Lankinen is the Vancouver chapter of the PHWA’s 2026 nominee for the Masterton trophy, which is given out to the player who most exemplifies sportsmanship, perseverance and dedication to hockey<\/p>\n
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Published Apr 08, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 18\u00a0minutes ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 6 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n When Kevin Lankinen was young, he had a poster of Marc-Andre Fleury on his wall.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Imagine his surprise when Fleury turned up as a teammate during his second NHL season. Lankinen, in many ways the ultimate Finn \u2014 kind, considerate, hard-working, upbeat \u2014 still found out how much more supportive he could be towards his teammates from that one season with Fleury.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n If you know Lankinen, his good nature always shines through. Even in the toughest seasons. Even when he\u2019s dealing with the deepest personal stress.<\/p>\n And yet Fleury also taught him how to be even brighter. The NHL veteran landed with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2021-22 season, Lankinen\u2019s second in the NHL. Undrafted, never the most-hyped guy in his age group, Lankinen had scraped and clawed his way to the NHL, his first season coming in the challenging season that was the 2020-21 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was a great example for me how to treat not just younger guys, but all the guys in the team, and how to be a great teammate,\u201d Lankinen recalled. \u201cIt was a cool moment for me, after my rookie year, they signed Fleury, and all of a sudden, he\u2019s my goalie tandem.\u201d<\/p>\n It was an eye-opening season, Lankinen now says.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of a human being he was. The work ethic and everything, the love for the game was there, but more importantly, how he handled other guys, and even for myself, how he made sure I was feeling good and comfortable and just being a good human being. That kind of set the bar for me. Like, \u2018hey, that\u2019s what I want to be one day.’\u201d<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n A half-decade later Lankinen finds himself as a culture-setter for the Vancouver Canucks. He\u2019s truly a great example of a good sport, someone perseveres and has been dedicated to hockey. He\u2019s the Vancouver chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers\u2019 Association\u2019s 2026 nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which recognizes those three things. (Teddy Blueger finished tied in voting among the chapter\u2019s 12 members, but Lankinen had one more first-place vote. Linus Karlsson finished one point back in third.)<\/p>\n Lankinen was very honoured, he said, to learn that he was this year\u2019s nominee. The word \u201cperseverance\u201d in fact caught his ear: it\u2019s a defining quality of Finns in general, he thinks.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a good way to describe the Finnish people as a nation,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe kind of live up there, high up north, isolated and just minding our own business. We\u2019re thankful of where we are and we gained our independence through a lot of struggle and a lot of tough times. I think the Finnish mindset fits a goaltender too, because you\u2019re just kind of in your own little thing, focusing on your own business and not worrying about the other drama or the bullshit that\u2019s going around. That\u2019s how we are as human beings in Finland. We want to be honest and straightforward.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n It\u2019s that attitude that\u2019s proven to be a big support for rookie teammate Nikita Tolopilo. The giant Belarusian says he\u2019s never had a goalie partner quite like Lankinen. At other levels, on other teams, sometimes he\u2019s had a goalie partner who wasn\u2019t enthused to have a partner, let alone a potential rival. You can understand it to a degree: you want to be the man and the more you get to be the man, the bigger the chance a bigger, better team will take notice and pick you up. At some point that would mean the NHL.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s no animosity from Lankinen: just the opposite.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to have that type of person around you. It\u2019s my first year here and like, things sometimes it\u2019s not going well this season for us,\u201d Tolopilo admitted. \u201cIt\u2019s hard. But even today, we spent like, five, seven minutes to chat about last game, how the things go, like he been in the league more than me and like he has seen some tough times too. It\u2019s very helpful.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course we still have the competition. Like every time, every practice, when we get better,\u201d he added. \u201cYou want to play as much as games as you can. But like, at same time, we also have our kind of \u2018goalie bonding.\u2019 Especially when the things doesn\u2019t go well this season. It\u2019s important to stay right together and support each other, because the goalie is still a bit different. \u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Then he laughed a little.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want it to be \u2018you allowed the goals,\u2019 everyone says,\u201d he explained about the self-awareness you inevitably develop when you play goal. \u201c\u2018This guy sucks!\u2019 people will say. It\u2019s good to have a relationship between the two goalies. And the goalie coach too. I feel like we all like are, trying to support each other when things not go well for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Lankinen managing to be supportive at all times stands out especially in a season that started with some personal challenges: his wife Iina gave birth to their first child. The pregnancy was a difficult one, but in the end their baby boy arrived in the world safely and now life for Lankinen has changed in a way that you only learn about when you become a parent.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a challenge, a things that you don\u2019t really can be prepared for, because it\u2019s something completely different,\u201d he said of he and Iina being told that the pregnancy wouldn\u2019t be a smooth one. \u201cAnd then when it hits your family, then the only thing you can do is just to be there for them. And you kind of realize what\u2019s important in life. And kind of set your values in place, just thankful for every single day that we have together. And of course, it brings a smile on my face to come to the rink every day, but even more so going home, and knowing that there\u2019s a family there.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Brock Boeser, the 2023 Vancouver Masterton nominee<\/a>, was thrilled to hear his friend had been picked.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just such a good person,\u201d Boeser said. \u201cHe always asks how you\u2019re doing. He\u2019s just such a good person to talk to. And every day come to the rink, he\u2019s in the gym. Every single time you see him, he\u2019s in the gym working out. Really whatever it is, he\u2019s always working hard. And then on the ice you see how hard he competes in practice and stuff. He just always brings that professionalism. It\u2019s something that he loves.\u201d<\/p>\n Aatu Raty, the other Finn on the team, sits on the other side of Lankinen in the dressing room. His face lit up about Lankinen being a nominee. They\u2019re neighbours for real: they live next door to each other in Kitsilano.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just the best pro,\u201d Raty said. \u201cHe comes in so early, like obviously he trains a little bit different than the players as a goalie, but just, his routine and how well he does it; he\u2019s just in the zone every time. Like, that\u2019s something that I feel like I\u2019ve learned a lot from. I hear all the time about his routines and stuff, and even how he\u2019s brushing his teeth with his left hand to make his co-ordination better. Diet, hydration, yes, everything\u2019s just perfect. I feel like if everyone would do what he would do, they would be just a performance expert, that guy. And, he\u2019s just so knowledgeable too. He\u2019s got his own dietitian. Everything. He\u2019s really poured everything to his craft.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n And yeah, it\u2019s nice having a Finn around. When family visits from back home, there\u2019s always guaranteed to be an extra-welcoming face. Raty is a big fan of Pesis \u2014 a.k.a. Finnish baseball \u2014 and while the Helsinki-raised Lankinen isn\u2019t as into it as he is, it\u2019s just one more thing that they can chat about that helps them bond.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s always asking me how I\u2019m doing and kind of giving tips. But also saying when I have it, when I do have a good game,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not always about a goal or like something that it\u2019s easy to be like, \u2018Oh, I mean, that was great.\u2019 It\u2019s other times too. He\u2019s always saying supportive stuff and just being the best teammate.\u201d<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Canucks Preview: Why ‘frustrated’ Brock Boeser bemoans lack of team structure<\/p>\n![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2260001035_301150167.jpg\")
Kevin Lankinen takes a break during a stop in play against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on February 04, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Ethan Miller \/Getty ImagesArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.9.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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Vancouver Canucks left wing Liam Ohgren, right, greets goaltender Kevin Lankinen, left, as they celebrate after Ohgren\u2019s game-winning goal in a shootout against the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 29, 2025, in Seattle. Photo by Lindsey Wasson \/AP<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/cp175692472_300997371.jpg\")
Vancouver Canucks goalie Nikita Tolopilo (60) comes into the game in relief of goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Photo by Darryl Dyck \/THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n![\"Brock](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2245221578_299771564.jpg\")
Brock Boeser, the 2023 Vancouver Masterton nominee, congratulates Kevin Lankinen after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Arena on November 8, 2025. Photo by Derek Cain \/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Brock](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775651121_498_2255586551_300737990.jpg\")
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