As hockey star Mikko Rantanen prepares to represent his native Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Dallas Stars forward reflects on a lifetime on the ice and the text that confirmed he’d be heading to Cortina
Representing one’s country at the Olympic Games is a bucket list experience for just about any athlete, yet Finnish hockey player Mikko Rantanen got the news that he would be heading to Milano Cortina 2026 rather casually. “I got a text – just a head up from the Finnish GM and the coach,” he says, referring to former NHL player Jere Lehtinen. “That’s how I got to know I was going to the Olympics.” In little over a week (the men’s hockey schedule kicks off February 11th), the 29-year-old Dallas Stars forward will take the ice for his very first Olympic game.
Mikko Rantanen walking into the arena – this year the NHL loosened its regulations, allowing players to wear street clothes rather than suits . Photo: Dallas Stars
Photo: Dallas Stars