It’s been quite a ride for Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov.
He won the Selke Trophy and became the first Finnish captain to win the Stanley Cup in June, while playing two NHL games in his hometown of Tampere, Finland, a few months ago.
He now receives an incredible honor from his native country.
On Thursday, Barkov became the first hockey player to be named Finnish Sportsman of the Year.
The award is voted on annually by the Finnish Sports Journalists Association and has been awarded since 1947.
Barkov, who is in the middle of the NHL season with the Panthers, joined via remote connection alongside his Florida Finnish teammates Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola, as well as Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu , according to the Finnish media MTV.
“It’s a very big honor,” Barkov said in the video. by NHL.com/fi. “Great athletes have been selected in the past. I am truly honored and I did not expect such an early opening. Many thanks. This wouldn’t have happened without my teammates and the support I received.
One of his childhood hockey coaches, Timo Makinen, received the award for Barkov.
According to MTV, the previous best result by a hockey player was Jari Kurri in 1990, who came in second in the voting.
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