Sam The Man
Männä kausi oli Kapasen kaksivuotisen kontrahdin ensimmäinen sesonki. Päätös Suomeen palaamisesta olisi varmastikin ollut vielä helpompi tehdä jos Sam The Man olisi päässyt Maljaa Kuopiossa käyttämään.
Hyvin harvalukuinen on kuitenkin suomalaisten kiekkoilijoiden joukko jotka ovat pelanneet SM-liiga- ja NHL-finaaleissa, pokannut olympiapronssit molemmille käsille ja juhlinut MM-kultaa. Hlökohtaisina meriitteinä lisäksi mm. risat 600 NHL-peliä, vajaat 400 pistettä(5 yli 20 maalin kautta) & valinta MM-kisojen All Starsiin.
Alla olisi Philadelphialaisen The Inquirer -lehden alkuperäinen artikkeli kokonaisuudessaan;
"Posted on Sun, May. 30, 2004
On the NHL | Nearly 31, Kapanen thinking retirement
By Tim Panaccio
Inquirer Columnist
Sami Kapanen turns 31 next month.
Outside of center Keith Primeau, he arguably was the Flyers' most valuable player in the postseason, playing on the blue line when the Flyers defense was battered. And he played with a concussion.
Thirty-one is still young in the NHL, too young to retire.
And there's the surprise. Kapanen is considering retirement.
According to two sources close to Kapanen, he informed the Flyers on his return home to Finland last week that he might not be coming back.
Kapanen, the sources said, wants to place his children - son Kasperi and daughters Cassandra and Camilla - in schools abroad. His family also misses Finland and would like to live overseas again.
The Flyers are trying to cut their payroll next season, but Kapanen's $2.5 million salary is not a salary they wish to lose. He is simply too valuable, and his work ethic carries over with other players.
Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock did not have any immediate comment other than to acknowledge that Kapanen, like many of his older veterans, was emotionally devastated by the Game 7 loss to Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals and is probably mulling a lot of things right now.
However, one source said the decision to retire has already been made.
"He probably needs a couple of weeks to rest and think it over," one NHL executive said.
Said a friend close to Kapanen: "It's not about the Flyers. He wants to go back to Finland and wants the kids in school there."
Kapanen's feistiness would be sorely missed on this club."
Hlökohtaisesti Samin mahdollinen paluu-päätös olisi pienoinen takaisku kun suunnitteilla olleen jenkkilän itä-rannikon Phi-NY-NJ alueen ristiretken yksi olennainen kokemus olisi ollut nähdä paikan päällä oman seuran "kasvatti" NHL-kaukalossa.
Ei kuitenkaan niin huonoa ettei jotain hyvääkin, paluun toteutuessa ja sen suuntautuessa Kuopioon matka seuraamaan miehen jalat jalat jalat-showta olisi useamman tuhannen kilometrin lyhyempi.