New Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine might never have played in the NHL with Dallas Stars’ Roope Hintz, but the two Finns go way back. Both players were born in Tampere, Finland with Hintz being a year and a half. older than Laine.
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The small age gap allowed them to play for their country together at the World Junior Championship and at the World Championship in 2015-2016. Hintz played seven games in both tournaments, gathering four points each time. Meanwhile, Laine featured in 10 games for Finland at the World Championship that year and racked up 12 points. At the World Juniors, he played seven games and had 13 points to his name, seven goals and six assist.
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Hintz was selected in the second-round of the 2015 draft, 49th overall by the Stars. He has played 392 NHL games to date and has 310 points to show for it. As for Laine, he was selected second overall at the 2016 draft and has played 480 games so far and has picked up 388 points to date.
It’s nice to see Laine enjoying himself at such a joyous occasion after mental health issues forced him to seek help from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He now appears to be in tip top shape. He’s also confirmed that there’s no issue with the shoulder he had surgery on and that he can still rip that puck.
Related: Canadiens Are Tying the Knot in Droves This Summer
Had he been traded to the Habs earlier this offseason, the big Finn might have had more weddings to attend as Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson and Jake Evans all married their better halves this offseason while captain Nick Suzuki got engaged to his girlfriend of six years. That’s at least one the sniper will be able to attend.
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