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Saunas, reindeer and hockey: Stars and Panthers enjoy time in Finland ahead of 2-game series

Written by: TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer

When Florida coach Paul Maurice first went to Finland, he didn’t know much about the country’s intense love of hockey.

He learned. Quickly.

“I think one of the real benefits, kind of a side benefit, for NHL coaches and players coming in is the full understanding that the game doesn’t actually belong in Canada and the United States,” Maurice said. “That’s what you think when you grow up and you’re not gone, right? ‘No one loves the game more than we do.’ You come here and they love the game as much as we do. “This is a nation of people who love the game.”

Finland, a country of about 5.5 million people, is the home country of about 5% of the players in the NHL this season. When you divide the number of NHL players by a country’s population, Finland sends as many players per capita to the league as Canada and Sweden, and well ahead of the United States and Russia.

And on Friday and Saturday, the great Scandinavian nation will celebrate seven of those players (four from Florida, three from Dallas) in a pair of games when the Stars and the Stanley Cup champion Panthers play in Tampere.

“I’ve been excited about this for a very long time,” said Panthers captain and Tampere native Aleksander Barkov.

Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger feels that extra special vibe while playing in his hometown of Minnesota. For the Finns in these matches – Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell for the Stars; Barkov, Eetu Luostarinen, Niko Mikkola and Anton Lundell for Panthers; He knows this will be different.

“It’s like Christmas Day for them,” Oettinger said. “I know how special it is to play in Minnesota, and for these guys it’s even more special because they’ve never done it before. It’s a pretty cool thing for them.”

The NHL previously played 19 games in Finland; nine regular season, 10 preseason. For these teams, it’s a marathon drive, for the Stars it’s a nine-hour flight from Dallas, and for the Panthers it’s a 7.5-hour flight from Buffalo (where Florida last played).

Nobody complains. The teams are clearly enjoying this opportunity.

Bill Zito, the Panthers’ president of hockey operations and general manager, once played in Finland and had a long list of places he wanted to see again this week. He was asked what he hopes non-Finnish players will get out of this trip.

“It’s an appreciation of how amazing Finland is,” Zito said. “Just everything about it. Just smile. “It’s a great place.”

The Panthers and Stars have absorbed (literally in some cases) much of the culture that Finland has to offer. The country prides itself on its saunas, which Stars coach Peter DeBoer jokes offer some the chance to sweat off the Finnish beer consumed on the first or second night of the trip.

Some players jumped into the sea in a sort of cold dip. Maurice said he would try to consume all the smoked fish he could find, while Zito said he planned to buy all the chocolate he could find. The Panthers have had their fill of salmon chowder, something Lundell has been raving about for weeks, and there’s another favorite treat.

That would be the reindeer.

“I hope it’s not Rudolph,” Stars forward Matt Duchene said.

Added Stars forward Tyler Seguin: ““It scared me to start, but it tastes pretty good.”

In the early days of this trip, food was a big part of the story. A Finnish newspaper published the headline, which translates as “Suomen herkut maistuivat” (Finnish delicacies tasted great), under a photo of Barkov giving teammate Matthew Tkachuk his first taste of Finland on the trip.

“A dessert that Barky will have to explain; “He said it was like the cake he had at school,” Tkachuk said. “That was a good thing.”

Another bonus for Finnish fans: They got two pretty good teams out of this deal. The Panthers started 7-3-1, the Stars 7-2-0, and many chose both to advance to the Stanley Cup Final next spring. Tickets sold out quickly and Finnish players on both sides will have tons of people they know in the stands on Friday and Saturday.

“I’m actually very excited,” Tkachuk said. “I think I’m most excited for the Finns on the team. What a great opportunity for them. … That’s first and foremost. Hockey will come second here.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.