For brothers Antti and Eero Helanto, hockey is a way of life. Of the many coaches they have had along the way, none may be more influential than Jukka Koivu.

Growing up in Turku, Finland, the Cyclone defensemen played in the TPS, a youth hockey academy, under the tutelage of Jukka Koivu starting at the age of three.

Koivu, father of NHL stars Mikko and Saku Koivu, became a household name in Turku after a short playing career, but he is more well-known for his work with TPS. Jukka Koivu coached the TPS national team, but now mentors the 70,000 kids throughout the TPS system.

 “Whatever [Koivu] says, you really respect it because he told the same things to his sons and many other NHL players he has coached,” Antti said. “He also played himself, so you know that what he said works. He gives you the confidence that if you did this, you’re on the right path.”

The TPS youth academy is a program sponsored by the TPS professional team in Finland where young hockey players can play and improve their skills. The players advance through the system based on age groups. In each age group starting at 15, there are three or four teams that are determined by skill of the players.

The TPS professional team, along with the youth academy, produced many successful NHL players, including Mikko and Saku Koivu, Miikka Kiprusoff and Jere Lehtinen.

Koivu is known for teaching many skills on the ice but is also known for showing players how hard it is to improve.

“[Koivu] says that if you want to be better than everyone else, you have to have the best work ethic,” Eero said. “You have to do better than everyone else. He says you have to do more and do better, quality and quantity.”

Koivu’s tutelage shows players that not everything has to do with performance on the ice or how hard a player works. It sometimes deals with how a player acts off the ice.

“He values character the most, it is something that you can teach,” Antti said. “How you appear to everyone else has a big impact. He said without confidence it’s going to be hard to succeed, but at the end of the day there’s only so much that coaches can teach, it eventually has to come from within.”

Above all, Koivu wants the Helanto brothers to remember one thing.

“Whatever you do, be first,” Antti said. “That’s what he wants everyone to know.”