A Look Inside: Toivonen
By Brian J. Scully
BostonBruins.com

PROVIDENCE - Hannu Toivonen pulls out of the Dunkin Donuts Center in his SUV and
heads up a side street. He's got his iPod playing on the stereo, a small
'Piglet' stuffed animal in the front seat, and a nose for lunch.

Toivonen, who dragged himself away from the lake cottage he purchased this
summer back in Finland in order arrive a few weeks early for training camp with
the Bruins, is in control. He slices up and down the back streets of Providence
with a cab driver's dexterity and efficiency. In many ways, it's hard to believe
that only a year ago, Toivonen arrived in America as a fresh-faced No. 1 pick
looking to start his climb to the NHL.

Suddenly, the car emerges from the side streets and on to Atwell Avenue in
Federal Hill. Toivonen cleanly maneuvers his truck into a half-open space at the
back of a 10-car parking lot - despite the initial protestations of his
passengers who thought the action impossible - noting in the process that he
drove a very large car back in Finland where the spaces are usually smaller.

Toivonen is halfway across the parking lot before the car has unloaded. It's his
way. At 20 years old, the Providence goaltender is vitality personified,
possessing an endearing personality that comes across more friend-like than just
politely friendly.

The lanky goaltender, appearing lean after his summer workouts, has selected
Andino's, a small Italian restaurant that he calls his one of his favorite
spots. He orders some calamari ("You can't get this in Finland") and a
veggie-based chicken dish and settles down to refuel after his morning workout.

His conversational style is thoughtful, measured, and punctuated by staccato
bursts of laughter. His English is excellent. Inevitably, the conversation
returns to his favorite movie - Beverly Hills Cop.

At the mention of the Eddie Murphy flick (Toivonen - a man of many nicknames -
is known as Johnny Wishbone in some circles due to his penchant for quoting that
character's lines) uncoils his 6'2" frame and leans back in his chair to stretch
in deep thought. Just before he speaks, he flashes a half-smile.

"If I had an entrance song, it would be 'The Heat is On' from Beverly Hills
Cop," he says, uncoiling from his stretch and drawing himself nearer to the
table's edge as he speaks. "That would be it - definitely - 'The Heat is On.' I
love that song."

Several times last season, the public address announcer played the song over the
Dunkin' Donuts Center's speakers after a particularly strong game effort from
the goaltender. Each time Toivonen heard it, he'd seek out the P-Bruins'
services manager for team, media, and community, Adam Alper, and exclaim,
"They're playing my song!"

Toivonen first saw the movie as a teenager in Finland and, reportedly, can
recite the script line-for-line.

"I'd say I first saw it about seven years ago," said Toivonen. "And Johnny
Wishbone got me right away.

"Actually I haven't watched it during this summer at all. Maybe I should have
'Beverly Hills Cop' day and go rent all the movies. I tried to get them last
year, but I couldn't find them. I might have to go do that today, because you
reminded me about it."

But as light-hearted as he appears ["I think you have to have some humor in this
thing," he later says. "If you get too serious, it's not going to work out. You
have to have fun out there and this is one of my ways of having fun."] make no
mistake, Toivonen has his head on straight. When it's time to go to work, the
work boots, or in this case, the skates, go on.

"It's just the way you should do things as a hockey player," said Toivonen.
"Every year you want to be better and better and better. I think it is important
to be smart and think about what you can improve every time you go on the ice.

"That's what I think. That's my philosophy: You have to think hard about what
you need to do better in order to play better. You have to use the summer to
analyze where you're at. I'm pretty confident and I think I know what I need to
do better to improve my game."

This, of course, bodes well for the Bruins organization - which already boasts
of last year's Calder Trophy winner in netminder Andrew Raycroft. Any
improvements on Toivonen's freshman campaign - a 2.30 goals against average and
a .921 save percentage with Providence - will have him knocking on the door of
the NHL, if he's not already doing so.

"Yeah, he's in the mix," said Bruins' Assistant General Manager Jeff Gorton.
"Because of the situation with the potential work stoppage, you have to think
about replacing older, veteran guys with younger players. Hopefully, Hannu,
right from the get-go, will be playing a lot of games. Hopefully, things will
get settled sooner or later, but if it is later, Hannu's going to be ahead of
everybody because he's going to have played in a lot of games. He's in a good
spot. He's in a good place in Providence. There's no need to rush him, but we
know that if we need him, he'll do the job."

Complacency is the enemy of any upwardly mobile individual. Those who are good
enough to survive, but strive to improve, are a special breed. It's a quality
the Bruins identified early in Toivonen, solidifying him as their choice for the
29th pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

"I remember sitting down with Hannu for the pre-draft interview," said Gorton.
"Our scouting staff, when he walked out, just went, 'Wow.' He's an impressive
guy and that only adds to what he can do on the ice.

"Just talking to him, you know that he is far beyond his years, maturity-wise.
He's not a normal 19- or 20-year-old kid. He knows what he wants and he knows
what it's going to take to get there. In that respect, the Bruins don't have to
worry about him off ice. He's a focused guy. We knew that and that was one of
the things that attracted us to him."

Toivonen's goal for this year is consistency.

"Look at guys like Andrew Raycroft, Martin Brodeur - they're just so consistent
all the time," said Toivonen. "They play 50 or 60 or 70 games and every day they
play at the same, consistent level.

"I just want to concentrate on that and working on the small things. There is
still a lot of work for me to do here in North America. But I know that I can
get better at those things and I know I can do what I need to do to succeed."

The Golden Piglet

Toivonen's mask is adorned with a ghost-white growling Bruin on the top, two
Bruins logos on each ear, and the word "Bruins" written in script on a scroll.
It's about as intimidating as they come.

On the back, somewhat out of context, is a painting of Piglet, of Winnie the
Pooh fame, holding both a Finnish and American flag.

"Well, it's a long story," said Toivonen. "When I was back in Finland, I signed
my first pro contract as a 17-year-old. So, the older guys kept giving me a hard
time and telling me how lucky I was. They called me the "Golden Piglet" because
here I was, 17, playing pro. So, one of the guys - Tuukka Makela [also a Bruins'
prospect] - told me I should just put it on my helmet and embrace it. So, I did.

"After that, it just became part of my painting of the mask. And I think it will
always be there. It's just one small, funny detail. I think it could be a little
fun for fans. I can't think of any other goalie who would have a pig on his
helmet."

Hence, the plush Piglet that resides in his car. In some ways, it has become his
symbol, although he has other ideas as well.

"On my next mask, I think I'm going to put Johnny Wishbone on one ear and Robin
Williams from Mork and Mindy on the other," said Toivonen, who was tabbed "Na-nu
Na-nu" (yet another nickname) by teammates last season who couldn't (or
wouldn't) say Hannu correctly. "Yeah, that's it. That would be great. I'll just
move the Bruins' logo to the chin."

In some ways, though, the "golden piglet" nickname is the most fitting. Toivonen
is wise-beyond-his-years, thanks in large part to the experience of playing
professional at such a young age.

Now 20, Toivonen is entering his fourth professional season and second North
American season at a time when most of his American compatriots are entering
their sophomore or junior year in college. He's grown accustomed to living on
his own and is remarkably well adjusted to the culture of America after just one
year.

He knows how to get to his local grocery store, where to park for the Providence
Place Mall, and how to negotiate the crazy interchanges in downtown Providence.
When he has to venture to new areas, he just relies on technology.

"When I'm not sure where to go, I just listen to the nice woman on my GPS system
and she tells me where to go," he says with a laugh.

"It's really nice to be in town and not have to think about where to get
things," said Toivonen, noting the difference between this year and last year.
"If I need groceries, I know where to go. Restaurants? I can go there. It's so
good to know your way around and know the people. I can call up my teammates and
see if they want to get together for lunch. I feel so comfortable here now.

"I come from such a small town that when I went back I was like, 'Wow. There are
no people here. Where are all the people?'" he continued. "But it's good for me
to have such different things during the summertime. It's great to just be all
alone with no one in sight for two miles. It gives you the peace to think about
things and get your mind relaxed."

On Monday, the story continues, as BostonBruins.com delves into Toivonen's first
year and takes a look at how far he has come, not to mention where he is
headed...



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