Game On Magazine 2017 February 2017 | Page 64

PART 4 : MANITOBA ’ S HOCKEY FAMILIES
According to the character notes on IMDB , “ Ragnar Lothbrok is a fierce Viking warrior who believes his destiny is preordained and lies beyond his homeland . He is not content to live within the confines of his village and is able to think long term about his future .”
That might just describe Larry Finnson and his two boys , Kristjon and Nick .
Larry is pretty well-known in Manitoba . He was a good hockey player who played provincial U1-7 with the likes of former NHLers Sheldon Kennedy and Curts Leschyshyn . He played in Portage for the great Heavy Evason and then spent two years with the Blues from 1987-89 .
He eventually hooked up with his pal , Chris Emery , and the two of them created a candy empire in Winnipeg . Krave ’ s Candy called its product Clodhoppers and it was beloved internationally .
The two business partners sold the operation a decade ago and then about four years ago , came back on the scene with OMG ’ s . The original OMG confection was made from milkand dark-chocolate graham clusters mixed with diced almonds and crunchy toffee bits . They ’ ve since added to the product line and they have another winner . OMG Clusters are delicious .
Not surprisingly , however , the Finnson brothers say their mom is the rock who keeps them in line .
“ She ’ s the one that gets after us – in a
good way ,” said Kristjon . “ She keeps us on the straight and narrow and always helps us out .”
The boys also have a very special hockey grandfather . In the Icelandic tradition they call him “ Afi .” The boys say he ’ s their biggest supporter and is always there with advice and words of encouragement . Afi rarely misses a game and shares his thoughts about hockey and life all the time . When asked what the best of advice Afi has given them , Kristjon was quick to respond : “ Afi told us , ‘ You haven ’ t played your best game yet .’”
The boy ’ s grandmother is called Ama and both Nick and Kristjon said she makes the
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most awesome treat : Ponnokukur , a traditional Icelandic dish that is wonderful in texture and taste , either warm or cool . Even if sour cream is added it is an enjoyable pancake ( crepe ) treat .
Afi and Larry passed down their love of hockey to the two boys and they ’ ve taken their family ’ s love for the game and run ( or skated ) with it .
Kristjon started playing hockey when he was five with the Stony Mountain Flames . He played Pee Wee in Stonewall and became a star D-man at 15 with the AAA Midget Interlake Lightning . WHL teams came knocking and he was drafted 74th overall by Prince Albert Raiders -- just like his dad .
“ I remember I was at the dentist and my friend Dane Schioler called and congratulated me ,” Kristjon said . “’ For what ?’ I asked .
‘ You got drafted by the Prince Albert Raiders .’ That was a huge hockey moment for me .”
Kristjon attended Prince Albert ’ s rookie camp as a 16-year-old .
“ When I first got there , man was I ever intimidated ,” Kristjon recalled . ““ It was far away the toughest rookie camp I ’ d ever experienced and I tried hard to make the main camp , but I guess I just wasn ’ t ready . It was so intense and competitive . All these guys working to make the team and the speed and the puck movement was incredible . Dale Derkatch , who was in charge of player development , told me they liked what they saw and wanted me to go back home and work hard to be ready the next year .”
So Kristjon had a great year with the Interlake Lightning and was 17-years- old when he reported to the Raiders for a second time .
“ I had a really good camp and even contributed a couple goals ,” he said . “ I thought I was going to get an opportunity , but the coaches and management saw it differently and I was told the team was going in a different direction .”
Kristjon was released by Prince Albert and went to the Dauphin Kings , but the Kings were keeping older players in order to take a serious run at the RBC Cup that year and so Kristjon asked for his release so he could , at least , get some playing time someplace else . He signed with his dad ’ s old team , the Portage Terriers , and played half a season there ,