Despite a convincing 4-1 win over rival Sweden on Friday, Finland’s men’s hockey coach Antti Pennanen apparently did not have the support of at least some of his players entering Milano Cortina 2026, according to a report from Sami Hoffren of Ilta-Sanomat.
According to Hoffren’s reporting, players began to lose faith in Pennanen, who been the national coach since September of 2023, following Finland’s disappointing last-place performance at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
It got to a point over the summer where the team’s top NHL players discussed the possibility of Stanley Cup-winning head coach Paul Maurice taking over bench boss duties for this year’s Olympics in Italy.
Maurice, a 59-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has led the Florida Panthers to back-to-back NHL championships, but is not part of Canada’s coaching staff in Milan.
Finland general manager Jere Lehtinen was aware of the player’s desire to add Maurice, but no formal offer was made to the Canadian coach.
“I don’t really have anything to say about it,” Lehtinen told Hoffren in Finnish. “Well, of course we have our own team here and it would be a different matter if there was something concrete. I don’t have anything more to say about that, since there hasn’t been anything concrete.”
Finland’s Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell and Niko Mikkola all play for Maurice in Florida.
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov would have been on Team Finland as well, but has not played this season due to a knee injury.
Finland was eliminated in the quarter-final round at the 2025 World Men’s World Hockey Championship.
Finland has split their first two games of Milano Cortina 2026 and wrap up their Group B schedule on Saturday against host Italy.
