The Joker: Still Smiling

Olli being Olli.

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

It's hard to find Rover center Olli Jokinen in poor spirits. He's always smiling and cracking jokes (usually at the expense of unsuspecting teammates) and is general upbeat about things. This season, however, has been a mixed bag for Jokinen. The long-time Rover finds himself on a team that is in first place, but he is not contributing to it as much as he is accustomed. After averaging a hair under a point per game over the past two seasons, Jokinen has been mostly skating on the third line, and has only registered a dozen points through the first half of the season. But one thing is for sure; you won't hear him complain about it.

"The thing is, we've got a good team", Olli said of his current situation. "Drapes [Kris Draper] has really stepped up his game, and we've got a lot of great wingers in Fro [Alex Frolov], Rex [Mark Recchi], and Stills [Cory Stillman]. Sometimes I've spelled Drapes on the second line, but Nate [Nathan Horton] and I have played well together, so we just have depth. That ain't bad".

The current Rovers ironman (he has 254 straight games since being acquired in RHL11), Jokinen can see the goal of the team, and knows his future in it is secure. "You ask me would I like to play more.. well, who wouldn't? Sure I would, but I'm not. But I know what we're trying to do and am willing to play when I can. We're all focussed on the playoffs here, and that's it".

When asked about his new teammates, Jokinen's playful character shone through. "Cory and Mark are great guys, always good for a laugh, but Laaks [Antti Laaksonen] is the best. That guy cracks me up. I'm surprised San Diego let him go. All I know is that he's having a riot with us, so something must be right".