Jere Lehtinen inked his place in Dallas Stars history with a shot that didn’t go in the net.
In triple overtime of Game 6 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, Lehtinen took a shot from the left circle that was stopped by Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek. His teammate Brett Hull kicked the rebound from his skate to his stick just outside the crease to score the game-winning and series-winning goal.
But Lehtinen’s legacy with the Stars extends far beyond that play and is still felt today by the presence of a few key players.
The legendary right winger played his entire 15-year NHL career within the Stars organization. The two-way forward won the Selke Trophy three times. He was an alternate captain for one year, and his No. 26 has been retired and hung in the Stars’ rafters.
But above all, he opened the door for his countrymen to have success in Dallas as one of the greatest Finnish players the franchise and league has seen.
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Now over a decade removed from his NHL career, Lehtinen will see the fruits of his labor when the Stars travel to Helsinki and Tampere, Finland, next week for the NHL Global Series and their first international games in franchise history.
Players such as Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Roope Hintz — whom Lehtinen worked with from a young age as GM of the Finnish national team — will get to play in front of their home crowds.
Lehtinen, who was in Dallas last week for the Stars’ Hall of Fame weekend, has traveled back to Finland and is preparing to greet the team next week.
He spoke with The Dallas Morning News ahead of the Global Series trip about the games in Finland, the growth of the franchise and upcoming opportunities for the Stars in the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
In this photo taken April 8, 2010, Dallas Stars’ Jere Lehtinen (26) of Finland, Mike Modano (9) and Marty Turco (35) pose for a photo following an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks in Dallas.(AP)
What are your thoughts on the Dallas Stars playing their first international game in the NHL’s Global Series in Finland next week?
Lehtinen: “I was really excited. I heard rumors from past years, but it all was just rumors, and it didn’t happen. But now, when it was real, I was really, really excited, of course. Talking to guys over there and how excited they are, not just the players but the organization. I know a lot of people, my friends too, when they heard it, of course, followed my career in Dallas, so it was mutual excitement.
“It’s a huge thing. Overall, fans and kids are able to come and see the NHL game who doesn’t have a chance to go overseas to see games. I remember I was pretty young, and they started to bring some NHL teams to play exhibition games, so even those days when I was far away from playing in the NHL, I had that excitement just to have the team here.
“You get new fans and new people interested when you bring the team here. Because it’s overseas, it feels like it’s far, but it’s not that far nowadays. When the teams come here, I think it helps even those people that don’t feel that close to the NHL.”
How do you feel about the current Stars team and how the organization has grown since you played for it?
Lehtinen: “I’ve been watching when I was done playing every year how is the team doing. When I moved back to Finland, I’m not close there, but I follow and see, of course, understanding more how the organization and how the team is built.
“They already went to the finals, and the last few years they’re close there. The organization when I was playing was top notch, and it’s just going the same way. They try to be better every year. It’s been fun to see.
“You need the players but at the same time, the organization back there, everybody’s kind of breathing the same air. You need that if you want to go all the way, and they’re doing that right now. They’ve been doing that, and they’re getting closer and closer.”
Do you see any similarities between your Stanley Cup-winning team and the current Stars team?
Lehtinen: “You need good goaltending, and that’s there. And you need to defend, and that’s there. You need good offensive D who can be good on the power play and that stuff. And you need to be good on the defensive side, too, and that’s coming. You can see that.
“When we won, we had good skilled defensemen there, but at the same time, they were good defenders, too. Offensive, there’s a good mix there. There’s veteran players that have been around a long time, and they know what it takes. And then you have young guys, who’s bringing a lot of energy. We had that, too. We had good experienced guys and players, and then we had our group that was a little younger. I think you need that. And you need a little bit of inside competition, too, and it’s there. It’s kind of healthy.”
Do you take pride in seeing the continued Finnish pipeline to Dallas with players like Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Roope Hintz?
Lehtinen: “I hope I gave something to that organization to see at that time when I was playing. They brought in good players, good team guys. I think that’s the main thing that they’ve been doing.
“When I was playing, there was one year we had six Finns playing. But then, of course, there was years when I was done when there wasn’t that many. Kari [Lehtonen] was there left. But then they got those three guys [Heiskanen, Hintz and Lindell] and drafted them and did a good job to find those players.
“I was fortunate to see those guys play in the Finnish league. When I moved after my career, I became Team Finland GM, and we had all those three play for us in some tournaments before they came over. We all know they’re going to be there a long time and carry the team. They are top Finns in the NHL, overall, too.”
As GM for Team Finland, what are your hopes for the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics? What role will the Stars’ Finns play?
Lehtinen: “I’ll be the GM [for 4 Nations]. We have the same staff, basically. We have a couple of extra guys that are there helping me scouting players. It’s gonna be great.
“When I heard the best players can play against each other, it’s great because three years ago before ‘22 Olympics, we already basically had a team almost picked and then, of course, COVID kind of shut down NHL players. We were pretty close. There’s excitement from our side, but at the same time, you can see the players want to play for Team Finland and play against the best.
“Miro and Esa will play. We announced six players for every team. And I think it’s a no-brainer that Roope is pretty close.”
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