WINNIPEG

If Olli Jokinen can play like he can talk, the Winnipeg Jets have landed a solid free agent.

As long as he decides to play more often than he opened his mouth during the lockout.

After a couple months of telling reporters he wouldn't have a comment until the dispute was over, the 34-year-old Finn was true to his word, Monday, granting a nearly half-hour session with the media that went more places than Dustin Byfuglien in a game of pond hockey.

The areas he ventured into included an acknowledgment of how bad the lockout makes players and the league look to the rest of the world.

"It's kind of embarrassing to be part of the process like this," Jokinen said after yet another skate at the MTS Iceplex. "We're the sport that every time the CBA expires, you know it's going to be a lockout.

"I'm the wrong guy to answer how you do it, but obviously you need to get out of this cycle. This is not fun for the owners, not fun for the players and definitely not fun for the fans."

As for how the fans will react when the NHL gets back at it, Jokinen wasn't shy about exploring that territory, either.

"Those are the ones putting money in our pocket," he said. "They're buying tickets and come to watch us every night. They have all the reasons to be angry. If nobody shows up in our games, I respect that, too. They have all the reasons not to show up."

Jokinen even served up a softball for the media types.

"I think you guys missed it," he said of the game. "Now you guys can start ripping us, the way we play. It's all good."

Well, maybe not all.

You get the impression Jokinen has a hard time accepting the NHL's messy labour woes as a necessary business part of the game.

Two lockouts have now cost him nearly $4 million — around $2 million in 2004-05 plus some $1.75 million in the current season.

Jokinen signed a two-year, $9-million contract with the Jets in the summer, getting $250,000 as a signing bonus but seeing 42% of his salary evaporate.

And at his age, 34 games aren't easily kissed off.

Worth it?

"Yeah, I guess," Jokinen said, sounding maybe half convinced. "I'm an older guy. In a selfish way the older guys want to play. But at the same time ... what the guys did in '94, I wouldn't be in this position without those guys making the right decisions at that time. This one was more for the future of the game and future players."

For Jokinen, though, the time is now, at least on the ice.

With a paltry six playoff games to his 13-season resume, the former L.A. King, New York Islander, Florida Panther, Phoenix Coyote, Calgary Flame (twice) and New York Ranger says at his age winning and family stability take priority.

Jokinen obviously hasn't succeeded at either, so far, in his career.

Convinced he can give it four, five, even six more high-quality years, the four-time 30-goal scorer (he had 23 in a largely defensive role with the Flames last season) says there's no reason he can't do the winning right here.

"I had a couple of options in the summer to sign with teams that were in the post-season last year," Jokinen said. "But at the same time, you try to compare the lineups. I look at this lineup ... there shouldn't be any reasons this team is not going to be in the post-season. I can't find one."

See what I mean?

When the guy decides to talk, he goes all out.



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