Having played 770 games in the NHL, Niklas Hagman is a second-generation NHL hockey player. His father, Matti Hagman, was the first Finnish-born player to play in the NHL—a milestone that reached its 50th anniversary this year. Niklas concluded his own playing career in the spring of 2017, but spent nearly ten years away from hockey. Today, he works as a skills coach for Viima Hockey. I had the opportunity to meet Hagman in person in Espoo before his upcoming shift and sit down to talk with him about hockey and life in general after an active career.

For our generation, Niklas Hagman was a shared role model and a Finnish star player. In 1998, he scored the overtime winner to capture the U20 World Championship gold for Finland on home ice, which propelled him into the bright lights of the NHL for a long career, while also playing through the hockey rinks of Finland and Europe. Our generation barely had a chance to see Niklas's father, Matti Hagman, on the ice, even though every well-informed hockey fan knew the father and son's shared hockey background.

"My father was a playmaking center with exceptional hockey sense. He was extremely well-known in Finland, especially here in Helsinki. My father's own playing career and history usually meant I was heavily compared to him as a player. That's why, at a very young age, I started playing wing, and my main strength was my skating. In reality, my father and I were completely different types of players, and because of that, it was hard to genuinely compare us on the ice," Niklas Hagman says.

After finishing his hockey career at age 37, Niklas Hagman stepped away from hockey. Because of his father's playing career, hockey had followed him since childhood. He felt that he was completely burned out on hockey. However, through starting therapy and processing personal matters, his positivity and joy for life returned, and Hagman rediscovered hockey post-career—though roughly ten years passed in between. He started as a skills coach for Viima Hockey, taking on the responsibility of teaching Finnish juniors. In the summers, Finnish professional players joined the sessions as well.

"I work as a skills coach for Viima Hockey on weekdays and evenings. The practices focus on various core areas, such as goal-scoring, board play, battle work, and edge control. Individual players can purchase Viima Hockey training packages and come in during their own time to practice under the guidance of myself and the other coaches," Hagman continues.

Although Finland has plenty of arenas, North American-sized small rinks are quite rare. According to Hagman, the small rink located at Espoo's HYPE Hybrid Arena, used by Viima Hockey, is an exceptional environment to practice in tight spaces. Juniors, in particular, hardly need a full-sized sheet for anything. Right next to the rink, there are off-ice training facilities where players can practice shooting and other drills without skates. Viima Hockey's summer sessions have also featured NHL players. Yours truly got to write an article on Miro Heiskanen, who trained with Viima last summer.

According to Hagman, the constantly accelerating speed of modern hockey challenges players more than ever in terms of technical skill and, above all, skating speed. From his own career, Hagman remembers summer training sessions when Finnish hockey players and speed skaters trained together during the summers. Hockey players had explosive first steps, but the speed skaters would catch up in distance skating. In running tests held in Helsinki as well, hockey players and speed skaters loved competing against each other. Hagman mentions that he also learned how to master crossover and corner skating back then, an area where speed skaters excelled, allowing his corner speed to increase even further.

"My own game never lagged because of my skating. My legs were always in top shape, and I frequently won various speed tests and other drills thanks to my legs. In hockey, the first 2-3 strides are the most crucial, and if you win those, you can execute dekes and make plays in peace afterward. My game was built heavily around that, alongside forechecking and puck-reception. I was a hardworking and skating winger," Hagman recalls.

During the interview, it becomes clear that Hagman finds it difficult to praise himself or his own play. Yet all of us fans remember him as a fast and highly skilled player. After a brief silence, he admits that even now, at 46 years old, he can still match or beat several young Finnish players in skating speed and fitness tests. Hagman still actively pursues various sports and takes great care of himself, putting a heavy emphasis on lifestyle and nutrition habits.

"As a former player and current skills coach, I also know that ultimately all decisions that matter for hockey are made during the game. Anyone can shine in practice or warm-ups, but if you don't know how to play hockey during a game, all of that is useless. That is why all training must develop the game itself and aim at improving game performance," Hagman reflects.

Following his long hockey career, Hagman has recognized and understood many things in his life and career, learning perhaps even more about himself than he did during his playing days. He shares that he was always very talented and athletic across all different sports. In addition to hockey, he played soccer and bandy. Skating plays a major role in bandy since it is played on a large sheet of ice. Regarding current players, Hagman has thought about the current developmental trend where children no longer play pickup street games or engage in diverse physical activities. The most critical point is that, at least in his case, learning and daring developed naturally without him even noticing. You learned to play by playing.

"In pickup games, every player was allowed to try different moves and dekes. It fostered creativity and gave us players entirely new experiences. You were allowed to make mistakes. If you don't play those games, you easily start playing it safe, and that's when development stops. That's why pure skills training or anything similar isn't enough if you lack hockey sense and don't know how to play the game. That only develops through playing," Hagman explains.

Hagman's father Matti was known as an elite player but also as a larger-than-life personality. Partly for this reason, young Niklas often wanted to do things independently and on his own terms. He admits that at times he was a very difficult player to coach and resistant to advice. Perhaps he subconsciously rebelled against authority. After heading to the NHL, however, his eyes began to open to the reality that there were actually quite a few other very good players in the world. That brought humility and broadened his understanding on many levels. Now, after all of this, he has learned a lot about his own behavior.

"Now as a skills coach, I can perhaps recognize those same personality traits in practices that I had when I was younger. I can tell many young players that right now, it pays to listen and look at things from multiple perspectives instead of just doing things your own way. I don't want to look back too much, but maybe I could have squeezed even more out of myself—simply through attitude," Hagman reflects aloud on his past career.

As a player, Hagman felt he was at his best when facing high-pressure situations. Although he dealt with significant pre-game nerves—especially in the stands—once he stepped onto the ice, he felt at home and thrived under pressure. Today, he understands that for his own trainees, 770 games of NHL experience alone isn't enough; coaching and helping others requires heart and passion. Authenticity and genuine care deliver the message much more effectively. As a skills coach, he wants to be open and honest with himself and others.

"I got everything from hockey that I could possibly hope for. Now, post-career, I've learned to love myself again and gone through a journey where I feel truly strong right now. My identity is no longer defined solely by hockey. Here in coaching, I've noticed that if I believe in my own vision and myself, others find it much easier to believe in me too. And when I go home or step away from hockey, I am so much more than just a hockey player," Niklas Hagman concludes with a smile.

After shaking hands, Hagman greets the young players who have arrived and begins running a shooting drill for them. It is a normal Tuesday evening in autumn in Espoo.