Finnish reporter says Raanta quote about wanting Blackhawks to lose was overblown

The reporter who was told by former Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antti Raanta that the netminder wanted the team to be swept by the Nashville Predators in the 2015 playoffs says the comment was blown out of proportion.

“Antti was frustrated after Chicago send him (a) second time (to the) AHL and he told me truly how he felt," Satakunnan Kansa sports editor Juha Luotola wrote in an email to CSN Chicago's Tracey Myers.

"(The) statement looks bad if you read only one line from story. It's easy to (be) misunderstood and get away from the full story. But I also know that Antti didn't mean that in bad way. It was just his way to explain how frustrated he was: (he had a) bad feeling (in the) last couple hours and after that, he was happy to be a part of team again.”

Luotola reportedly has the conversation on tape and said he and Raanta spoke at length and in great deal.

“(We talked for) three-to-four hours and he had many great things to say about his time in Chicago," he told Myers. "Unfortunately for him, this one line has now taken from his life story in the magazine.”

Raanta, now with the New York Rangers, told Luotola earlier this week that "with fingers crossed I hoped (the Predators) would beat us in four (games) so I could get back to Finland sooner. I was so pissed."

He later denied making the comment, telling the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus that he is "not that kind of guy."

Raanta was traded to the Rangers for winger Ryan Haggerty in June. The 26-year-old owns a career GAA of 2.41 and a save percentage of .912 in parts of two seasons with the Blackhawks.