Kasperi Kapanen and Blues GM Doug Armstrong issue statements on Kapanen's legal issue

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Mike Armenti
September 8, 2023 (10:07)

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On Thursday, a Finnish media outlet reported that St. Louis Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen was facing a charge of aggravated drunk driving, stemming from an incident last month. In the report, it had stated that Kapanen is due in court in Finland in February 2024.

The drunk driving incident is a problem in its own right, but Kapanen now has another problem. He failed to inform the team of the incident. GM Doug Armstrong found out about the incident at the same time as the rest of us, via the Finnish report. On Thursday, he issued the following statement regarding Kapanen's legal issue:

"Today we became aware of the incident involving Kasperi and I have spoken with him and his agent. We are disappointed in his lapse of judgement and are entrusting him to make the necessary changes to avoid putting himself in a similar situation in the future." Armstrong said.

Kapanen also released a statement, offering several apologies for how he handled the situation, vowing to do better in the future and to do whatever he can to make the situation right.

"I made an unacceptable error in judgement and take full responsibility for my actions. I offer my apologies to my family, the Blues organization, my teammates and fans. I understand the severity of my mistake and am committed to doing everything I can to earn back trust." Kapanen said.

The former Leaf and Penguin was claimed off of waivers by the St. Louis Blues back in late-February and went on to appear in 23 games with the Blues, recording 14 points, 10 PIMs and had an even-zero +/- rating. Kapanen is entering the final year of his current contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2024.