Laine embracing Finland-Sweden rivalry ahead of 4 Nations: 'We hate them'

Team Finland forward Patrik Laine didn't mince words when asked about Sweden ahead of February's 4 Nations Face-Off.

"We hate them, that's pretty much it," Laine said, per NHL.com's Sean Farrell. "Nothing else to say about that."

Laine likened the Scandinavian rivalry to the one between Canada and USA in North America.

"It's always been a rivalry," Laine said. "It doesn't matter if it's hockey or everything else, we'll try to be better than them. I feel like it's kind of the same as the U.S.-Canada kind of thing, so it will be cool to play against those guys and hopefully beat them."

The Montreal Canadiens sniper will get a chance to play two games in his home building, including a matchup against the Swedes on Feb. 15, before the tournament shifts to Boston. He's thriving at the Bell Centre this season, with 10 goals in as many games on home ice.

Laine will be counted on heavily to produce for a Finland team that, on paper, lacks the offensive depth of Canada, USA, and Sweden.

The 26-year-old is excited to team up once again with Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov on Team Finland. The two have played together multiple times on the international stage, including the 2016 World Championship and 2016 World Cup.

"I mean, I've known him forever," Laine said. "He kind of did the same career path as I did but he just did it three years before me. And then the first time we played was my draft year at the Worlds, and ever since that, we've been working out in the summers together. We live pretty close by and we're spending a pretty good amount of time, and he'll be one of my groomsmen at my wedding.

"He's definitely one of my best friends, so it will be exciting to get to play with him. He's one of the best players in the world so that will be pretty cool."

Sweden has gotten the better of Finland in best-on-best international competitions. Since 1996, Finland has managed just one win and one tie in seven meetings with Sweden at World Cups and the Olympics. Sweden notably came out on top in the 2006 Olympic final and 2014 Olympic semis.