Former Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers forward Esa Tikkanen never had any trouble motivating himself during an NHL career that spanned almost two decades. Now that he's pushing 40, the Helsinki native has found a whole new reason to come to the rink.
Tikkanen is a player-coach with South Korean team Anyang Halla Winia in the brand new Asia League, and is hoping his experience in the Far East will someday lead to a coaching job in the NHL.
"I signed with this team for the opportunity to get some coaching experience," Tikkanen said Saturday at Tokyo's Yoyogi Arena. "I'd like to coach in the NHL someday and this seemed like a good place to get a start."