Attention, fitness magazine editors: Antti Laaksonen is cover material.
The Avalanche forward has the best “six-pack” abdominal muscles in team history. They are like a separate entity from the rest of his body, they are so well defined.
Good abs don’t win hockey games, but speed can. Laaksonen, 32, is among the fastest players in team history.
Case in point: In the Avs’ game against Chicago on Friday night, a loose puck sat in the neutral zone with two Blackhawks players about 5 feet ahead of Laaksonen in the chase for it. Laaksonen made them look as if they were standing still, easily winning the race to the puck. He carried it into the Chicago zone on a 2-on-1 break with teammate John-Michael Liles, nearly resulting in a goal.
Laaksonen’s devotion to fitness in recent years has made him a faster skater than when he entered the NHL in 1998 with Boston. If he is not at practice or in a game, chances are Laaksonen is on a 14-mile bike ride near the Cherry Creek Reservoir, running wind sprints at a track, or in a gym doing squats or power cleans. At his home he has a slide board setup he frequently uses.
“I do a lot of different things,” Laaksonen said. “You can’t just do one leg exercise and think that’s going to help you. You’ve got to surprise the muscles. It gets boring otherwise.”
Laaksonen credits the cooking of his wife, Jennifer, for his lean abdominals. She cooks a different low-fat chicken recipe every day.
“She’s a great cook. We like to eat at home instead of going to restaurants,” he said. “Not just chicken every (meal), but lots of fish, salmon. A lot of protein.”
Despite being a newcomer to the Avalanche this season, Laaksonen is familiar to many Denver hockey fans. He played the past four seasons with Minnesota, including a first-round playoff series when the Wild eliminated the Avalanche in 2003. Laaksonen played four years with the University of Denver (1993-97) after being discovered by former DU coaches Frank Serratore and Mike Gibbons on a recruiting trip to Finland. Laaksonen was in the Finnish army at the time while also going to high school.
“Gibbons saw me play and asked me if I wanted to play college hockey,” Laaksonen said. “I didn’t know much about it back then, but I passed my English test and got the green light to go to school. I wanted to try it out.”
With the Wild, Laaksonen developed into a solid player, a specialist on the penalty kill and an overall disruptive defensive presence. He averaged nearly 14 goals per season with Minnesota and has two goals in his first five games with the Avalanche.
“It’s not just that he’s got great wheels; he’s so smart and he’s always right there in your face,” Liles said. “He was always one of the toughest players I had to play against when he was with Minnesota. It’s great to have him on our side now.”
Laaksonen has maintained a home in suburban Denver for several years, often working out in the summers with players such as Joe Sakic, Stephane Yelle and Derek Armstrong. The loss of an NHL season to the labor lockout last year made him hunger for hockey like never before.
“It was a good year for me and my body and my mind,” he said. “It’s fun to play hockey again. I feel like I’m in good shape, and I just want to help the team.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
