Genève-Servette started their return to the Champions Hockey League after an eight-year break with a very solid three wins in four games. Experienced forward Valtteri Filppula has been a leader on the team that won its first-ever Swiss title last season and has started his third season with the Geneva-based club.
“I think we have played quite well,” started the 39-year-old veteran, “the games came fast and there weren’t many practice games to play. The CHL has been a refreshing experience, travelling and playing against teams from various leagues - these are different kinds of games.”
"Doing well in the CHL is part of our goals for this season"Valtteri Filppula, Genève-Servette
Despite now sitting on nine points and on a three-game winning streak, the reigning Swiss champions were rather surprisingly caught off guard by ICE side HC Innsbruck on Game Day 1, losing 5-2 in the Austrian Alps.
“We started well, but just couldn’t score later on,” commented Filppula, noting that Genève-Servette dropped a 2-0 lead in the game, “Innsbruck finished the game better than us. In the next games we played well and were able to secure points,” he added.
The Swiss NL is regarded as a fast-growing league that is up there among the very best national hockey leagues in Europe. There are plenty of reputable and skilled players on each team.
“Doing well in the CHL is part of our goals for this season,” noted Filppula, “our main target is to succeed in the National League, but wherever we play, the aim is to always do our best!”
Filppula has been around and succeeded on club and international level. The NHL veteran has won the Stanley Cup, captained team Finland to their first Olympic gold medal in Beijing and guided Finland to World Championship victory on home ice last year.
Still, he wants to keep on winning. He also sees that doing well on international rinks could be really important for Genève.
"It’s been nice to spend some time with the guys on trips”Valtteri Filppula, Genève-Servette
“Doing well in the CHL is something I would like and would be great for the organisation and the team,” commented the forward, “the organisation has the desire to be successful here and I suppose the fans think the same. In league games, they only see Swiss teams, but now they can see the best clubs from across Europe. For our team, it’s good to be able to compare where our own level is at.”
Filppula has travelled a lot during his career and sees similarities in away game trips to when he was playing in the NHL.
“So far, the travelling has been pretty much like when I was in North America as we’ve been flying a lot. When we get there it’s the usual business – we get to the hotel, go to dinner someplace and then the next day is Game Day. After the game we leave for our next game or go back to Switzerland,” he explained.
Filppula says that they’ve only had shorter trips so far in the CHL, with Genève having travelled to Austria and Slovakia. As a family man, being away on hockey duties for long stretches of time has moved on his list of priorities in life.
“I liked travelling a lot, but it’s been nice to have been able to spend time with family at home these last years,” said the Finn, “but after a few years break, it’s been nice to spend some time with the guys on trips.”
Filppula himself has netted three assists in the first four games of the CHL season but there’s a lot of other scoring potential on the team from fellow countrymen Sakari Manninen, Teemu Hartikainen and defenceman Sami Vatanen.
"We have offensive potential but have also been focused on playing tight defensively"Valtteri Filppula, Genève-Servette
“At the start of the season, we have been trying to get our game going as quickly as possible. We do have plenty of offensive potential, but we’ve also focused on playing tight on the defensive end. From there we can create some offence.”
“Usually, in the playoffs those who can defend the best, do the best. Once the defensive part of the game is in order, the offensive game builds on it. That’s also how we think about the game here,” he revealed.
Despite having a strong start in the pan-European competition, Genève have had a bit of a rough time domestically.
“We have been able to score in the CHL, but in the National League we have struggled so far,” admitted Filppula.
An important part of the new CHL season have certainly been the new on-ice rule change, in which a minor penalty does not end when a goal is scored by the team on the powerplay, but on the other hand the penalty ends if the team playing short-handed score.
The 39-year-old player has seen it all, when it comes to ice hockey. Still, he thinks bringing up some new spices to the game is welcomed – yet still not unreservedly.
“Interesting might be the right word,” said Filppula after some thought, “being innovative is surely positive, so we’ll just have to see if this is better than what we are used to. Personally, with the few games we’ve played, it’s still too early to say for sure how big an impact the new rule changes have.”
"Personally, it will be nice to visit Finland and play against a Finnish team"Valtteri Filppula, Genève-Servette
All teams still have two games left of the CHL Regular Season. The Swiss team are aiming to keep playing strong and develop their on-ice actions.
“We have been playing quite well in the CHL, in our own league we still have a lot of room to improve,” admitted Filppula, “the aim is to improve our own game as the opponents improve theirs. We still have a game in Rauma left, so, personally, it will be nice to visit Finland and play against a Finnish team. It’s been a while since I played against a Liiga team!” ended Filppula.