatriots here (réd: Sami Vatanen, Markus Granlund, Teemu Hartikainen, Sakari Manninen and Oula Palve, prêté par Ajoie pour un mois). We quickly became friends, even though we didn’t all know each other before. Three of them have children, I myself have a 4 year old son and a 7 year old daughter. It brings us closer together and they also helped me a lot off the ice. It’s great to be able to speak Finnish. Well, in the locker room, we don’t really say poems to each other (laughs). But on a bad day, it feels good to express your feelings in your native language. For 8 years, I didn’t have any Finnish teammates in the NHL, so I really appreciate that.

I don’t want to write off the Finnish team

RTSsport.ch: You were not selected for the recent Karjala Cup with your national team, which has eluded you since 2013. Is it a goal to return there?

ANTI RAANTA: I spoke with coach Antti Pennanen shortly after arriving in Switzerland. We had a good discussion and it was nice to see that there was interest in me. I don’t want to write off the Finnish team. But for the moment, I’m focusing on my club: this international break has been beneficial for my body. If I am in good shape in 2025 and I am considered good enough, I could however see myself playing in one or the other preparation tournament for the World Cup.

RTSsport.ch: Joining the Finnish team is not easy, even less so when you are a goalkeeper. In your country, there are many talented doormen!

ANTI RAANTA: Indeed, there are so many Finnish goalies in the NHL (ed: 9)… If they are available for the world championship, it will be difficult to claim the No. 1 position. I will have to deliver enormous performances to be selected. We’ll see.

My best NHL memory? To have relegated Henrik Lundqvist to the bench at the New York Rangers for 4 games in a row

RTSsport.ch: When Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 2015, your name was not engraved on the trophy, despite your 14 regular season appearances. You should have played at least one game in the playoffs…

ANTI RAANTA: At the time, I was a little disappointed. But I was the 3rd goalie in the playoffs and I had spent the last 2 months of the regular season in the AHL. That’s how it is, we can’t put all the names on the cup, there is a regulatory limit. During the off-season, I was still allowed to keep the trophy for a day in Finland and I received a magnificent ring (ed: like all the members of a champion team). It was incredible to be part of this great team. No one can take these memories away from me.

RTSsport.ch: Besides this title with the Blackhawks, what is your best memory in the NHL?

ANTI RAANTA: My 4 different clubs there allowed me to experience good times. But I particularly remember the time when I was the replacement for Henrik Lundqvist to the New York Rangers. At one point in 2016/17, I was lucky enough to play 4 games in a row. It was cool! At the time, it was rather unusual for Lundqvist to sit on the bench for more than one game.

RTSsport.ch: Was the Swede, now retired, furious?

ANTI RAANTA: Mmmh… Let’s just say he had worked hard to regain his No. 1 status. From the outside, we only know the competitor who wants to win everything. But he’s a really nice guy. This episode, which I often tell my friends, had in any case confirmed to me that I belonged in this league. And that I was capable of carrying a team on my shoulders as No. 1.

RTSsport.ch: Your stay at Carolina, from 2021 to 2024, also had its share of successes.

ANTI RAANTA: During my first season with the Hurricanes, I had the opportunity to play in the playoffs. We even won a 7th game against Boston in the 1st round. After this victory, I felt an extraordinary feeling, one of the best you can feel as a goalkeeper. Especially since it happened at home, in front of our 20,000 supporters. I won’t soon forget it.

RTSsport.ch: Between 2012/13, when you broke down in Finland; and 2021/22, where you won the Jennings Trophy in the NHL: what is, looking back, your favorite exercise as an individual?

ANTI RAANTA: In fact, I would rather choose 2013/14, my first season in the NHL, in Chicago. I was mentally liberated, I barely realized that I was playing in this championship. Once on vacation, I suddenly said to myself “Oh my God, I did it! I played 25 games in the NHL”! In fact, my second season at Rangers was my most successful. But my first year at Arizona in 2017/18, with 47 matches played, was also good in its genre…

Comments collected by Michaël Taillard