It isn’t often that a player apologizes upon signing with a team, yet that’s exactly what former Detroit Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen felt compelled to do.

Friday, Pulkkinen, 33, signed as a free agent with Kiekko-Vantaa of Finland’s second division, the Mestis.

Then, like Lucy Ricardo, Pulkkinen had some explaining to do upon his return to play in his homeland. You see, he spent several seasons performing in Russia’s KHL. Pulkkinen was the only Finnish player to sign with the KHL following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Overall, Pulkkinen spent six seasons in the KHL, playing for five different teams. He skated with Dynamo Minsk, Moscow Dynamo, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Traktor Chelyabinsk, and Kunlun Red Star.

For this, he sought to apologize to the people of his country.

“I have made bad choices in my career, and I regret them,” Pulkkinen said in a statement released by the team. “I am grateful for the opportunity to return home and represent the Vantaa club.

“I’m really excited about the upcoming Mestis season and playing for Kiekko-Vantaa.”

Vantaa is Pulkkinen’s hometown.

His contrition was not enough for some Finnish hockey fans. Supporters of Mestis club Jokerit Helsinki are calling for a boycott of Kiekko-Vantaa’s games following the decision to sign Pulkkinen.

“We cannot accept that a Finnish club gives a squad spot to a player who has continued to play in the KHL,” Jokerit supporters posted in a statement. “This after large parts of the international community have condemned the Russian actions in Ukraine as war crimes.

“Such a choice contradicts the values that Finnish sports want to stand for.”

Pulkkinen Played For Red Wings, Won Calder Cup With Griffins

Selected 111th overall by the Red Wings in the 2010 NHL entry draft, Pulkkinen spent 70 games with the Red Wings from 2013-16, scoring 11 goals. He also played with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins for three seasons. Pulkkinen posted a pair of 30-goal seasons with the Griffins. He was part of a Calder Cup-winning team in 2012-13.

Among Pulkkinen’s teammates in Grand Rapids was forward Colin Campbell. Campbell is facing similar backlash in Norway after leaving the KHL to join a Norwegian team.