Kyle Turris is determined to clear the air.
The Ottawa forward continued his reputation salvation tour on Thursday, speaking with Sportsnet’s Ian Mendes about a controversial article in which Turris bashed his time playing in Finland.
“I read it for the first time and I was extremely upset,” Turris said. “It put a very negative characterization of my experience over there. It was the opposite.
“It was a great experience and I’m very thankful I had the opportunity and it was lots of fun.”
Turris played in 21 games for SM-liiga team Karpat Oulu and, in speaking with the Globe and Mail after returning to Ottawa, ripped the experience, saying...
—- There was nothing to do in Oulu.
—- The travel was “horrendous,” with flights followed by long bus rides and too many stops on the bus rides.
—- The food was “awful” and the team ate at truck stops all the time.
—- Conversing with people was “so awkward. They don’t understand anything that you’re saying, staring at you confused.”
Shortly after the article went to print, Turris started trying to clarify.
First, he issued a statement through the Karpat website, saying the Globe piece “had very inaccurate and untrue information,” and that he felt “terrible that people may now feel that I was not grateful to be a part of the organization.”
Then, the interview with Sportsnet.
It seems Turris’ beef is now primarily with the “mischaracterization” of his time in Finland. While he didn’t like some things, he did like other things, and is upset the Globe piece only focused on the negatives.
“There were places that I didn’t like to eat, but at the same time there were places I loved,” Turris said. “Yeah, it was dark, but that’s the way it is there. But I enjoyed it. You find ways to adapt and that’s what I did.
“At the end of the day it was a great experience and I really enjoyed it.”