This connection between the NHL and the Winter War of 1939 is the neatest thing you'll read today

BarDown Staff

(Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

There are lots of connections between War and hockey.

There plenty of inspiring stories of young men who dropped their hockey careers in the NHL and left to fight for their countries during the First and Second World Wars, all of which leave us in awe of the bravery of the people who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice when they left home to fight.

This story differs from the connections between the NHL and national conflicts we're used to hearing, but is one of the neatest ones we've ever heard.

The Winter War took place in 1939, and starting on November 30th and ending on March 13th. It was a conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland, and started with the Red Army's attack on Finland.

What does this have to do with today's NHL, you might ask?

Jouni Nieminen did some excellent reporting to provide us with the answer to that question, and it's a pretty amazing one.

80 yrs ago today, Soviet Union attacked Finland. As Red Army bombed cities, Finland sent 70 thousand kids out of harms way to Sweden. One of those kids was Toivo Jokelainen who lost both of his parents. Tonight we get to watch his grandson Elias Pettersson play hockey in YEG.
— Jouni Nieminen (@OnsideWithJouni) December 1, 2019

You`re welcome. Talked to his parents a year ago. Toivo was adopted by the Petterssons who didnt have any children of their own. After the war his older brother Olavi found him and the families have stayed in contact ever since. Toivo had a son Torbjörn, who had Elias.
— Jouni Nieminen (@OnsideWithJouni) December 1, 2019

Elias Pettersson, one of the most talented and promising young players in the NHL - and is regarded as one of the league's most elite Swedish players, is actually Finnish.

Pretty crazy, right?

According to Neiminen, it was the first time something like sending children to a nearby country to be out of harm's way had been attempted, and it's almost unfathomable to think of how many children were separated from their parents, and from their culture.

Thinking of how many of these orphaned children had to be taken in is also a nice reminder that most people are good, even in the most trying of times.

(H/T: Twitter/OnsideWithJouni)