Kapanen lands in serious legal trouble in his native Finland

St. Louis Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen has been found guilty of aggravated drunk driving from a charge this past August and has been ordered to pay $117,000 in fines.

According to Finnish publication Ilta-Sanomat (IS), Kapanen drove his vehicle off the road as he was driving home from the airport. He had a passenger with him and he failed officers' sobriety tests.

More from IS (Translated from Finnish):

Kapanen, 27, fell off the wheel in Siilinjärvi on August 1, 2023. Kapanen had left the airport.

Kapanen had consumed alcohol in such a way that after driving he had 0.56 milligrams of alcohol per liter of exhaled air. This corresponds to a blood alcohol concentration of 1.25 per thousand.

The limit for aggravated drunk driving is 1.2 alcohol.

Kapanen had a passenger on board at the time of the act.

He had already confessed to the act during the preliminary investigation.

On Thursday, Kapanen was not present at the district court proceedings in person or remotely, because his presence had not been required.

Kapanen's lawyer, Anu Kolari, appealed to the publicity the case would receive during the trial.

She stated that the suspended prison sentence demanded by the prosecutor could also affect Kapanen's future contract negotiations and work permit.

Prosecutors were originally seeking a 45 day prison term for Kapanen's sentencing. 

Read below for our earlier report on this story, when news first. broke this past offseason.

According to a report from The Hockey News, St. Louis Blues forward, formerly with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins, has been charged in his native Finland with aggravated drunk driving.

More from Nick Barden of The Hockey News:

According to Finnish national broadcaster Yle, former Maple Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen is suspected of aggravated drunk driving.

"The case has been brought up in the district court of Pohjois-Savo on August 23," the story reads via Google Translate, "and the case is scheduled to be heard in the district court in February 2024."

- Nick Barden

Kasperi played just 23 games with the Blues last season, putting up eight goals and 14 points. He's signed at a $3.2 million cap hit for the 2023-24 season.