Antti Raanta got plenty of flack on Wednesday for some harsh comments he made to a Finnish magazine about his last few months with the Blackhawks. The writer of that story said Raanta did vent his frustration, but it was just one quote from a very lengthy and positive story.
Juha Luotola, sports editor of Satakunnan Kansa, said he talked to Raanta for “3-4 hours and he had many great things to say about his time in Chicago. Unfortunately for him, this one line has now taken from his life story in the magazine.”
Raanta was quoted as saying that, “with fingers crossed, I hoped Nashville would beat us in four so I could get back to Finland sooner. I was so pissed.” Raanta told several Chicago outlets he did not say it.
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Luotola, who says he has the interview on tape, added that Raanta’s one quote of frustration is getting overblown.
“Antti was frustrated after Chicago send him [a] second time [to the] AHL and he told me truly how he felt. Statement looks bad if you read only one line from story. It's easy to [be] misunderstood and get away from the full story,” Luotola said via email. “But I also know that Antti didn't mean that in bad way. It was just his way to explain how frustrated he was: bad feeling last couple hours and after that, he was happy to be a part of team again.”