VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Strangely enough, of all the cities in all the world, it is in this beautiful Canadian meeting place of the snow-capped mountains and the tributary bays of the mighty Pacific Ocean where young Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko began his journey with the Rangers.
This is the city where he was drafted with the No. 2- overall pick in June, and where, a day short of exactly a year ago, he scored the game-winning goal for Team Finland to beat the Americans in the final of the World Junior Championship.
A lot has happened since, Kakko having now played 36 games in the NHL, going through ups and downs like any 18-year-old would.