A Floorballmaniatv, Mika KOHONEN.


( Risposte anche in Italiano)

When you talk to certain players, you have to do it with the respect they deserve, for the history they wrote, for the pages filled with many stories of many endings with many emotions.

 World's best player, with a great individual technique, a thought to face it for all the players in the world with his 190 centimeters in height.

He holds the 1000 points record, Finnish nationality, born in 1977, he has just turned 43, we are talking about one of the greatest and longest-lived floorball players of all time, floorballmaniatv is pleased to introduce you to Mika KOHONEN.

 1) Hi Mika thank you very much for accepting our interview. How are you ? How's the recovery from the injury going?

1. Thank’s for having me! I’m fine and my family is fine. Difficult an tuff times in world. Recovery is going slowly but okey. My achilles is getting better, but long way to go still. 

1. Grazie a voi per l'intervista! Io e la mia famiglia stiamo bene. E' un periodo difficile per tutto il mondo. Il recupero procede lentamente ma bene. Il mio tendine d'Achille migliora, ma ci vorrà ancora tempo.

 2) When did you start playing Salibandy? Which team did you start playing with?

2. I played icehockey (from 4 years old to 19) and football from 4 years old to 22. Floorball i started when I was 17 years old and played one a-junior championship tournament and then signed with my hometown team Happee in salibandyliiga.

2. Ho giocato a Hockey su ghiaccio dai 4 ai 19 anni e a calcio dai 4 ai 22 anni. Ho cominciato con il Floorball a 17 anni, quando ho partecipato ad un torneo giovanile e poi ho firmato con la squadra della mia città: Happee nella Salibandyliga

 3) Have you always played as a defender in your career? Or have you played in other positions? Mk29 ,where can we find your line of floorball sticks?

3. I have played center almost my whole carrier. Last four years i have played as a defender. We don’t make the sticks anymore, but I own a company with my litlebrother Mikko, Kohonenbros. , we sell 2MK products for floorball and other sports   (www.kohonenbros.com). 

3. Ho giocato come centro per la maggior parte della mia carriera. Negli ultimi 4 anni ho giocato come difensore. Non produciamo più le stecche, ma adesso abbiamo un'azienda con mio fratello Mikko, la Kohonenbros. Vendiamo la linea 2MK per il floorball e altri sport.

 4) Mika tell us about your first time in Salibandyliiga? What emotion did you feel that day? Was the debut in Salibandyliiga or in SSL more exciting?

4. First time is always special, it doesn’t matter where. When i came to Sweden, I was little bit older and had more experience, but it was new country. 

4. La prima volta è sempre speciale, non importa dove. Quando sono arrivato in Svezia ero più anziano ed esperto, ma era comunque un nuovo paese.

 
5) Innebandymagazinet named you the best player in the world 5 times, how did you feel when you received this honor?

5. I am proud, of course. But the team titles is thing, to win with my teams. Ofcourse i try my best to be the best every day and try to be a better player and athlete.

5. Naturalmente sono molto orgoglioso. Ma sono i titoli di squadra che contano. Do sempre il meglio per essere il migliore ogni giorno, e provo sempre a migliorarmi come giocatore e come atleta.

6) In the Swedish Super League you reached 1000 points scored, were you excited that day? Do you remember the first point and the thousandth? Can you tell us?

 6. Big milestone for sure, to be the first player at 1000 points. First point was with Balrog in 2000 and 1000. was when i played with Helsingborg and against Warberg, both were assist.

6. Sicuramente un grande traguardo essere il primo a raggiungere i  1000 punti. Il primo è stato con Balrog nell'anno 2000 e il punto numero 1000 quando giocavo con Helsinborg in una partita contro Warberg, entrambi erano assist.


7) World champion four times, the last one in 2018 in a final where Finland dominated, can you tell us about that game? When did you understand that the game could be won and repeat the world title?

7. We were strong that day, it was our game. You can never be sure until the last whistle. But when there were 2 minuts left of the game, I was sure. I started crying. Unbelievible feeling. 

7. Eravamo forti quel giorno, la partita era nostra. Non sei mai sicuro fino al fischio finale. Ma quando mancavano 2 minuti ero certo della vittoria. Ho cominciato a piangere. Una sensazione incredibile.

 8) After the injury occourred over your last year with Happee,  you decided to go back to Storvreta IBK as an Assistant Coach, then the coronavirus stopped everything. Will you continue to coach? Or will you go back to Playing? Sweden or Finland?

8. Everything is open. I haven’t decided yet. It depends how well my body is recovering.

8. E' tuttoa aperto. Non ho ancora deciso. Dipende da quanto efficacemente andrà il recupero dell'infortunio. 

 9) How do you think Finnish, Swedish and floorball all over the world can restart?

9. Health goes first. But sooner or later all sports are back. Corona can’t change that.

9. La salute prima di tutto. Prima o poi tutti gli sport riapriranno. Il virus non può fermare tutto a lungo.

10) Which is the strongest player you have ever faced? And why? What is the best coach you've ever had?

10. Anders Hellgård, who played with Pixbo and Swedish national team. Big guy, really allround and amazing floorball iq. He was also center so we met eachother many many times in big games. Petteri Nykky is the best coach of alltimes. He has coached me a long time and few times against eachother. Thomas Brottman is another name. I have played with him, he has coached me and we have been opponents too.

10. Anders Hellgård, giocava nel Pixbo e nella nazionale Svedese. Grande presenza fisica, giocatore a tutto campo e grande intelligenza tattica. Anche lui giocava come centro e ci siamo scontrati molte volte in partite importanti. Petteri Nykky è il miglior allenatore di tutti i tempi. E' stato il mio allenatore per molto tempo e ci siamo incontrati qualche volta anche da avversari. Thomas Brottman è un altro nome importante. Abbiamo giocato insieme, è stato mio allenatore e qualche volta siamo stati anche avversari


 11) In Italy the floorball is growing a lot, and you are one of the most beloved players, what do you think of Italian Floorball? What advice would you give to the many young people who practice this sport in Italy?

11. I have Italy a couple Of times. I think it is a young floorball country, who is in upprising. I hope that the future is bright for Italian floorball. Practice a lot, watch games from Finland and Sweden, love the game, respect the game and have fun. Hard work and when you love what you do, takes you a long way. And have dreams. 

11. Sono stato in Italia un paio di volte. Penso che sia una nazione giovane e in via di sviluppo dal punto di vista del Floorball. Spero che il futuro del Floorball italiano sia dei migliori. Allenatevi tanto, seguite le partite delle leghe Svedesi e Finlandesi, amate e rispettate questo sport, e divertitevi. Impegno e amore per quello che si fa ti portano lontano. E non dimenticatevi di sognare.

Grazie mille Mika KOHONEN, per floorballmaniatv è stato un vero piacere intervistarti. 

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