Brothers Atte (left) and Eeli shake hands after facing each other for the first time.
photo: Andre Ringuette/IIHF
The 2025 World Championship started off with a bang yesterday when Austria played Finland. On the surface, it looked like nothing more than Game 1 of a 64-game tournament to formally end the European hockey season.
But the game also featured an historic matchup, one we may never see again in our lifetimes. Finnish forward Eeli Tolvanen played against his goaltending brother, Atte.
How is that even possible?
This is the third time brothers have faced each other, but never has a goalie faced a skater as siblings. In 1960, Frantisek Tikal (Czechoslovakia) played against brother Zdenek (Australia) at the Olympics, and in 2002, Robert Reichel (Czech Republic) face brother Martin (Germany) on several occasions.
Both Tolvanen brothers were born in Vihti, Finland, and grew up together. Atte was born in 1994 and Eeli five years later. Atte played in the Finnish junior system and then left for North America, first to play in the NAHL and then with Northern Michigan in NCAA. He was never drafted, played one year in the AHL, and returned home to play in Liiga in 2019.
Soon after, however, he decided to continue his career in Austria, where he has been since 2021. As a result, he was eligible to play for that country in IIHF events, and when the Austrian federation asked him about the World Championship this year, he accepted.
Eeli, meanwhile, had a similar trajectory, but he chose the USHL in 2015, and two years later that developed into being selected 30th overall by Nashville in the NHL draft. He has been almost exclusively an NHL player ever since, currently with Seattle.
While Eeli has also had a full career playing in IIHF events, this is the first for Atte. Eeli won gold with Finland’s U18 team in 2016 and gold at the 2019 World Juniors. In between, he also played at the 2018 Olympics and 2018 World Championship.
Yesterday was the first time they had actually played against each other, and this marked the first time a skater-brother had faced a goalie-brother in IIHF history.
“To be honest, in the game he's just another goalie in net,” Eeli said, downplaying the historic meeting. “I didn't think that much about it, to be honest. That's the first time I've played against him. It's a cool story, but when you're in your zone, in the game, you don't think about it.”
Eeli had the satisfaction of winning the game, 2-1, while Atte had the pleasure of stopping three shots taken by Eeli, notably a breakaway in the third period.
“That's something nice, to make that save,” Atte said after the game. “Hopefully there is a picture of it somewhere.
“It's part of the game,” Eeli shrugged. “Sometimes the goalie is going to make the save; sometimes you score. He made a really good save today.”
Does the goalie have the advantage, having grown up facing the shooter-brother’s shots all the time, or vice versa?
“It's a little bit of both,” Atte suggested, “but at the end of the day every chance is something different. You just have to try to read what he's going to do. I had little bit of a sense of that, but then of course he can change it up. There are so many things he can do.”
After the game, there were handshakes and smiles between the players, and they will try to get together when team schedules permit.
“We will see each other,” Eeli said. “We went for lunch yesterday, and we'll see each other again. We both have tight schedules, but we'll figure something out.”
And in the summer, the brothers will be siblings again, not opponents, and they will support each other as best they can.
“We talk a lot during the summer,” Eeli added. “He'll talk a lot with me and try to help me score more goals, and I'll try to help him make more saves. We just try to make each other better.”
In the meantime, we can enjoy the history made by the Tolvanens. Who knows when and if it will ever happen again?
But the game also featured an historic matchup, one we may never see again in our lifetimes. Finnish forward Eeli Tolvanen played against his goaltending brother, Atte.
How is that even possible?
This is the third time brothers have faced each other, but never has a goalie faced a skater as siblings. In 1960, Frantisek Tikal (Czechoslovakia) played against brother Zdenek (Australia) at the Olympics, and in 2002, Robert Reichel (Czech Republic) face brother Martin (Germany) on several occasions.
Both Tolvanen brothers were born in Vihti, Finland, and grew up together. Atte was born in 1994 and Eeli five years later. Atte played in the Finnish junior system and then left for North America, first to play in the NAHL and then with Northern Michigan in NCAA. He was never drafted, played one year in the AHL, and returned home to play in Liiga in 2019.
Soon after, however, he decided to continue his career in Austria, where he has been since 2021. As a result, he was eligible to play for that country in IIHF events, and when the Austrian federation asked him about the World Championship this year, he accepted.
Eeli, meanwhile, had a similar trajectory, but he chose the USHL in 2015, and two years later that developed into being selected 30th overall by Nashville in the NHL draft. He has been almost exclusively an NHL player ever since, currently with Seattle.
While Eeli has also had a full career playing in IIHF events, this is the first for Atte. Eeli won gold with Finland’s U18 team in 2016 and gold at the 2019 World Juniors. In between, he also played at the 2018 Olympics and 2018 World Championship.
Yesterday was the first time they had actually played against each other, and this marked the first time a skater-brother had faced a goalie-brother in IIHF history.
“To be honest, in the game he's just another goalie in net,” Eeli said, downplaying the historic meeting. “I didn't think that much about it, to be honest. That's the first time I've played against him. It's a cool story, but when you're in your zone, in the game, you don't think about it.”
Eeli had the satisfaction of winning the game, 2-1, while Atte had the pleasure of stopping three shots taken by Eeli, notably a breakaway in the third period.
“That's something nice, to make that save,” Atte said after the game. “Hopefully there is a picture of it somewhere.
“It's part of the game,” Eeli shrugged. “Sometimes the goalie is going to make the save; sometimes you score. He made a really good save today.”
Does the goalie have the advantage, having grown up facing the shooter-brother’s shots all the time, or vice versa?
“It's a little bit of both,” Atte suggested, “but at the end of the day every chance is something different. You just have to try to read what he's going to do. I had little bit of a sense of that, but then of course he can change it up. There are so many things he can do.”
After the game, there were handshakes and smiles between the players, and they will try to get together when team schedules permit.
“We will see each other,” Eeli said. “We went for lunch yesterday, and we'll see each other again. We both have tight schedules, but we'll figure something out.”
And in the summer, the brothers will be siblings again, not opponents, and they will support each other as best they can.
“We talk a lot during the summer,” Eeli added. “He'll talk a lot with me and try to help me score more goals, and I'll try to help him make more saves. We just try to make each other better.”
In the meantime, we can enjoy the history made by the Tolvanens. Who knows when and if it will ever happen again?